Charatan

“The After Hours line was a clever move by Charatan to use a strummel that had some sort of flaw. The flawed area was cut off and an acrylic piece was screwed to the shortened shank. Early pipes had horn extensions and later acrylic was used. This pipe uses an acrylic piece. The wood for After Hours is reported to be of a “Selected” quality grain.” Reborn Pipes This pipe certainly deserved to be saved – the large bowl shows stunning straight and flame grains rising from the base. There is a hint of BirdsEye grain towards the rim, at the base of the bowl and under the shank. The light finish enables one to appreciate the grain and the almost flawless briar – the camera found just two little spots one of which is barely visible even with a magnifying glass. The pipe has the trademark Double Comfort mouthpiece, but enthusiastic polishing has removed the CP logo. The bowl is stamped CHARATAN’S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND on two lines, and the curly “L” from the Lane Era is quite clear. I’ve been wondering about this pipe. It is unsmoked, but has a few “dings” on the bowl, and the mouthpiece was obviously badly oxidised, which necessitated heavy polishing. My guess is that it was left in a drawer or box for some years, with no protection. Any other ideas? All the signs seem to indicate that it came from the best period of Charatan pipes, the “Lane Era”. The stamping on the bowl on two lines, The Double Comfort mouthpiece, The Circled “L”, “Made by Hand” stamped on the insert, which indicates the date of manufacture as between 1958 and 1965. This is the Era during which Charatan pipes were considered better than all other pipes, including Dunhill. Read more about dating Charatan pipes on https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dating_of_Charatans It is now over 60 years since this briar was harvested – plenty of time to dry out and mature. Vital statistics: Weight 52g Inside bowl diameter 19mm Inside bowl depth 45mm