Sovereign Bent Billiard with Silver (LX) (2026) Tobacco Pipe

William "Bill" Ashton-Taylor spent his working life around pipes, starting as a lathe operator with Dunhill at the age of 15 in 1959. He later struck out on his own with the Ashton brand, spinning its first pipe in 1983. Bill took immense pride in the process of making Ashton pipes. He traveled to Italy twice a year to buy wood, steeped his turned bowls in a blend of oils before heating them to draw out unwanted sap, and even garnered a British patent for his unique manufacturing process that produced lighter pipes. Bill died in 2009, but his process lives on through Ashton disciple Jimmy Craig.

This bent Billiard from Ashton's Sovereign line features proportions similar to those of an Oom Paul, but with a shank that is slightly less bent. Lovely birdseye and cross grain alternate on the bowl and the shank, accentuated by a chestnut stain. The remarkably straight walls of the bowl are very muscular to accommodate long smoking sessions, standing tall at 1.99 inches — LX, after all, representing the larger, heavier half of Ashton's six sizes. A finely-crafted silver accent of cut oblong columns and triangles caps the stummel before yielding to the umber-and-black vulcanite saddle stem.