English Estates: GBD New Standard Billiard (135) (pre-1980) Tobacco Pipe

GBD's "135" Billiard is a slim and sleek interpretation of the shape chart standard, with a wide transition here giving way to a round shank and slender, tapering stem. The stem here is lengthy, and the combination of it and the shank balance the hearty bowl well, with said bowl standing atop a firm heel and rising to the rim with cylindrical walls. Dressing the stummel here is a warm, auburn-tinged stain that reveals handsome grain throughout, courtesy of the New Standard finish.

GBD was established in 1850 in Paris, France, its name the initials of its founders, Ganneval, Bondier, and Donninger, and the company was dedicated to the manufacture of meerschaum pipes. After a number of name changes thanks to the rather unstable company hierarchy, which saw Bondier being the only remaining original member of the brand's eponymous triumvirate, GBD's main operations began being ran by August Marechal and Ferdinand Ruchon. The first 40 years of the marque's existence was marked by a staggering 15 medals of achievement for their various pipe making innovations across multiple international fairs, firmly establishing them as one of the preeminent pipe manufacturers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1902, GBD became an English company, being sold to A. Oppenheimer & Co. in London in 1902 and having since expanded into the carving of briar pipes. Over the next century, Oppenheimer & Co. acquired other iconic brands such as BBB, Orlik, Loewe & Co., and Comoy's in the 1980s. Since then, GBD's production has been handled by Cadogan, continuing the marque's pipe making legacy into the 21st century.