Index of Pipe Brands of Unidentified Origin

Index of Pipe Brands of Unidentified Origin gathers, in a single list, pipe stamps whose manufacturer, country of production, or period has not so far been pinned down. Since much of pipe history has been written not from factory archives but from scattered pieces held by owners, thousands of pipes with incomplete provenance remain in circulation: lines produced as a second brand under another name, batches stamped specially for tobacco shops, one-off jobs made for promotions. The entries below are short and factual; stamps for which the source records only a name are kept on the list, with the gaps clearly stated.

Brands

• Allerton — Some Allerton pipes are known to have been a second brand of Comoy's. The stamp appears as ALLERTON in capital letters with MADE IN ENGLAND arranged either straight or in a circle; the shape numbers match Comoy's shape list. One example carries an acorned oak-leaf emblem. Allerton being the name of a village near Liverpool suggests the pipes may have been stamped for a tobacconist of that locality.

• Amster-Pipe — A very light, small pipe carrying no number or stamp on the stem, marked only "Amster pipe." The basis for considering the pipe French-made is an advertisement for a French tobacco called Amsterdamer, said to be of Dutch origin; the ad reads "ultra légère" (very light). The pipe was most likely a giveaway bundled with that tobacco.

• Baron — A mystery pipe whose markings show Roland, Baron, OLD FRENCH BRIAR, and MADE BY K.F.S. together. It is likely that Baron is a quality-tier name rather than a brand. On one known example the stem stamp is identical or very close to that recorded for Roland, yet the bowl does not read Roland; the shape carries a Danish influence. What the K.F.S. abbreviation stands for has not been resolved.

• Baron Bruce — Known from three examples with a many-faceted cut and a metal guard on the stem not seen on other pipes. All three have a stinger; two are identical, one slightly different. Each example carries the BARON BRUCE stamp along with a "B" set inside a yellow diamond on the stem; the marks 262, 251, GENUINE BRIAR, and 6024 are also recorded. Dating rests on estimate alone.

• Bond Street — Bond Street is the name of a Philip Morris pipe tobacco blend produced in the United States; it is also the London street where the Orlik factory's first address was located. Pipes stamped BOND STREET also exist; one known example is a Comoy's product and appears to have been made for the Orlik tobacconist on Bond Street.

• Cares — The source records only the brand name; there is no record of manufacturer, country, or period.

• Castagno — A stamp with no documented detail beyond its name.

• Century Old — The pipes are thought possibly to be Lorenzo products; Lorenzo marked some of its pipes with the Century Old Briar stamp, though the typeface here differs. The rustication pattern of the known example resembles that of a Lloyds Canadian example in the same record.

• Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show — An international trade show devoted to pipes and tobacciana. The source contains no description of the show itself; only a record relating to the draft program of the Chicago pipe-making seminar is found.

• Clark Briar Originals — The brand of pipemaker Bob Clark, who works in Rhode Island. Clark also does pipe repair and restoration.

• Decade — A stamp known from a single example, with neither manufacturer nor period established.

• Depi — A single example of a model called "Sandy" bearing this brand is documented. No other information is recorded.

• Dollar — The Swedish-made Dollarpipe appears to be another version of the Bromma brand; the two brands share the elephant emblem. The documented straight pipe measures 150 millimeters in length.

• DRS — It is not known who this three-letter stamp belongs to; there is no information beyond the name.

• Drucquer & Sons Ltd. — A tobacconist associated with shops in Berkeley and Oakland, California. According to the account in the company's catalog, the pipe shop was founded in London in 1841 by John Drucquer and became one of the era's respected addresses, known for the quality of its tobaccos. The record notes that a copy of the firm's catalog has been archived.

• Dunedin — A brand of unknown origin. Two quality tiers are documented: SELECTED GRAIN and SPECIMEN GRAIN. The name Dunedin comes from the second-largest city on New Zealand's South Island.

• Exotic Rosewood — A pipe made from rosewood whose maker has not been determined. The source records no trace of the pipe's stamp or workshop.

• Fieldstub — The pipes' appearance is close to the work of Custom-Bilt or Mastercraft; the connection has not been settled.

• Finn — Known from a single example marked only "Finn," apparently by an incising technique. No further information is available.

• GBD Meerschaum 2640 — A GBD meerschaum cutty whose box carries the number 2640 and a few illegible words. The interior surface bears the stamp G.B.D Fts A Paris. Its measurements are roughly 19.4 centimeters in length, 7.3 centimeters in height, 2 centimeters bowl width, and 4.1 centimeters bowl depth; it weighs 41 grams. The owner is of the view that the pipe dates from 1850-1890. Whether the number 2640 is a shape number or some other identifier is unclear.

• Glendale — Known from an example of a basket pipe purchased in 1963. There is no record concerning the manufacturer.

• Guardian — Appears in the list by name only; no record exists concerning the manufacturer.

• Hand Made — A stamp of unknown manufacturer but considered careful in its workmanship. The mother-of-pearl dot on the stems and the shank extensions are the details that stand out.

• Hirschl — The record contains what appears to be a patent document belonging to the brand, relating to corn cob pipes; no other record of the brand itself has been found.

• HOS Londonier — Known from an example stamped HOS Londoniere. Pipes named Londonaire have also been produced in a similar typeface; other examples bearing this name are clearly Calabresi-stamped and Italian-made. The HOS Londonier example, however, carries an Imported Briar stamp, which is unusual in Italian pipemaking and suggests the pipe may have been made in England or the United States.

• Hulmer — A mystery pipe stamped Hulmer and DeLuxe, shared by its owner in search of information. Its manufacturer and period are unknown.

