1967-69 Dr. Grabow Commodore Pipe - 45 Large Pot - Exc. Condition! Must See.

Description

About the pipe:
Beautiful Sandblasted Vintage (1967 - 1969) Dr. Grabow Commodore Pipe in a large Pot shape (45) in wonderful condition.
About Commodores by Grabow:
The Commodore line by Dr. Grabow was in the upper echelons of their model hierarchy. The better briars being reserved for these rusticated and then sandblasted lines.
This one has a very nice sandblast finish with an accent band as Commodores have.
The chamber is in excellent condition and has had a bowl coating freshly applied to help get a cake formed faster and protect the chamber from burnouts during break in.
There are no fills or flaws in the briar.
The stem has been polished and is free of oxidation. I spent 2 hours making sure there are no scratches, tooth chatter or dents of any kind. I applied obsidian oil several times and let it soak in to further protect it from oxidation along with the carnauba wax application.
The stem is in perfect shape, polished, deep black and has been perfectly aligned straight and true.
(I personally love the shape 45 Pot. It was one of the first Dr. Grabow pipes I bought and I still have one in my rotation as well as the medium sized 49)
The Stats:
Brand: Dr. Grabow
Line: Commodore
Shape/Model: Large Pot #45
Estimated Age: Line Produced 1967-1969. The Sabdblasted Commodores were only produced in these years so it’s one of those rare occasions you can be rather accurate in dating a Grabow.
Stamping/ Markings:
Commodore
Dr. Grabow
45
Dimensions:
Length: 5.55”
Bowl Height: 1.60”
Bowl Width:
Chamber Diameter: 0.88”
Chamber Depth: 1.35”
Weight: 1.4oz / 41 grams
Tenon & Stem:
Ajustomatic ® Aluminum Screw-In Joint and Stinger.
Filter: Aluminum Stinger for a cool, dry smoke.
Stem Material: Vulcanite Stem aligned straight and true.
Returns:
I go by Etsy’s general returns policy. Please note that I won’t accept returns if the pipe has been smoked or is in any condition other than how it was shipped out from Radiant Pipes.
I will refund or if you’d like, store credit for the cost of the pipe less original shipping fees. Buyer pays shipping to return the pipe as well.
If the pipe is not as described in photos or my description and dimensions given, I will assume cost of shipping.
PACKAGING, SHIPPING POLICIES AND INFO:
I ship out fast.
As a rule, I ship on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. This means if you order on Friday evening, your item will be shipped Monday, the following business day.
However, in reality, I try to ship same day of possible or next day. Otherwise, it goes as said above.
PLEASE READ:
I am not a huge store or shop. In fact, I just about break even all considered. . I get your item packaged and shipped with great care. See my reviews on that. Once I have shipped the item, it is up to USPS how fast it gets to you. They can be quick or sometimes have delays. It’s not amazon prime so please don’t leave negative reviews if you didn’t receive your item in 2 days. Lol. I shouldn’t have to say this. It is out of my control once shipped. I will do everything I can to make sure it gets to you as quick as I can and if there are issues, I’ll try and fix them.
Leaving negative or neutral feedback or comment on something out of my control is UNDESERVED. I try very hard to make this a wonderful experience and please feel free to contact USPS complaints department.
I want all items sent out to be received as if I bought it myself. I don’t spare expense on packaging material or additional time spent to ensure it’s safely delivered.
Thank you for your understanding. I truly appreciate it.
*If you’ve had a significant delay, let me know and I’ll research it and call them and do my best to resolve their issues and make sure you get your package. 👍
Thank you for looking and contact me for any reason.
Happy piping!
- Peter
Dr. Grabow History
History of The All American Dr Grabow
(original article found at TobaccoPipes by
The all American Dr Grabow line of smoking pipes has been hailed as the largest quality pipe manufacturers around today. The famous smoking pipe brand gets its name from the owner Dr Grabow, a general physician who lived in Chicago.
