Wolf Pipe, Made In England

[doctorbob]

I recently acquired an estate large billiard pipe labeled WOLF over HH over W with the stamps forming an inverted triangle. The COM mark is a circlular MADE IN ENGLAND with the shape number inside the ring , the stamping is distinctly different from the circular Comoy's COM, both in font and size. There is an F stamped next that may refer to 'fishtail' as the pipe has a fishtail style stem, or possibly flat, as the pipe has a flat bottom for sitting. There is a registration number on the bottom of the stem that is just effaced enough to be unreadable.

The tenon is an aluminum peg that fits into a normal briar mortise. The slot has a 'Barling' kind of appearance, but nothing else is similar.

The pipe is a very nice pipe, no fills. and I am wondering about the company as I have never heard of them before. I know that WMTP indicates that Wolf is an american brand, but this is most definately not an american pipe. I have found advertising that has a distinctly 1930-1940's feel for the brand, but nothing else.

I was hopeful that the knowledge base here would fill in the gaps with this brand.

Respectfully, Bob

 

[doctorbob]

I don't have good photos, but pipephil has this brand on their website.

 

[ssjones]

"Who Made That Pipe" list one Wolf - but shows the country of origin as the US, so guess there was two. We would need COM pix to provide feedback.

 

[snagstangl]

I have one as well, and found some info on it years ago. I will see if I can find it again.

 

[mikethompson]

Sounds interesting, but as usual, pictures would help.

 

[doctorbob]

I'll give it a go

 

[doctorbob]

 

[doctorbob]

I should add that the aluminum peg tenon is mentioned in the advertising as a feature, and the other pipes I have found online also have the aluminum tenon.

 

[jguss]

Hi Bob,

Very neat pipe.

HHW were the initials of, and the brand used by, Hermann Heinrich Wolf, frequently anglicized as Herman Henry Wolf.

Wolf was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1883 and died in London in 1956. I believe he emigrated to England in the first decade of the 20th century, and in any case was living in London and working for someone else as a briar pipe maker by 1911. How many pipe companies he worked for is unknown, but be the late 1910s Wolf was working for Dunhill, carving pipes in his home. By 1920 at the latest he was working for himself, trading as Wolf Bros. Of no little interest is his being on the receiving end of one of Alfred Dunhill's seemingly endless lawsuits trying to prevent anyone else from using a spot of any kind on a pipe stem. If you go to the Dunhill Pipedia page, massively and very usefully revised by Yang Forcióri, you'll see a link to an article on the litigation between Wolf and Dunhill I sent Yang at the beginning of last March. If you're curious you can find examples of the spot Wolf employed on surviving pipes online. Here's one:



In any case despite a lengthy foray into bankruptcy in the 1920s, Wolf Bros. continued in business for over twenty years. The company started out at 142 Wardour Street, and in 1928 moved a few blocks away to 90 Wardour Street where it remained until the end. Listings disappear from the telephone books and trade directories towards the latter end of World War II. I suspect Wolf Bros went out of business about 1944, whether because of the increasing scarcity of briar and vulcanite, or as a casualty of the periodic bombing of London, I have no idea.

Bob, if you have a picture of the advertisement you mention I'd love to see it. And if there's any way you could somehow determine the reg number on the stem that might help narrow down the date of manufacture on your pipe.

Rgds,
Jon

 

[doctorbob]

Jon- I'll try to locate the advertising and get copies to you.

The pipe has an aluminum ring logo set in the left side of the stem

 

[jguss]

"Who Made That Pipe" list one Wolf - but shows the country of origin as the US, so guess there was two. We would need COM pix to provide feedback.

Al, since this will probably never come up again I'll add that the "US Wolf" was completely separate and unrelated to the Wolf Bros. business described above. The Cliff Notes version is that Emanuel Wolf and his son Harold were more or less itinerant importers/distributors/salesmen of smokers' articles. About 1911 they established the Wolf Pipe Co. in Detroit, where it flourished for a few years before Emanuel's death in 1917.

 

[Amber-John]

Hi Bob,

Very neat pipe.

HHW were the initials of, and the brand used by, Hermann Heinrich Wolf, frequently anglicized as Herman Henry Wolf.

Wolf was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1883 and died in London in 1956. I believe he emigrated to England in the first decade of the 20th century, and in any case was living in London and working for someone else as a briar pipe maker by 1911. How many pipe companies he worked for is unknown, but be the late 1910s Wolf was working for Dunhill, carving pipes in his home. By 1920 at the latest he was working for himself, trading as Wolf Bros. Of no little interest is his being on the receiving end of one of Alfred Dunhill's seemingly endless lawsuits trying to prevent anyone else from using a spot of any kind on a pipe stem. If you go to the Dunhill Pipedia page, massively and very usefully revised by Yang Forcióri, you'll see a link to an article on the litigation between Wolf and Dunhill I sent Yang at the beginning of last March. If you're curious you can find examples of the spot Wolf employed on surviving pipes online. Here's one:

View attachment 34570

In any case despite a lengthy foray into bankruptcy in the 1920s, Wolf Bros. continued in business for over twenty years. The company started out at 142 Wardour Street, and in 1928 moved a few blocks away to 90 Wardour Street where it remained until the end. Listings disappear from the telephone books and trade directories towards the latter end of World War II. I suspect Wolf Bros went out of business about 1944, whether because of the increasing scarcity of briar and vulcanite, or as a casualty of the periodic bombing of London, I have no idea.