• Iberpipsa — A firm that appears to have produced pipes under different brand names with similar stamps. Examples associated with this name include a Clipper-stamped churchwarden.

• Irving's Wizard — Recalled through a single example considered unusual in the record; there is no information about its manufacturer or period.

• J. Powell — One of the pipes whose provenance has not been resolved; there is no clue beyond the stamp.

• J.M. — A mystery pipe with no trace beyond its two-letter stamp.

• Jean Clement — One of the brands with no documentation beyond its name.

• Kentbrook — A pipe carrying only the stamps "Kentbrook" and "Genuine Algerian Briar." Beyond these two marks there is no sign leading to its identity.

• Lama — This name appears on numerous Viennese coffeehouse pipes (Wiener Kaffeehauspfeife); it is likely the name of a firm.

• Ln'M Selection — A brand with no information beyond the Ln'M SELECTION and IMPORTED BRIAR stamps.

• Londonaire — Several records under this name need to be distinguished from one another. One is Londonaire, which also carries the Calabresi stamp and was made by or for Thomas Cristiano. The second is HOS Londonier, bearing the Imported Briar stamp. The third is an older mass-produced series, understood from the existence of a display stand: on these pipes an L appears on the stem instead of an anchor, the stamp reads "Genuine Imported Briar" instead of England or Italy, and it is stated to be handmade. The 18T model number on the underside matches the model list on the old display stand.

• Looking for information — Not a brand but a compilation heading in the source; opened as a place where scattered scraps of information not yet placed into an entry, or insufficient for a new one, are gathered.

• Luxor — Luxor pipes are stated to be a second brand of Chapuis-Comoy; they are also seen as basket pipes. The same name was also used by Vauen.

• Lyon — A stamp of unidentified maker, known from examples incised "Lyon." One example appears to be rosewood with a cherry insert, the other appears to be briar.

• M.T.H. — A pipe with a pressed amber stem, featuring a walking-lion motif and an "o" letter worked in silver. It is estimated to date from the 1920s.

• Mire Jovsky — The record is limited to the brand name; no further detail has been documented.

• MJP — A stamp made up of initials. The manufacturer behind it has not been resolved.

• MOB — MOB-stamped pipes, standing for My Own Blend, are known to have been made by Stanwell as inexpensive pipes for a tobacco brand owned by Paul Olsen. However, the example on record does not give the impression of a cheap piece; while the large "O" in the logo resembles the tobacco brand's emblem, whether this represents a higher tier or an entirely different brand remains unclear.

• Old House — A leather-wrapped mystery pipe with a metal fitting. There is no record concerning its manufacturer.

• Pesh — The Old Virginia Tobacco Company's own pipe brand. The pipes were made to order by various manufacturers; some examples have the country of origin stamped on the shank, others do not. Records show the firm was, as of 2021, a family business for forty-five years, with Gary Pesh serving as its president at that time.

• Pipes de Nancy — Pipes documented as a boxed set. The record contains no information beyond the set itself concerning manufacturer or period.

• Possible Resources and Article Elements — Not a brand but a notebook heading in the source; clues that may prove useful when researching pipes of unidentified origin are gathered here. Old catalog brands mentioned under this heading are: Flyweight, Glosston (Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy), Durham, Sporty, Rocky Briar, Remington, Archer (Kaufmann Bros. & Bondy), New Art (LHS), The Roslyn, Tuxedo, Never-Break, Nu Olympic, Shur-Dri (Briarcraft), Leader (LHS), Frank Nobby Banner, Dewey Cobs, Genuine Missouri Corn Cob Pipes (apparently unrelated to Missouri Meerschaum), and Old Crony.

• Ransom's — One of the examples whose identity has not been established; place and period of manufacture are unknown.

• Royden — Royden pipes, known by the name Meer-Tone, are resin-bodied pieces whose bowl is lined with meerschaum. A slogan meaning "satisfaction from the first puff" was used in the brand's marketing.

• S.R. — It has not been resolved which manufacturer or tobacconist these two letters point to.

• Skikda — Skikda pipes are thought likely to be connected to the Amiel brand founded in 1923 by Raoul Amiel in Philippeville (today's Skikda), Algeria. When the factory closed in the early 1960s it employed about thirty people. Skikda is the only known pipemaker headquartered there.

• Sunal — A pipe standing close to the "Danish Fancy" tradition, faintly stamped Sunal along with other illegible marks. Its manufacturer has not been determined.

• Vonnegut — A patent record filed on October 30, 1944, and granted in the name of Kurt Vonnegut in February 1946. What makes the record notable is that the name matches the famous writer's; yet at that date the writer was a young soldier fighting in Europe and was taken prisoner by the Germans in December during the Battle of the Bulge. His father, who bore the same name, was an architect in his sixties at the time.

• Wall Rope Works Inc. — A pipe with a shank carved to resemble rope, thought to have been made for or by Wall Rope Works of Beverly, New Jersey; most likely prepared as a gift or promotional item. The firm was an industrial plant regarded as the first major producer of twisted rope; the 1,700-foot (roughly 520-meter) building where the rope was manufactured was the largest of its kind in the United States. The company supplied rope products to the military starting from the Spanish-American War.

• Wilbur B. Driver Co — A pipe that appears to have been made for the Wilbur B. Driver Company. Founded in 1918, the firm developed and produced heat-resistant metal-alloy wire and strip; it built its first factory in Newark, New Jersey. In 1967 it was sold to General Telephone and Electronics Corporation (GTE) and became a subsidiary under GTE's Sylvania Electric Products; GTE was later acquired by Verizon.

• Wilshire Club — Known from an example stamped WIL SHIRE CLUB. Though it may possibly be a Comoy's product, the firm's Wilshire second brand is stamped differently.