By Al Jones

This GBD came from via a seller who was selling her fathers pipes. He passed away at 101 years of age, and was apparently a big fan of GBD pipes, particularly the Century line. The seller remembers her father purchasing these pipes at a downtown Cleveland, Ohio shop between 1957 and 1958, when her Aunt owned a nearby candy shop. Her father would drop them off at the candy store, disappear for an hour, then come back with a new GBD and feeling very pleased for himself. When she would ask to go along, she was told “This is not a place for you”. Too bad, as I would have loved to learn the name of that shop. The pipes from this collection also came with the original box and bag, which were in mint condition. I wish that I knew more about this pipe smoker, as he really seemed to value his GBD pipes.

As I wrote on my previous Century related blog entry, the origin of that finish is a bit mysterious. Mike Hagley tells me that he has catalogs with the Century finish, but I’ve never personally seen one featured in any of the scanned catalogs that I have. Pipepedia says it was made to celebrate the 100th year of GBD, so a 1950’s purchase makes sense. Even more of a mystery is the “Restlite” stamp on this pipe The few Restlite stamps that I found were also in this shape 11, which is pretty rare by my experience. It is nearly identical to the Peterson 411 shape, which was known as the Bullcap. I found absolutely nothing about the Restlite option (as it appears to be). Mike remembers it being advertised as smaller and lighter and indeed, this pipe only weighs 29 grams.

The pipe was definitely enjoyed, but care was shown on the button/stem with no teeth marks. There was some build-up on the pipe bowl top and a slight scorch mark. Another pipe I bought from the same estate showed the same marks, so I guess that was his habit. Here is the pipe as received.

I reamed the slight cake from the bowl, and used a worn piece of Scotch-brite to remove the bowl top build-up. I diminished the scorch marks with some 2000 grit wet paper, taking care not to alter the bowl top shape. A few light marks remained, a fitting testament to the original owner. The bowl was then buffed lightly with White Diamond and several coats of Carnuba wax.

The GBD rondell on the stem has some oxidation (rust?) that I removed also with the Scotch-brite pad. The oxidation was removed with 800, 1,500 and 2,000 grit wet paper, than 8,000 and 12,000 micromesh sheets (while mounted on the bowl). It was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish.

Below is the finished pipe.

By Al Jones

Updated November 8, 2021

Well, what we have are is not three centuries of GBD, since the brand has only been around since 1850 (per Pipedia), but rather three, “Century” finish GBD’s – in the shapes of 9456, 9438 and 529. I’m a huge fan of the 9438 and already own a Century finish in that shape. The 9456 is pretty common but the 529 – that was a shape I had not seen or handled before. It’s a beautiful little bent Apple with a tapered stem. It reminds of the Sasieni Regent shape.

According to Pipepedia and the old Jerry Hannah GBD page, the Century finish was introduced in 1950, to celebrate the first 100 years of the brand. I have a 1950’s GBD catalog scan but it doesn’t show this finish. So, its unknown as to the actual introduction date.  Thanks to Jerry’s generosity,I have a 1981 catalog, and the Century finish is listed.  So, we know this finish was used up to the merger point.  The finish also came in “Century Matte”, and I’ve featured a Century Matt pipe on this blog previously. I don’t find much difference between the two finish. Both have appear to have a matte or satin finish and a very light tan stain. Fortunately, no stain touch was required on any of this group, which would have been a bit tricky to match.

All three of these pipes were in great shape, with the typical bowl top build-up and oxidation on the stem. I worked on them as a group and none presented any particular challenge. The tapered stem 529 was the easiest to complete. All three had excellent nomenclature stamping.

I reamed the slight cake out of each bowl and used some 320 sandpaper to get the bowl back close to the original wood. All three were in excellent condition. A worn piece of Scotchbrite was used to remove the bowl-top buildup, which didn’t damage the finish. The pipes were then soaked in sea salt and alcohol. After the bowl soak, the stems was mounted and I used 800, 1500, and 2000 grade wet paper to remove the very light oxidation. Next up was 8000 and 12000 grade micromesh sheets. The stems were then polished by machine with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish. The bowls were buffed lightly with White Diamond and Carnuba wax.

Below are the before and after pictures of each pipe.

