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''This article, written by '''Charles Lemon''', originally appeared on: [https://dadspipes.com/2016/10/03/brigham-pipes-a-closer-look-at-dots-dates-and-markings/ DadsPipes.com], and is used here by permission. | ''This article, written by '''Charles Lemon''', originally appeared on: [https://dadspipes.com/2016/10/03/brigham-pipes-a-closer-look-at-dots-dates-and-markings/ DadsPipes.com], and is used here by permission. We eventually hope to incorporate this excellent information into the main [[Brigham Pipes]] article at some point, but it will also remain here in its entirety.'' --[[User:Sethile|sethile]] ([[User talk:Sethile|talk]]) 20:07, 18 December 2016 (CST) | ||
[[File:DadsPipesBanner.JPG|link=https://dadspipes.com/|thumb|500px|Many thanks to Charles Lemon of [https://dadspipes.com/ DadsPipes.com] for permission to re-publish this wonderful article.]] | |||
== Introduction == | == Introduction == | ||
As both a Canadian and a pipe lover, it is perhaps inevitable that I hold a special place in my heart for Canadian-made pipes, especially those produced by Brigham Pipes, one of the country’s oldest pipe-makers, and one that has survived two World Wars, the Great Depression, countless lesser economic upheavals, and the more recent and radical cultural shift away from tobacco use. | As both a Canadian and a pipe lover, it is perhaps inevitable that I hold a special place in my heart for Canadian-made pipes, especially those produced by Brigham Pipes, one of the country’s oldest pipe-makers, and one that has survived two World Wars, the Great Depression, countless lesser economic upheavals, and the more recent and radical cultural shift away from tobacco use. | ||
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[[File:BrighamArticle Post-PatentStamps.jpg|thumb|500px|center|Post-Patent Stamps]] | [[File:BrighamArticle Post-PatentStamps.jpg|thumb|500px|center|Post-Patent Stamps]] | ||
Around the late 1960s or early 1970s, at the beginning of what I’ve called the Canadian Era (roughly 1970 – 1980), the stampings changed again as Brigham moved to modernize its logo. Pipes are stamped with the 3-digit shape number and “Brigham” over “Made in Canada”. Note the two variants of this stamping. | Around the late 1960s or early 1970s, at the beginning of what I’ve called the '''Canadian Era (roughly 1970 – 1980)''', the stampings changed again as Brigham moved to modernize its logo. Pipes are stamped with the 3-digit shape number and “Brigham” over “Made in Canada”. Note the two variants of this stamping. | ||
<center><gallery widths=320px heights=179px caption="Canadian Era Stamps"> | <center><gallery widths=320px heights=179px caption="Canadian Era Stamps"> | ||
File:BrighamArticle CanadianEraStamps1.jpg | File:BrighamArticle CanadianEraStamps1.jpg|1978 | ||
File:BrighamArticle CanadianEraStamps2.jpg | File:BrighamArticle CanadianEraStamps2.jpg|1970-79 | ||
</gallery></center> | |||
I have dubbed the decades between '''1980 and 2000 the Late Canadian Era''', a period that saw several changes at Brigham that are of note to the collector. First, the traditional 8-grade pinning system (the famous Brigham “Dots” which denoted the quality of the pipe) was changed to a 7-grade system to simplify pinning (more on this below), and the Norsemen and Valhalla series were merged to form the President Series, which represented the very finest pipes coming out of the Toronto factory. Early pipes from this era (left, below) are stamped with a shape number and “Brigham” over “Canada”; later pipes (late 1980s+, on right below)) are stamped simply with a shape number and the Brigham logo. | |||
<center><gallery widths=320px heights=179px caption="Late Canadian Era Stamps"> | |||
File:BrighamArticle LateCanadianEraStamps1.jpg|1980-85 | |||
File:BrighamArticle LateCanadianEraStamps2.jpg|90s | |||
</gallery></center> | </gallery></center> | ||
'''The Transition Era (2001 – 2006)'''. The biggest change to hit Brigham since the advent of the Rock Maple filter occurred in 2001 when Brigham moved production from Toronto to Italy in an effort to both save on production costs and access a ready supply of skilled craftsmen. The product lineup was, not surprisingly, heavily impacted, with the most obvious changes being the switch from aluminum to plastic composite tenon/filter holders, and a sharp decrease in the number of pipe shapes available. | |||
[[File:BrighamArticle 200 series smooth and panel.jpg|thumb|Early 2000s 200 series]]The 100 – 300 series pipes looked very similar to Canadian-made pipes and continued to be recognized by their traditional brass pin patterns. These lower series pipes were offered in 9 shapes.The 400 series disappeared temporarily, while the 500 to 700 series pipes, available in only 8 shapes, lost their brass pins and were identified only by their 3-digit shape numbers. | |||
[[File:BrighamArticle-lowlander2.jpg|thumb|left|Early 2000’s 700 Series]]500 series pipes were fully or partially rusticated, the 600 series featured a larger proportion of smooth finish, and the 700 series were fully smooth, made from near-flawless briar without fills or rustication. 500-700 series pipes from this period were fitted with a silver (nickel?) band with the Brigham leaf logo and a choice of acrylic stem in either black or green marble. | |||
