De Roi Two Star Lord Nelson (54) Smooth Straight Brandy Vulcanite Saddle Stem 9mm Filter Estate Pipe

The shank carries four words and a number: De Roi, Two Star, Lord Nelson, and (54). No maker's history rides along with those marks in this listing - only what is stamped on the pipe and what the pipe itself shows.

This is a De Roi pipe, grade Two Star, model Lord Nelson, shape number 54, in a smooth finish. The shape is a straight brandy. The stem is vulcanite, cut in a saddle profile, bored with a fishtail slot, and set up for a 9mm filter.

The brandy shape takes its name and its profile from the brandy snifter: a bowl that widens gradually from a narrower base to a broader, rounder wall near the rim, then closes down again to meet the shank. It carries more shoulder than an apple and a flatter top than a bulldog, giving it a squat, wide-bodied presence on a rack. Because so much of the bowl wall is exposed and rounded rather than angled, a brandy shows more of its grain to the eye than a tighter shape like a pot or a dublin, which is one reason the shape is popular where the briar itself is the point of interest. A straight shank, as stamped here, keeps the profile clean and lets the pipe sit level when set down bowl-first.

A smooth finish leaves the briar's surface as cut and polished, without sandblasting or rustication to raise or roughen the grain. Achieving a clean smooth finish depends on selecting a block with few surface flaws to begin with, since there is no textured surface left to disguise a pit or a fill. What smoothing does is let the wood's own figure - straight grain, birdseye, flame - show through the stain and wax largely unaltered.

The saddle stem is cut with a step down from the shank, narrower in diameter than the shank it joins, as against a taper stem that runs flush into the wood. That step is both a visual break and a practical one: it gives the teeth and lips a distinct, slightly raised bite surface separate from the shank line. The 9mm chamber bored through the stem and shank accepts a standard charcoal or paper filter, which catches moisture and tars before they reach the mouth; left empty, the same bore still draws, though the fit will be looser without an adapter.

Vulcanite, the material of this stem, is rubber hardened with sulfur under heat, adopted across the pipe trade for its ability to take a fine polish and hold a bite without cracking under normal pressure. It is softer than modern acrylic stems and takes tooth wear more readily, which is why so many estate pipes show it - but it also polishes back to a deep black with simple buffing and carnauba wax, restoring most of its original luster.

THE MARKS
- De Roi - maker's name, stamped on the shank
- Two Star - grade designation, stamped on the shank
- Lord Nelson - model name, stamped on the shank
- (54) - shape number, stamped on the shank as quoted

Finish and grain: see the photographs.

Condition: pre-smoked, graded very good. A tiny dent is present at the bottom of the shank. No other damage, repairs, or fills are noted.

THE MEASUREMENTS
- Length: 155mm (6.2")
- Bowl height: 53mm (2.1")
- Bowl width: 44mm (1.8")
- Chamber depth: 45mm (1.8")
- Chamber diameter: 20mm (0.8")
- Weight: 2.15 oz
- Filter: 9mm

Ships from the Faridunhill / Pipe Collectors Encyclopedia archive. Worldwide shipping and professional sanitation on every estate pipe.

SKU: 313