9456 – Bent Billard with Saddle stem

Before

After

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529 – Bent Apple with Tapered Stem

Before

After

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9438 – Rhodesian with Saddle Stem

Before

After

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By Al Jones

This Shape 5 bulldog was finished at the same time as the Shape 4 recently posted. This one, also an Old Bruyere, is in Sandblast finish. The pipe had a mild cake build-up and some build-up on the bowl top. The stem sported the drilled “C” stem logo and was in very good condition. Curiously, the bowl had no bead lines. Below is the pipe as it was received.

I reamed the slight cake out of the bowl, and which was in excellent condition. A worn piece of Scotchbrite to remove the bowl-top buildup. I used some Fieblings Medium Brown stain to darken the bowl top and match to the bowl. The pipe was then soaked in sea salt and alcohol. After the bowl soak, the stem was mounted and I used 800, 1500, and 2000 grade wet paper to remove the very light oxidation. Next up was 8000 and 12000 grade micromesh sheets. The stem was then polished by machine with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish. The bowl was buffed lightly with White Diamond and Carnuba wax.

Below is the finished pipe, a relatively easy restoration.

By Al Jones

This Shape 4 straight bulldog in Old Bruyere finish was on my work bench at the same time as a Shape 5, which also was stamped Old Bruyere. This one had the smooth finish , which I thought was typical for that grade. The pipe has the drilled “C” stem logo. The pipe was really in excellent overall finish, and the stem in particular looked very lightly used. It had a very dark, almost purple stain. The Shape 4 is slightly smaller than the Shape 5. There was a slight build-up on the bowl top. Below is the pipe as it was received.

I reamed the slight cake out of the bowl, and which was in excellent condition. I used some worn Scotchbrite to remove the bowl-top buildup. The bowl still had the beveled edge and the beadlines were perfect. The pipe was soaked in sea salt and alcohol. After the bowl soak, the stem was mounted and I used 800, 1500, and 2000 grade wet paper to bring back the shine. Next up was 8000 and 12000 grade micromesh sheets. The stem was then polished by machine with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish. The bowl was buffed lightly with White Diamond and Carnuba wax.

Below is the finished pipe.

By Al Jones

The Peterson 9BC shape might just be my favorite pipe shape. It fits the hand wonderfully and it is completely unique in a world full of bent billiards. This one is a lowly Shamrock, but the briar is surprisingly nice with no visible signs of any fills. This one spots the round COM of “Made in Ireland” which was used around 1945-1947 (end of the Pre-Republic era). However, Mark Irwin has noted that he finds no evidence of the 9BC before the early 1950’s and then, only in Rogers catalogs. So, this pipe would have to be an early Republic era piece. The 9BC shape later became the XL90 in the 1980’s and that shape continues to be offered today.

There is a ding right on the 9BC stamp, but you can just see the “C”. Shamrock pipes sport the nickel band with the three “faux hallmarks” of:

A Shamrock for the many shamrocks found in Ireland
A Prone Fox representing the famous fox hunts in Ireland’s history, and
A Stone Tower for the many hundreds of stone towers spotted throughout Ireland

Again these are not genuine silver hallmarks.

The Shamrock pipe box had one one side “Lucky Is The Man Who Smokes a Shamrock”, which always makes me smile (sadly, no box with this one).

(Faux-Hallmark info and picture courtesy of Pipepedia}

The pipe look a little rough from the sellers pictures, but showed a lot of potential. The stem was heavily oxidized, but didn’t appear to have been abused. There was heavy build-up on the bowl top. The bowl had a very thick cake, which is usually a good thing.

I reamed the bowl with my Pipenet kit, and finished it with some 320 grit paper. The bowl was then soaked in sea salt and alcohol. The stem was soaked in a mild Oxy-Clean solution. I cleaned the nickel band with Mothers metal polish, it has a few dings, which adds to the character. I removed the bowl top build-up with a worn piece of scotch brite and found it did indeed protect the bowl top. There was some very minor rim darkening on the 12 o’clock position.

The oxidation was removed with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit wet paper. There was no teeth marks at all on the stem! Next up was 8000 and 12000 micromesh, followed by a machine buff with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish. The bowl was buffed with White Diamond and several coats of Carnuba wax.

