Butz-Choquin Major 1324 Smooth Bent Billiard, France

This reference example is a smooth-finished bent billiard from Butz-Choquin of France, catalogued within the maker's Major line and carrying the factory shape number 1324. The bent billiard is one of the most enduring forms in the pipemaker's repertoire: a cylindrical bowl of classic billiard proportions set upon a shank and stem that curve downward, shifting the pipe's weight toward the jaw and lending it a relaxed, low-hanging profile favoured by those who smoke with the pipe clenched. The smooth finish presents the 's surface without rustication or blasting, allowing the natural grain of the wood to read plainly across the bowl. Butz-Choquin occupies a significant place in the history of French pipemaking. Under the ownership of the Berrod-Regad company from the mid-twentieth century onward, Butz-Choquin developed an extensive catalogue of named series, of which the Major line is one, each series pairing a consistent finish treatment with the factory's numbered shape chart. The four-digit designation 1324 situates this piece within that standardised shape system. Dating a Butz-Choquin pipe presents the difficulty common to most French factory marques: the firm has never used a date-coding system comparable to the hallmarked silver or year-stamped nomenclature of certain English houses. Attribution therefore rests on the brand, line, and shape number as stated, none of which fixes a year of manufacture. The honest conclusion is an undetermined era within the twentieth to twenty-first century span of the marque's Saint-Claude production, with the identification resting on the owner's statement rather than independently verified markings.