Chacom - 1981 Year Pipe | 1018/1245

Brand: Chacom - 1981 Pipe of the Year | 1018/1245

Chacom is a long-established French pipe brand whose roots go back to 1825, when François Comoy began making boxwood and clay pipes in the town of Saint-Claude, France. In 1856 the Comoy workshop went down in history as the first maker in Saint-Claude to produce pipes with bruyère (briar) bowls. In 1922 the grandchildren of the Comoy family joined forces with their cousins, the Chapuis family, to found the Chapuis-Comoy company, and in 1928 they created the "Chacom" brand still in use today.

Since 1978 Chacom has produced its individually numbered "Pipe of the Year" series, limited to a maximum of 1245 pieces each year. This piece is an original estate pipe from the series' 1981 production, stamped 1018/1245 and shaped by hand in Saint-Claude, the heart of French pipe craftsmanship. It thus carries both the brand's nearly two centuries of craft heritage and the rarity of a limited-edition collector's piece.

Shank: It has taken on stain. No darkening from tobacco. Very clean.

 

Draft Hole (Air Hole): Dead center in the chamber but not flush with the chamber floor. Care must be taken when smoking down to the bottom.

 

Chamber Cleaning: Very well reamed and quite symmetrical.

 

Condition: 8/10

 

Flaws: The air hole is problematic.

 

Score: 6/10

 

Comment: The 1981 pipe of the year. Number 1018 of a 1245-piece run. A very hefty, large pipe. An estate pipe you would expect big-framed smokers to favor, well suited to long smokes.