Below is the finished pipe, which I’m enjoying as I type up this blog entry.

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By Al Jones

This one was sold as a Comoy’s, but I knew from the shape, finish and nomenclature panel, that it was made by Sasieni. Below is the pipe as it was received.

“JW” pipes are named for J.W. Wanamker, founder of the Wanamaker’s Department store that originated in Philadelphia. Like many department stores of that era, they had their own tobacco sales area and had pipes made for them by Comoys, Sasieni and possibly others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanamaker%27s

Wanamakers had the NO.1 BROAD STREET symbol trademarked as tobacco products.
https://trademark.trademarkia.com/no-1-broad-street-71336921.html

The Sasieni Shape 38 is more commonly known as “The Bowler” a wonderfully light Prince shape.

The pipe had an oxidized, but otherwise, unmarked stem. The bowl had a mild cake and some residue on the bowl top. After removing the cake, the bowl was soaked with sea salt and alcohol.

I used a piece of worn Scotch-Brite to remove the buildup on the bowl top, which revealed a beautiful polished inner rim. The bowl was in excellent shape. I wiped on some Fieblings Dark Brown stain to the bowl top and briar to freshen it up.

The oxidation was removed with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit wet paper, followed by 8000 and 12000 grade micromesh sheets. I used a Magic Eraser pad around the very shallowly stamped “JW” mark. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish.

Below is the finished pipe.

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By Al Jones

This pipe showed up on a thread on a pipe forum that I frequent and the forum member said it came from the grandfathers estate of a friend. He asked if it was worth restoring. As a Sasieni fan, I immediately recognized it as the iconic “Ashford” shape, which is the shape 88 in the Four Dot family and on this seconds line as a shape 1088. It had the football shaped “Made In England” COM that was used in the family era from 1946 to 1979. I’ve had numerous Sasieni 2nd’s lines come across my work bench, but not a “Mr. Pickwick”. I couldn’t find anything specific about this line, but in the Stephen P. Smith article on Pipepedia, he writes:

“Through the post war years, Sasieni added shapes and lines. While the Four Dot remained their most famous product, the company also sold lines of “seconds” under various names, such as Mayfair, Fantail, Olde English, and Friar. These were pipes made of good wood, but possessed of some flaw, usually filled with putty.” Shortly after posting this blog entry, a member of the PipesMagazine.com forum sent me this 1939 catalog page for Mr Pickwick pipes.

I made a few comments about the pipe and volunteered to restore it for the owner (who was seeking a restoration). I don’t do many pipes besides my own these days, but some pipes are just a joy to work with and I knew that I’d like to have this one on my work bench.

The owner sent me the pipe and it arrived in great condition. It had the typical oxidized stem and a heavy cake in the bowl. The stem fitment was excellent and it had no serious issues. But I could see it held promise. Here’s the pipe as it was delivered:

I used a worn piece of scotchbrite to remove the build-up on the bowl top and it was then reamed with my Castleford set. The bowl had been carved a bit with a knife, but very solid. The nomenclature was strong. I soaked the bowl with sea salt and alcohol. The stem was soaked in a mild Oxy-clean solution

Following the alcohol soak and Oxy-clean soak, I mounted the stem and removed the oxidation with 400, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grade wet paper. The P stem logo was faint, but ultimately, I was able to remove the oxidation and retain a faint semblance of the P. The stem was then buffed with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish. The briar had a few dings, most notably near the shape number. I used a wet cloth and an electric iron to steam out those dents and marks. There was some scorch marks on one edge of the bowl. I elected to diminish them with micromesh sheets and the bowl was buffed with White Diamond and Carnuba wax. I could have restained the bowl and possibly removed some of the dark spots, but I would have never been able to replicate the patina of age the bowl had earned. The owner agreed and we settled on that level of restoration.

Below is the finished pipe.

