The Genod Pipe Company was formed in 1923 in St. Claude, France, when Georges Vincent Genod purchased the Comoy-David factory (which had been formed in 1865), changing the name to Genod. In 1938, John Craen, (the son-in-law of Georges Genod) started in the business. John’s son Jacques joined the family business in 1959, so three generations of the Craen family have been making pipes in the same location for 83 years, and pipes have been made in the same building, with much the same machinery, for 141 years.
At the Chicago show this year, we received a very special selection of pipes from Genod, a cache of unsmoked briars from the earliest times of the company. These special pieces date to the early 1920s and are a part of pipemaking history. Jacques found these when he was cleaning out his factory, and none of these pieces had seen the light of day for well over 80 years!! All of the pieces have the original stems, most with bone tenons; some have push tenons which would date them into the later 1920s (I will note which is which in the descriptions). Exquisite, unusual and delicate, the selection ranges from such rarities as all-briar one-piece pipes to oval-shanked bents, to beautifully-cut classics like zulus and bulldogs, and even some large pieces, like the footed briar cutty! Pipes like this are rarely, if ever, seen on the estate market - let alone unsmoked! These pipes represent pipemaking history, and would be a valued addition to any collection. And while some of these pipes have some sandpits and the occasional shop wear, that doesn't diminish the rarity and uniqueness of any of them.
This particular piece is an adorable 1/2 bent billiard from Georges Vincent Genod. This pipe has its original stem with a bone tenon. As is normal for many French pipes of this timeframe, there are some small sandspots, although on this example they are very very minor. In fact, this one is quite clean, with the original inventory sticker still inside the bowl.
Markings read: G.V.G. (in an oval), FIRST QUALITY. Measurements: 5" long, bowl is just under 1 3/8" wide and 1 3/4" tall. The pipe weighs 29 grams. This one is a Dunhill small group 3 in capacity.
Condition:
9.9 out of 10. Just the tiniest bit of miniscule handling marks here and there. Unsmoked and ready to go. A unique and very attractive piece of pipe making history.
