I’ve got an interesting piece of pipe history to share this week. I acquired this Wally Frank longpipe in trade for some restoration work almost a year ago but it got sidelined and was forgotten in my refurb box until now.

Wally Frank Ltd was established in 1931 as a chain of tobacconists and pipe sellers. The stores and mail-order catalog business were well received, in part due to the depth of their product lines encompassing a number of well-known pipe brands as well as their own house series, the production of which was contracted out to established pipemakers in North America and across Europe.

A browse through old Wally Frank catalogs online (the 1937 edition is available on RebornPipes.com here) show that the company carried a little bit of everything, and usually at a discount – briars, meerschaum, figurals, clays, and even hookahs in addition to pipe cleaners…