English Estates: Comoy's Tradition Billiard (434) (pre-1980) Tobacco Pipe

True to its series name, this Billiard from Comoy's is a traditional rendering of an iconic shape, classic profile altered only by the shank. The stem is a relatively, short, tapered affair that meets a lengthy shank, reminiscent of a Liverpool, which smoothly transitions to a proud bowl with ample chamber capacity. The finish is a smooth, deep mahogany that showcases a lovely array of flickering flame grain across the flanks of the bowl and shank.

Comoy's is one of the most legendary brands in all of pipe making, being one of the oldest marques in existence to still be operating today, with the unique distinction of being one of the first firms to use briar for their stummels. Founded in 1825 by Francois Comoy and his brothers in the small town of Saint-Claude, France, the original iteration of the company made clay and boxwood pipes until 1848, when his son Louis discovered the smoking properties of briar. In 1879 Comoy's expanded into London, England, and rapidly grew, influencing London's own pipe industry as Henri Comoy introduced high-quality briar pipes into the popular consciousness of English smokers. The brand continued to expand throughout the early 20th century, hindered only by the strict manufacturing limitations of supply shortages of World War II, remaining within the Comoy family until the brand was bought out by Cadogan Investments in the early 1980s.