The Dr Grabow pipes first began with Louis B Linkman of the M.Linkman and Co of Chicago. The trademark “Dr Grabow” itself actually begun at about 1932 and had the US patent number 1.896,800. The patent describes a threaded stem joint that consists of a metal extension into the “bore” of the stem pipe and into the pipe bowl. The purpose of this mechanism is to make it easier to scrape the carbon deposits from the inner surface of the bowl. Another trademark you might have heard about Dr Grabow pipes is “Pre-Smoked”. This trademark wasn’t used until 1937.
The Story
The birth of the Dr Grabow smoking pipe is simple enough. It started off when Dr Grabow himself and his acquaintance Dr Linkman regularly visited the local pharmacist at Brown’s Drug Store in Lincoln Park Chicago. Dr Linkman was on the lookout for a doctor’s name to Christian an innovative line of pipes in order to mellow out the smoking apparel’s smoggy image. He asked Dr Grabow to allow him to use his name to which he agreed and the name has stuck since then. Linkman continued to manufacture his Dr Grabow pipes until 1953.
The earliest of these exclusive pipes were stamped both with Linkman’s and Dr Grabow. They included a propeller emblem that was white in color at the top of the mouthpiece. Linkman’s pipes are also stamped with their own four digit code. This code indicates their model and shape. For example, the PRE – 1944 model names included the “Special”, “Supreme” and “Deluxe” versions of Dr Grabow’s pipes.
In 1944 the white propeller emblem was replaced with a white spade, a move that heralded the introduction of Linkman’s new Dr Grabow pipes. All of the newer entries included most of the earlier favorites as well as “TRU-GRAIN” and “SELECT”. Later models of Dr Grabow pipes were described as Imported Briar.
To Call a Spade a Spade
After 1953 Grabow pipes were owned and manufactured by Leonard, Henry and Thomas Inc. of Queens New York. This is when they came to be produced in Sparta, North Carolina by Sparta Pipes, Inc. Most of the pipe brands models were the same but now came with an additional threaded metal or push stem joints (associated with HL&T) that are popularly known as “Adjustomatic”. Besides this Dr Grabow pipes also came with the wide spade emblem at the left side of the pipes’ stem that were pointing up.
After 1955, HL&T began replacing the older Dr Grabow pipe models with new ones in 1955. These included the Adjustomatic “El dorado”, “Savoy”, “Regal”, “Starfire” and “Viscount”. Other than that they also included the Duke Filter GRAND DUKE, DUKE and ROYAL DUKE. The earlier Duke Filters came with a blue spade emblem while the earlier push stem pipes featured a yellow spade.
Quick Pipe Summary, notes and Description :
This is a very clean, rare, vintage and beautiful pipe with some of Dr. Grabow’s most expensive briars reserved for this line among a few others.
The only minute flaws in this pipe are a couple very small dings in the metal band that don’t stand out unless you’re looking for them.
The chamber is in amazing shape. I doubt this pipe was smoked much at all. It shows no burn outs and came with no carbon cake. I didn’t do any reaming or sanding. The original owner listed it as “estate” in a wording that seemed he was unsure if it has been smoked or not. I’ll go on the assumption that it has to be safe.
The stamping area is smooth and the markings are crisp and clear.
The stain on this pipe appears black to the eye but in sunlight, you’ll find there’s more to it. It seems to be a very dark brown with probably oxblood red in it. Easily seen in the smooth area for the nomenclature. The red comes though also on ridges and small areas in a really nice way. I’m going to try this stain out myself on my next pipe.
The stem is great and it aligns perfectly. It’s super clean and ready to smoke. A pipe to be proud of, for sure.
At 1.2 ounces, it’s a very light pipe too.
The Details:
Brand: Dr. Grabow
Line: Commodore
Shape/Model: Large Bent Billiard Shape 47
Age: Ca. 1964-1969
Nomenclature/ Markings:
47
Dr. Grabow
Commodore
Pipe Condition - Excellent. Near flawless. Just a couple small things.
Chamber Condition: Near Mint. No damage or burnout. Hardly signs of use. Very clean inside.
Any flaws of note: a few very minor dings on metal band. See pics if you want. It’s not something you notice unless you look for it IMO. A few very small indentations by the button on the bottom side. I chose to leave them as I didn’t want to weaken the stem in that area for such small marks and it would have added hours to the restoration and thus cost.