Columbia Made in France Smooth Straight Pot Estate Pipe, Vulcanite Tapered Fishtail Stem, No Filter

The shank carries a single stamping: Columbia Made in france, worn but legible, exactly as read from the pipe. That mark is the whole of what identifies this estate piece - a smooth straight pot, vulcanite tapered stem, fishtail slot at the bit, no filter.

The pot shape sits in the same family as the billiard but built wider and shorter in the bowl, with a rounder transition from wall to base. Where a billiard reads tall and upright, a pot reads squat and settled - more bowl diameter for the tobacco to burn evenly across, less bowl height for the same reason a stout glass holds its head rather than a tall one. It is a shape meant to sit comfortably in the hand and on a rack: straight-shanked, no bend to manage, and a stem built for a level clench if the smoker wants one. The tapered vulcanite stem narrows steadily from shank to button, and the fishtail slot - a shallow V cut into the bit rather than a single round bore - opens the draw slightly wider at the lip than a pinched round opening does.

The seller describes the finish as smooth, with what he calls old-school grain: figure left to show for itself rather than buried under a heavy stain or worked over with a rustication tool. Finishing a pipe smooth rather than sandblasting or rusticating it is a choice that leaves the wood with nowhere to hide - a maker takes that route when the block underneath does not need disguising.

Condition is stated plainly. This pipe has been smoked and is graded fair. The rim shows the darkening that comes with years of use, not deliberate charring. There are faint scratches and small dents around the briar, consistent with a pipe that has been carried and handled rather than kept in a case. There is a bite mark on the stem, the most common wear point on a vulcanite fishtail mouthpiece, since the material is softer than the briar it is fitted to and a smoker's back teeth find it first. This is disclosed because a fair-condition estate pipe should be sold as a fair-condition estate pipe.

THE MARKS
- Columbia Made in france - shank stamp, read as stated

THE MEASUREMENTS
Length 140mm (5.5 in) - Bowl height 33mm (1.3 in) - Bowl width 38mm (1.5 in) - Chamber diameter 20mm (0.8 in) - Chamber depth 25mm (1.0 in) - Weight 29g (1.0 oz)

A plain-stamped French pot with real handling behind it, sold as exactly what it is.

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

SKU: 082