Hardcastle Jockey Club - Estate Pipe

Note: The pipe that will be shipped to you is the very same pipe you see in the photos. After your order the product will be marked as "Sold Out". Only one of each pipe is available on our website.

 

Brand: Hardcastle Jockey Club

 

Hardcastle's history is divided into three main periods:

 

The Independent Period (1908 - 1946): The brand was founded in London in 1908 by Edmund Hardcastle. Growing quickly as a family firm, Hardcastle made its name with superb quality "briar" (briar root) pipes.

 

The Transition Period (1946 - 1967): The brand's success caught the attention of Alfred Dunhill, one of the giants of the era. Dunhill began buying up Hardcastle shares in 1935 and acquired 100% of the company in 1946. However, Dunhill left the family management untouched until 1967, and Hardcastle continued to produce pipes in its own style.

 

The Parker-Hardcastle Period (1967 and After): In 1967 Dunhill took a radical decision, merging the two sub-brands it owned (Parker and Hardcastle) and founding the company Parker-Hardcastle Limited.

 

The "Jockey Club" Series and Its Production Years
 

The Origin of the Jockey Club: "Jockey Club" was originally launched as an entry-level series by Parker, Dunhill's lower-tier brand.

 

Its Move to the Hardcastle Name: After the Parker-Hardcastle merger in 1967, Dunhill brought the resources, models and marketing strategies of the two brands together under a single roof. Series names that had previously belonged to Parker or been reserved for Dunhill's sub-brands (Argyle, Jockey Club, Jack O'London, etc.) began to be produced with the Hardcastle stamp as well.

 

Production Years: According to pipe experts and records, a pipe bearing the "Hardcastle's Jockey Club" stamp was made after 1967 (predominantly in the 1970s and 80s). If a pipe reads only "Parker Jockey Club", it may go back to the 1950s and 60s; but the Jockey Club series with the Hardcastle stamp came off the line after the two companies were fully integrated as "Parker-Hardcastle".

 

Based on the information above, the pipe you are examining was made in the '70s or '80s. But it has another, more specific quality:

These are the "confidant" pipes made from the same high-quality wood used on Dunhill pipes and generally with the same Italian vulcanite (ebonite) mouthpiece material, but which did not earn the Dunhill logo because of small aesthetic irregularities in the grain of the wood. In terms of smoking quality they deliver very high-level performance.

 

Model: Billiard
Filter: Filterless
Mouthpiece: Ebonite
Length: 14 cm
Height: 4.3 cm
Bowl Diameter: 1.7 cm
Bowl Depth: 3.5 cm
Weight Without Mouthpiece: 22.9 g
Total Weight: 29 g

 

Briar Quality

 

Very Poor
Poor
Good 
Very Good✅
Excellent

 

Shank: Quite clean.

 

Draft Hole (Air Hole): Dead center of the bowl and almost flush with the bottom. Not completely, there is a small gap. I do not think it will affect the smoke.

 

Bowl Cleanliness: Reamed very well.

 

Condition: 8/10

 

Flaws: The air hole.

 

Score: 8/10

 

Comment: A very ideal estate pipe to start with. The only problem is that the air hole is not flush with the bottom, but as I said, it is not large enough to affect the smoke. The briar is very beautiful and the pipe is laid out on it very nicely. A truly elegant, light pipe well suited to short smokes.