The Blakemar Prince Limited Edition

Welcome to the Blakemar Prince limited edition offer.  This is our first limited edition and on this page you can read the curious story of how it came about.  You will see that the offer is not dictated by marketing strategy or sales potential, but by historical circumstances.  We hope that serious briar pipe collectors will realize the significance of this edition.  Only 96 of these beautiful pipes can ever be made.

In the early Seventies Dick Martin bought a quantity of old stock briar blocks and turned bowls from another traditional pipe maker who was closing down. He sorted the bowls and was amazed to find a large batch of turned prince bowls of the very finest Algerian root.  Amongst these was an unusually high proportion of straight grains, nearly 100 in all.  The bowls were already old when he bought them; later inquiries confirming that they had been purchased from France in the early Sixties from a turner in St. Claude.  He set the box of straight grains aside and it subsequently became lost as work went on as usual.

During an inventory in 1997 the box came to light and with it the realization of just what a treasure trove it was.  Made of the very finest mature Algerian briar around forty years ago, these bowls have had a natural seasoning period far in excess of any pipes made today. The briar from which they are made most probably started its life in the last century.  The extra years of air curing has mellowed and darkened the wood to a beautiful rich antique brown.

Algerian briar, acknowledged as the finest, has been virtually unobtainable for years, and is only just returning to the world market. It is unlikely that pipes of this quality or rarity are on offer anywhere in the world today; or will be again.

The Prince

The prince in question was Edward Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII and finally the Duke of Windsor.  The pipe was designed and named for him by Loewes of London in the twenties and is fittingly a statement of the stylishness of the period.

The bowl is a graceful flattened sphere with a fairly short slender shank. The stem is available either three inches or three and a half inches long, in English vulcanite.  An elegant one eighth bend ensures perfect balance; and the pipe is completed by a plain quarter inch band of hallmarked sterling silver.

Presented in an elegant hand covered and velvet lined box of commensurate Old World quality, it is hard to imagine a more perfect centrepiece to a collection of fine English briars.

Grades and prices

Although all the pipes are the very finest rare briar, the appearance of the straight grain varies to some extent. These pipes have not been stained and colouration varies.  The standard finish will be a light wax coating buffed to a satin sheen. If you wish to discuss a colour or finish preference please contact us.  Initially the pipes were offered in three grades: Best, Excellent and Fine, however, the Best grade sold out quickly and they are now offered in Excellent and Fine grades only.

Excellent - the grain is not entirely continuous and/or is not entirely vertical all round the bowl. Still by any criterion a superb straight grain pipe. Price : £195

Fine - there are significant gaps in the grain, deviations from vertical or places where it does not reach the above standards.  A quality piece if briar pipe history at the bargain price of : £135

In all other respects the pipes are identical in finish and quality. All pipes will come with signed certification and edition number.  Remember these are direct prices. Pipes such as these in retail outlets would be at least twice as much.

Specification

  • Bowl - Straight grain briar from Algeria, air cured for 35 years perhaps longer
  • Finish - Waxed and buffed. Can be varnished if preferred.
  • Stem - English vulcanite, one eighth bent, three or three and a half inches long.
  • Band - Fitted by Les Wood in sterling silver.

    • Dimensions

  • Overall Length: 5-1/2” (141 mm) with 3” stem or 6” (153 mm) with 3-1/2” stem.
  • Diameter: 1-7/16” (37 mm).
  • Height: 1-1/4” (32 mm).

    • Packaging

  • Hand-covered hinged box in leather grain board with satin/velvet linings.  Signed and numbered edition label

    • Delivery

  • Price includes insured express air freight to your door.

    • If you are interested please contact us.

    A leading socialite of the twenties and thirties, during the reign of his father, George V, Edward, Prince of Wales, was the epitome of the elegance of the period. Nothing he owned was less than first class; as the recent Sothebys New York sale of his possessions showed.  Right down to his socks and underwear, his taste was impeccable.

    Torn between his duties as the sovereign of England, or living with the woman he loved, the American divorcee, Mrs. Wallis Simpson, Edward has become one of the most romantic figures of the last century.

    This extraordinary find in the roof of the Blakemar workshop is no less romantic. The offer allows less than a hundred people to become owners of a pipe of a quality from a bygone era. We did not expect the edition to be sold rapidly, however the Best grade has now sold out. For the availability of the other grades please see the ‘News’ page.

    Blakemar Briars, Unit 10, Litchborough Industrial Estate, Litchborough, Towcester, Northants, NN12 8JB, England.

    Telephone:+44(0)1327 830213 Fax:+44(0)1327 830366 e-mail: mike@blakemar.co.uk

      copyright©1997-2006, Blakemar Briars, All Rights Reserved.