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By Al Jones

It appears that I’m on a Sasieni roll to start out the new year! My second Sasieni restoration for the day, this one a Regent shape in the Ruff-Root finish. I was delighted to unpack this one, as I had never seen a Regent shape first hand. The seller didn’t include any size references and I assumed it would be of the larger variety, like the the Stratford, Viscount Lascelles, etc. As someone who enjoys a smaller sized bent billiard, this one is perfect at 35 grams. The pipe was inaccurately listed as a “4 Dot” but thankfully a good nomenclature picture was included. Others may have noticed as there was a flurry of bids at the end of the auction. I was fortunate to prevail by a few dollars under my maximum bid.

The pipe was as pictured below, in excellent condition. A good snug stem, no bite marks or any other issues. There was some build-up on the bowl top, a heavy cake and an oxidized stem. Even on the oxidized stem, the blue dots were brilliant and it was one of the nicest Sasieni stems that I’ve seen in quite a while. This pipe was made between 1946 and 1979 (the Family era).

I reamed the cake and soaked the bowl in sea salt and alcohol. Following the soak, I removed the build-up on the bowl top with a piece of Scotch-Brite. I hand buffed the briar with Halycon wax. The stem was mounted and oxidation removed with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit wet sandpaper. I then used 8,000 and 12,000 micromesh sheets. The stem was polished with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish.

Below is the finished pipe.

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By Al Jones

This wonderful Kaywoodie Drinkless belongs to a friend who lives in Louisiana.  While visiting my daughter for Christmas, he showed me the pipe, found in a local flea market.  I volunteered to restore it for him.

I had not restored a Kaywoodie in several years and struggled a bit to date the pipe.  The old Kaywoodie forum is no longer available, which was a great resource.  I did find that there is a Kaywoodie Pipe Smokers Facebook page and I requested to join it.  Looking back thru some old PipesMagazine.com forum posts, I was finally able to date the pipe as to have been made between 1929 and 1932.    These details led me to that conclusion:

Clover Stem logo – on top of the stem (most I found on line are on the side)
Four Hole Stinger – with Reg. No 213698 and Drinkless
Syncrostem “”PAT. APP. FOR” (Patent was granted in 1933)
KBB logo – in the cloverleaf

The pipe was in great shape, with some rim damage and a lightly oxidized stem.  the Four Hole stinger was intact and the stem was in great shape.  The nomenclature was very good, but unfortunately the shape number was not visible.  Below is the pipe as it was received.

I used a worn piece of Scotch-Brite to remove the build-up on the bowl top. There were several indentions on the bowl top, I presume heat damage from a lighter or match.  I decided to top the bowl slightly and did so with 320 grain paper on my flat bench, followed by 800 grit wet paper.  This was a bit of a compromise, as I wanted to remove the damage, but not alter the bowl height significantly.  The bowl top was then re-stained with Fieblings Medium Brown stain.  The bowl was reamed and then soaked with alcohol and sea salt.   The bowl was in excellent condition.

I cleaned the stinger with fine steel wool and Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish.  The stem was polished with 800, 1,000, 1,500 and 2,000 grade wet paper, followed by 8,000 and 12,000 grade Micromesh sheets.  It was then polished with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic polish.

The bowl was buffed with White Diamond and several coats of Carnuba wax.

Below is the finished pipe, ready to head back home to Louisiana.

By Al Jones

As a collector of Sasieni Bulldog and Rhodesian shapes, the Danzey was a shape that has so far eluded me. My buddy Dave has a Danzey,also with the SXS stamp and in Rustic finish. I restored that pipe for him in 2017.

This one is a Natural finish grade and it is a wonderful piece of briar. The nomenclature was also in excellent condition. The SXS stands for:
S – saddle stem
XS – Sasieni used this stamp for premium priced pipe (according to Pipepedia)

I would date this pipe to have been made between 1946 and 1979.

The pipe was in fine condition, with some build-up on the rim top and an oxidized stem. It appeared to be an easy restoration, see the before pictures below.

I reamed the slight cake from the bowl and indeed, it was in great shape. The bowl was soaked with Sea Salt and alcohol. After the bowl soak, I removed the build-up on the bowl top with a worn piece of Scotch-Brite. The stem was then mounted and oxidation removed with 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000 grit wet sandpaper. I then used 8,000 and 12,000 micromesh sheets. The stem was polished with White Diamond and Meguiars Plastic Polish. The briar was polished with White Diamond and several coats of carnuba wax.

Below is the finished pipe.

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