Krisor (GHK)

Krisor is an American handmade pipe brand that worked in Northern California; its pipes are stamped with the letters "GHK" set inside an oval. The maker's name does not agree across sources: José Manuel Lopés, who compiled pipe provenance, records the brand's owner as George Krisor, while collector accounts give the name Gilbert Henry Krisor. Since the stamp itself is not easy to read, the signature circulated for a long time under mistaken names such as "Kaiser" and "Krissor."

Stamp and Provenance

The most easily recognized feature of GHK pipes is the weight information stamped on the shank: the maker stamped the weight of that piece in grams on almost every pipe. Since this is not a habit widespread in either workshop production or mass production, this figure is considered the distinguishing mark of the Krisor signature. Length information also entered the stamp: standard-sized examples carry no length letter, longer ones are stamped "L," and even longer ones "XL." According to accounts, Krisor is among the first American makers to put the mark "USA" on his pipes.

A Bench Founded After Retirement

According to the account of his life, Krisor grew up around Glenview, Illinois, and worked in the automotive sector. After retiring, he settled in Cameron Park, in the Sierra Nevada foothills about fifty kilometers east of Sacramento, and began pipemaking there as a pursuit. It is recorded that he mainly used Greek briar, prepared his own stains, and developed a distinctive finishing method. The pursuit gradually became a commercial business, and his pipes found a place in a few California pipe shops. In the same years he is also said to have made accessory pieces such as suede-leather and copper pipe stands and tobacco tampers. Records indicate he died in 1984.

Production Bound to a Single Shape

What makes Krisor's output unusual is that nearly all of it is gathered within a single shape family: the long-shanked Canadian. Nearly all shanks are cut square with a flat underside; as a result the pipes do not roll when laid on a table. Bowl shapes and overall length vary from example to example; on known examples the stems are hand-shaped vulcanite (the properties of this material are covered in the entry on stem materials). Since it fits within a working period of less than twenty years, production remained small in number.

Among the accounts, a special place is held by two large Canadian sets the maker called "Days of Old," prepared together with their own boxes, stands, and cleaning rods. Because Krisor's pipes changed hands mostly within California, his reputation did not travel far beyond the West Coast; his name is mentioned alongside other American makers working in the same region and period who were similarly known within a limited circle. For the general framework of this generation, see the entries on the American handmade pipe scene and Lester C. Garlow.