Stanwell Hand Made 81 Sandblast Straight Billiard Saddle Stem Estate Pipe

STANWELL over REGD. No 969-48, and further along the same smooth panel 81 over HAND MADE. This is a Stanwell Hand Made 81, a sandblasted straight billiard with a tall bowl, fitted with a vulcanite saddle stem that carries a crowned S in white.

This is vintage old school quality, and the nomenclature looks like new: STANWELL, 81 and HAND MADE are clear, and the small REGD. No 969-48 line is readable. The stem is made without a filter.

Poul Nielsen set up pipe production in Denmark in 1942, and in 1948 the name Stanwell was registered as a trademark, number 969-48, the 48 standing for the year. In 1952 the firm brought in new equipment and exported to Europe and the United States. Production later moved to a new modern factory in Borup, in 1965 by the maker's own catalogue (other sources say 1969), and a Stanwell catalogue from about 1982 claims some 35 percent of Danish pipe exports, sold in about 40 countries. Danish production ended at the end of 2009; since 2010 the pipes have been made by Barontini in Italy, limited editions excepted.

THE MARKS

- STANWELL / REGD. No 969-48, on a smooth panel of the shank
- 81 / HAND MADE, on the same panel
- A crowned S in white on the side of the stem

The registration number helps with the date. Before the name was registered in 1948, Stanwell pipes carried the name in script letters and no S on the stem. This pipe has the REGD. No 969-48 line and the S on the stem, so it was made after the 1948 registration. No narrower date can be read from the marks.

The number 81 needs care, because Stanwell used one shape number for different shapes in different decades. The shape-number list compiled by Basil Stevens gives 81 as a "Chimney" with a saddle mouthpiece and as a large billiard with a saddle mouthpiece (one copy of the list adds a third entry, a bent apple). This pipe is a straight billiard with a saddle stem and a bowl 58 mm high and 31 mm wide, so the bent apple does not fit; the other two entries both name the saddle mouthpiece it has.

A billiard has a cylindrical bowl at a right angle to a straight shank. The saddle stem has a flat step where the bit begins.

The sandblast covers the bowl and the shank with a deep, craggy texture, and a smooth panel on the shank carries the stamps. Please see the photographs for the blast, the rim and the stem.

Condition: excellent condition for its age. There is a little darkness on the rim, as expected; it can be removed, but it is left as it is for the vintage look.

THE MEASUREMENTS

- Length: 138 mm (5.4 in)
- Bowl height: 58 mm (2.3 in)
- Bowl width: 31 mm (1.2 in)
- Chamber depth: 52 mm (2.1 in)
- Weight: 48 g (1.7 oz)

Ships from the Faridunhill archive. Worldwide shipping and professional sanitation on every estate pipe. SKU: 025