Bob, if you have a picture of the advertisement you mention I'd love to see it. And if there's any way you could somehow determine the reg number on the stem that might help narrow down the date of manufacture on your pipe.

Rgds,
Jon

Hi Bob,

Very neat pipe.

HHW were the initials of, and the brand used by, Hermann Heinrich Wolf, frequently anglicized as Herman Henry Wolf.

Wolf was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1883 and died in London in 1956. I believe he emigrated to England in the first decade of the 20th century, and in any case was living in London and working for someone else as a briar pipe maker by 1911. How many pipe companies he worked for is unknown, but be the late 1910s Wolf was working for Dunhill, carving pipes in his home. By 1920 at the latest he was working for himself, trading as Wolf Bros. Of no little interest is his being on the receiving end of one of Alfred Dunhill's seemingly endless lawsuits trying to prevent anyone else from using a spot of any kind on a pipe stem. If you go to the Dunhill Pipedia page, massively and very usefully revised by Yang Forcióri, you'll see a link to an article on the litigation between Wolf and Dunhill I sent Yang at the beginning of last March. If you're curious you can find examples of the spot Wolf employed on surviving pipes online. Here's one:

View attachment 34570

In any case despite a lengthy foray into bankruptcy in the 1920s, Wolf Bros. continued in business for over twenty years. The company started out at 142 Wardour Street, and in 1928 moved a few blocks away to 90 Wardour Street where it remained until the end. Listings disappear from the telephone books and trade directories towards the latter end of World War II. I suspect Wolf Bros went out of business about 1944, whether because of the increasing scarcity of briar and vulcanite, or as a casualty of the periodic bombing of London, I have no idea.

Bob, if you have a picture of the advertisement you mention I'd love to see it. And if there's any way you could somehow determine the reg number on the stem that might help narrow down the date of manufacture on your pipe.

Rgds,
Jon

Hi Jon,
I have just seen your information on Herman Henry Wolf.
Herman was my grandfather on my mothers side of the family and died when I was only 6 so never really got to know him very well. The details you have supplied about the company (Wolf Bros) are correct but I have not been able to find out any information about why they stopped trading or Herman's early pipe making when he first came to England. I have attached a copy of a Wolf leaflet advertising their range of pipes and also a copy of their business card for 142 Wardour Street. There is a photo of Herman in his workshop but unsure when this was taken.
Regards
John

 

[kcghost]

I wonder how that pipe kept its nomenclature so clean as old as it is.

 

[orlandofurioso]

This is my Wolf pipe I affectionally call it my Game of Thrones Dire Wolf .
Maker unknown, but the carving is excellent and ( I believe) done by hand.
So not by a copy machine . The stem is of good quality ebonite .
It is a lightweight and lovely to hold and behold.

 

[ssjones]

This is my Wolf pipe I affectionally call it my Game of Thrones Dire Wolf .
Maker unknown, but the carving is excellent and ( I believe) done by hand.
So not by a copy machine . The stem is of good quality ebonite .
It is a lightweight and lovely to hold and behold.
View attachment 265591View attachment 265592View attachment 265595

 

[orlandofurioso]

Odd, not ?
Any ideas please share , it is fascinating .

 

[orlandofurioso]

Thank you Al; wonderful video

 

[runscott]

This is my Wolf pipe I affectionally call it my Game of Thrones Dire Wolf .
Maker unknown, but the carving is excellent and ( I believe) done by hand.
So not by a copy machine . The stem is of good quality ebonite .
It is a lightweight and lovely to hold and behold.
View attachment 265591View attachment 265592View attachment 265595

Okay, since you started it.

Mine is doing guard duty

 

[pappymac]

Hi Jon,
I have just seen your information on Herman Henry Wolf.
Herman was my grandfather on my mothers side of the family and died when I was only 6 so never really got to know him very well. The details you have supplied about the company (Wolf Bros) are correct but I have not been able to find out any information about why they stopped trading or Herman's early pipe making when he first came to England. I have attached a copy of a Wolf leaflet advertising their range of pipes and also a copy of their business card for 142 Wardour Street. There is a photo of Herman in his workshop but unsure when this was taken.
Regards
John
View attachment 145804View attachment 145805View attachment 145806View attachment 145807

The Wolf Standard No. 69 on the left side of the first pamphlet looks a lot like my 1926 Dunhill. I wonder if he copied the shapes he was previously making for Dunhill.

 

[anotherbob]

This is my Wolf pipe I affectionally call it my Game of Thrones Dire Wolf .
Maker unknown, but the carving is excellent and ( I believe) done by hand.
So not by a copy machine . The stem is of good quality ebonite .
It is a lightweight and lovely to hold and behold.
View attachment 265591View attachment 265592View attachment 265595

carved nah that's just the plateau. Sweet though.