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Charatan: Difference between revisions
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== Brief History == | == Brief History == | ||
Frederick Charatan created the brand in 1863 and opened a shop in Mansell Street London and later moved to Prescott Street. It was always a small family business with only a small annual production until the 1950's when Herman Lane assumed distribution of the make in the USA in 1955 and it became hugely popular. In the 1980's Lane sold the company to Dunhill and the Prescott Street factory closed in 1982 and thereafter the fame and quality of the make declined. The pre-Lane period prior to 1950 and the Lane era pipes are of primary interest the collector. | Frederick Charatan created the brand in 1863 and opened a shop in Mansell Street London and later moved to Prescott Street. It was always a small family business with only a small annual production until the 1950's when Herman Lane assumed distribution of the make in the USA in 1955 and it became hugely popular. In the 1980's Lane sold the company to Dunhill and the Prescott Street factory closed in 1982 and thereafter the fame and quality of the make declined. The pre-Lane period prior to 1950 and the Lane era pipes are of primary interest the collector. | ||
Charatan records are almost non-existent before Lane due to a factory fire, making it difficult to date pipes from this period. Charatan used 4 basic grades prior to 1950: Supreme, Selected, Executive, and Belvedere. After 1950 Herman Lane's influence began, and the grades started to expand. In 1955 Lane took over sole distributorship of Charatan in the US. In 1957 he introduced the Supreme S. Most of his other introductions were from the 60's and early 70's. | |||
Notes on Supremes: Supremes made before 1950 were mostly traditional shapes and smaller than after Lane started influencing Charatan. | |||
Miscellaneous Notes: A missing Lane Mark on a Charatan does not indicate a pipe is "pre-Lane". | |||
[[Image:charatan.gif|thumb|left|400px|Charatans, courtesy of the [http://www.derek-green.com/Others.htm Derek Green Collection]]] | [[Image:charatan.gif|thumb|left|400px|Charatans, courtesy of the [http://www.derek-green.com/Others.htm Derek Green Collection]]] | ||