Hilson Antique 290/S Bent Chimney Billiard Vertical Grain Vulcanite Saddle Stem Estate Pipe

Hilson stamped this shank ANTIQUE 290/S. The code is quoted here exactly as it appears; no catalog we hold maps 290/S to a named line, so nothing beyond what the stamp itself says is claimed.

This is a Hilson pipe, marked Antique 290/S, in a slightly bent chimney billiard shape with a wide oval shank. The finish is smooth briar cut with vertical grain, and the stem is vulcanite, saddle-cut, fitted with a fishtail bit and bored for a 9mm filter.

The billiard is the reference shape against which most other bowls are measured: straight sides, a flat base, a bowl set at roughly a right angle to a shank of comparable length. The chimney variant stretches that geometry vertically - a taller bowl with walls that run straight up before the rim, which is where the name comes from. At 57mm from rim to base against 38mm across the bowl, this example reads tall and narrow rather than broad and squat, and the slight bend in the shank makes the bowl read almost as a column rising off the shank line rather than sitting flush with it.

The shank itself is cut oval rather than round, and wide. That choice changes how the pipe sits in the hand and how it reads on a rack - an oval face catches light differently than a round shank turned the same way - and the added width at the bowl junction gives the turner more briar to blend bowl and shank together without a visible step.

The stem is vulcanite: hard rubber, the material pipe makers relied on for its ability to hold a sharp edge at the button while giving comfortably under the teeth, before harder acrylics took over most production stems. It is cut as a saddle - the stem steps down in thickness right at the shank face instead of tapering gradually - and the bit is fishtail-cut, the slot widening toward the button to spread the smoke across a broader front rather than deliver it in one narrow stream. The bore is sized for a 9mm filter, which intercepts moisture and tars ahead of the smoker's mouth without materially changing draw resistance once the filter is seated.

Vertical grain - straight grain running the length of the stummel - is what a briar block gives up when the grain in the burl runs true along one axis. Turners who find it favor a smooth finish over a stain or a blast, since a smooth surface is the only finish that shows that grain uninterrupted. On this pipe the wood is left to make its own case, with no rustication and no sandblasting between the eye and the briar.

Condition: This pipe is pre-owned, graded by the seller as good condition. A dark stain spot is present on one side of the bowl. The chamber carries a layer of hard cake; some has already been removed, but further removal is still needed before the bare briar underneath can be inspected.

THE MARKS
- Shank stamp: HILSON ANTIQUE 290/S

THE MEASUREMENTS
Length 142mm (5.6") - Bowl height 57mm (2.3") - Bowl width 38mm (1.5") - Chamber depth 50mm (2.0") - Chamber diameter 20mm (0.8") - Weight 2.0 oz

Ships from the Faridunhill / Pipe Collectors Encyclopedia archive. Worldwide shipping and professional sanitation on every estate pipe.
SKU: 010