ontariopiper
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
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Hi all,
I've just finished restoring an interesting old Wally Frank Ltd pipe that is, as far as I can tell, a clone of Butz-Choquin's Origine pipe. Apart from the use of briar as a shank extension instead of albatross bone (or acrylic in the reissued BC A Metz Origine pipes), the WF is an exact match on size, shape, and even weight.
I'm working on writing up the resto for my blog but the info available on Wally Frank Ltd is a bit thin. The Pipedia article says "Wally Frank, Ltd. was one of America's oldest and most respected names in pipes and tobaccos, beginning in the early 1930’s." I've found old catalogs and references to the active business up to about 1970 but then hit a brick wall.
Does anyone out there know when Wally Frank Ltd closed?
Pics of the pipe in question. Stamps read "Wally Frank" over "LTD" on left shank, "Bruyere" in a diamond over "Extra" on the right shank and "France" on the underside parallel to the spigot fitting.
I've just finished restoring an interesting old Wally Frank Ltd pipe that is, as far as I can tell, a clone of Butz-Choquin's Origine pipe. Apart from the use of briar as a shank extension instead of albatross bone (or acrylic in the reissued BC A Metz Origine pipes), the WF is an exact match on size, shape, and even weight.
I'm working on writing up the resto for my blog but the info available on Wally Frank Ltd is a bit thin. The Pipedia article says "Wally Frank, Ltd. was one of America's oldest and most respected names in pipes and tobaccos, beginning in the early 1930’s." I've found old catalogs and references to the active business up to about 1970 but then hit a brick wall.
Does anyone out there know when Wally Frank Ltd closed?
Pics of the pipe in question. Stamps read "Wally Frank" over "LTD" on left shank, "Bruyere" in a diamond over "Extra" on the right shank and "France" on the underside parallel to the spigot fitting.