Directory of Israeli Pipe Brands

Directory of Israeli Pipe Brands brings together, in alphabetical order, pipe names made in Israel or marked as Israeli-made in their stampings. The documented core of pipe making in the country is the Shalom Pipe Factory; the pipes this factory produced were made mostly not for the Israeli market but for export, especially to the United States. The entries below summarize only documented facts, and points left unclear by the sources are noted openly.

Brands

• Alpha — Born as a brand of the Shalom Pipe Factory, Alpha's entire output was earmarked for the United States market from the start; the factory's owner was Bernard Hochstein, a former senior executive of Mastercraft. Israeli-made Alpha pipes date from the 1970s through the 1980s, and one line from this period was marketed under the name "Citation." The name was sold to Mastercraft in the 1980s; its next stop was Lane Ltd., and in the late 1990s Lane released a very small number of pipes in five finishes, each named after a Greek letter. Mastercraft, having taken the brand back over, then offered finishes named Sierra, Delta, Mark V, Blue Ridge, Sabre, and Big Boy under the Alpha USA heading; some of these never carried the Alpha stamp at all.

• Barilla — All that is on record for this brand is a single Israeli-made pipe stamped "Barilla Elegy." Its maker is not known for certain, though based solely on its origin it is thought it may have come from the Alpha workshop. The records contain no information on the brand's founding, owner, or period of production.

• Biltmore — The Biltmore name was first used as a brand of the American National Briar Pipe Co., but examples marked as Israeli-made are also documented; it has been suggested these pipes may have come from the Alpha workshop. A collector has also reported Biltmore pipes made in Spain. These scattered traces point to the name having been commissioned from more than one maker.

• Burl King — Burl King was at one point used as a giveaway pipe in a coupon promotion for Borkum Riff tobacco. A pipe obtained this way by Seattle Pipe Club member Bob Taylor carries a postmark of 11 January 1978; the return address on the package was the town of Sparta, North Carolina. This address shows the shipment was linked to the Sparta Industries plant, maker of Dr. Grabow pipes. Since the same pipe also carries an Israeli-made stamp, Burl King pipes are considered to have been produced at the Shalom Pipe Factory and distributed through Sparta Industries.

• Shalom Pipe Factory — The country's only documented pipe factory; alongside its own eponymous Shalom brand, it drew its main strength from the Alpha name, well known in the United States, and directed the bulk of its output to export markets. Under the Alpha umbrella, the series Caprice, Citation, Classic, Pedestal, Regent, Region, and Rex are on record; some were sandblasted, others finished smooth. At least one of the factory's Citation shapes was also made for Carey's "Magic Inch" line; the records also mention, alongside the factory, the Danish pipe maker Muki Liebermann, known for his briar-bending technique and distinctive shapes, who later settled in the United States.