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Charatan

Tier:

Country: England

Price: € 100+ (higher grade estates from the pre-1979 period)

Production method:

Notes: Charatan's Make was established in 1863 by Frederick Charatan, a Russian immigrant to London. There have been at least four distinct periods of production: Broadly speaking, the 'glory days' lasted until 1979, when the brand became the property of Dunhill. Pieces from this period are considered the most desirable Charatan pipes.

After WWII, the company became the first English firm to produce freehand pipes, which were highly regarded by smokers all over the globe. Top Charatans were often more expensive than their Dunhill equivalents. But note that the lesser grades were always produced in fairly large numbers.

The Dunhill era from 1979 to 1989 produced fine quality pipes, but these are not usually thought as collectible as earlier pieces.

A period of brand deterioration followed the end of the Dunhill days. During this time, many Charatans were made in France. They are generally not well regarded.

Since around 2001/2002, Charatan has been back under Dunhill control. Reportedly, former Invicta carver Colin Fromm is now responsible for production. Experts who have seen the resulting pipes rate them very highly.

Talk of a 'Lane era' is somewhat misleading, since it chiefly refers to pipes imported to the USA. These received an 'L' stamp from the 1950s to 1988. In true fact, the 'Lane era' spanned three ownership periods. Lane became a Charatan importer in 1955, actually bought the brand in 1960 and was itself acquired by Dunhill in 1979. The Lane takeover did not constitute such an upheaval as the Dunhill buy 19 years later. However, it virtually coincided with the introduction of the famous Double Comfort bit.

Further details of grades, stamps and history are available here.

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