[[File:BrighamArticle-acadian.jpg|thumb|Brigham Acadian c 2007]] | |||
The '''Italian Era''' is the most recent period in Brigham’s long history of pipe making, beginning with the debut of the 2007 Brigham Pipe Series. Each of the 7 grades of pipes in the series was assigned a specific finish and name honoring Canadian history and heritage. Pipes in this latest series feature a factory bowl coating and are available in only 12 shapes, a far cry from the wide array of Brigham shapes released over its long history. | |||
=== The Original Brigham Dot System 1938 – 1980 === | |||
Brigham pipes are reknown in the pipe world for their famous “Brigham Dots”, a system of brass pins inset in the stem to denote the grade of each pipe. The original 8-grade pinning system, used for 42 years between 1938 and 1978 (spanning the Patent, Post-Patent and Canadian Eras) looked like this: | |||
[[File:BrighamArticle OriginalDotSystem.jpg]] | |||
You’ll notice the multiple 3 Dot pinning configurations, a source of much confusion in the estate pipe community, mainly due to the odd decision to assign both the horizontal and vertical 3 Dot pipes 600 series shape numbers. This led to a situation in which a 623 Bent Billiard could be pinned with three possible patterns – vertical 3 Dot, horizontal 3 Dot or 6 Dot, and one that gave rise to the inevitable questions: “Is a Vertical 3 Dot 600 series pipe the equivalent of a 6 Dot pipe?” “Is a Horizontal 3 Dot pipe really a “4 Dot Plus”?” | |||
The answer can be found in Brigham catalogs of the period, like this one, circa 1960s, posted on RebornPipes.com. The vertical and horizontal 3 Dot pipes sold at considerably lower prices than the 600 series, 6 Dot pipes, and should therefore be considered unique quality levels despite the 6xx shape numbers attributed to them. | |||
[[File:Brigham-8.jpg]] | |||
=== Other Pinning Patterns to 1980 === | |||
In the late 1960s and 1970s, the Brigham Norsemen and Valhalla series of larger, Scandinavian-inspired pipe shapes carried their own configuration of Dots. These two series shared the same 6 shapes. | |||
The Norsemen were fully rusticated and pinned with the old Brigham VIP 3 Dot horizontally aligned pattern, with the middle Dot larger than the other two. They were stamped with “9Wx”, where “x” indicated the shape number (3 through 7). | |||
The Valhalla series of smooth or partially rusticated pipes were available in three grades, A, B and C, with C being the highest grade. A Valhalla pipe in Shape 6 could therefore be stamped “AW6”, “BW6” or “CW6” depending on grade. Dot patterns on the stem ranged from 3 dots (A grade) to 6 Dots (C grade). | |||
[[File:BrighamArticle OtherPinningPatterns(to1980).jpg]] | |||
=== Revised Dot System 1980 === | |||
Brigham changed the Dot system in 1980, adding a 7 Dot at the top of the line, dropping the names of each series and eliminating the confusing vertical and horizontal 3 Dot configurations. The Norsemen and Valhalla series were combined to form the President series of freehand pipes, which adopted a 3 Dot pattern with a larger dot on the right as shown below. The 7- grade pinning system stayed in place from 1980 to 2001. | |||
[[File:BrighamArticle RevisedDotSystem1980.jpg]] | |||
[[File:Brigham17a.jpg|thumb]]'''Other Series''' Brigham System Pipes (late 1990s to early 2000s) were the first Brigham pipes to be made in Italy. These were entry-level pipes marked first with a yellow star on the stem, which changed after 2001 to a leaf. | |||
=== Modern Brigham Pipes === | |||
Except for the lowest three grades, pipes in the current (2007) Brigham series cannot be identified by brass pins or shape availability. All grades are available in 12 shapes, but are distinguished by their unique finishes and markings. | |||
[[File:BrighamArticle 2007BrighamSeries.jpg]] | |||
== Conclusion == | |||
I hope this little treatise on Brigham pipes proves a useful resource for the identification and dating of pipes in your collection, or perhaps those you might wish to consider for a vacant space in your pipe rack. As you can see by the variations in stamps even within the same general period, it can be tricky to nail down the exact production time-frame for a given pipe. | |||
Worn or imperfectly struck stamps confuse the game, as can such factory-floor practices as using up old stock during transition periods (For example, I have a Brigham President A Grade freehand sent out with a Valhalla B grade (4 Dot) stem.). Carefully archived notes and company catalogs are often the most foolproof method of dating your Brigham, but you’ll have to find some on the vintage market, as Brigham has proved itself more interested in making pipes than preserving records. I own several old Brigham catalogs, but none of them are dated – another unfortunate custom of the day shared by many makers until the late 1970s. | |||
I’ll now open the floor to you for comments or corrections. I would especially welcome any high-resolution digital copies of Brigham literature that would help verify or expand information in this paper. | |||
Thanks for joining me on this little 110 year trip. Until next time, Happy Piping! | |||
== Sources: == | |||
*http://www.brighampipes.com | |||
*http://www.christianpipesmokers.net/viewtopic.php?t=7476 | |||
*http://www.rebornpipes.com/tag/brigham-pipes/ | |||
*http://www.pipephil.eu | |||
[[Category:Pipe makers by nationality]][[Category:Canada]] | |||