English Estates: Ashton Old Church Lovat (LX) (1998) Tobacco Pipe

Bill Ashton-Taylor got his start making pipes for Dunhill, but after mastering the craft, realized he needed to set out on his own, so he founded the British marque Ashton. Sadly, Bill passed away in 2009, but pipe maker Jimmy Craig proudly carries on the Ashton name. Made in 1998 by Bill Ashton-Taylor, this Canadian is unique as they come. This Canadian possesses the shape's requisite oval shank, but it is shifted into a vertical orientation, giving the flanks a broad, curved surface and the top and bottom slim ridges. The bowl mimic's the oval construction of the shank, as the bowl is squished at the flanks into an elliptical, Opera-like bowl. However, this pipe is poorly suited for a pocket, bearing Ashton's "LX" stamp, one of their largest sizes. Finally, the pipe is dressed in another Ashton signature, their Old Church sandblast, which exposes rippling growth rings and highlights them in an auburn stain. For fans of Ashtons, this one-of-a-kind pipe would be the darling of any collection.