Butz-Choquin Reptile Red Straight Apple, era undetermined

This reference example is recorded as a straight apple pipe attributed to Butz-Choquin, the French house whose finishes have long included textured, sculpted treatments alongside classic smooth briar. The bowl is briar, dressed in the finish the owner identifies as Reptile Red: a cracked, alligator-like surface pattern of deep red patches laid over lighter red undertones, producing the reptilian scale effect from which the line takes its name. The stem is red acrylic — lucite — cut with a slight bend that softens the otherwise straight profile, and the pipe is built to accept 9mm filters, a system characteristic of continental European production. Recorded dimensions are 5.5 inches in length, a bowl height of 1.9 inches, a chamber diameter of 0.8 inches, and a weight of 1.6 ounces. The firm has remained notable for pairing traditional Saint-Claude craftsmanship with bolder finishes and materials, of which the Reptile series is a representative example. The apple shape itself is a nineteenth-century form, prized for its plump, rounded bowl that sits comfortably in the hand and encourages an even burn; in its straight configuration it is among the most balanced and versatile of the classic chart shapes. Dating this specimen is not possible from physical evidence: the pipe carries no stampings of any kind, so neither the brand mark, line name, nor any country-of-manufacture stamp can be read from the object itself. The attribution therefore rests entirely on the owner's identification of the finish and maker, and the era must be recorded as undetermined, with the owner noting only that the pipe presents as a recent rather than antique production.