Loewe & Co.: Difference between revisions

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''This is an article written by Martin Farrent March 2003''

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[[File:Loewe birmingham.jpg|thumb|300px|Loewe Birmingham, courtesy Wikipedia Commons]]

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Loewe is one of the haunting old names of British pipe-making, characteristic of an almost vanished "upper middle class" of the trade, which also incorporated makes such as BBB, Orlik, Comoy's and GBD. Along with these brands, Loewe has long dwindled into pseudo-existence, becoming little more than a logo occasionally used by the Cadogan factory in Southend-on-Sea. But owners of older Loewes treasure them as superb, featherweight smokers, excellently crafted and with grain characteristics superior to those of many contemporary Dunhills.

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[[File:Loewe 1928.jpg|thumb|1928 Ad, courtesy Doug Valitchka]][[File:Loewe-1.jpg|thumb|Ad, courtesy Doug Valitchka]][[File:Loewe Ripple Grain 1938-9.jpg|thumb|Circa 1938-39 Loewe Ripple Grain Brochure, courtesy Doug Valitchka]]

The firm and its facilities were later taken over by Civic, well before becoming a fully integrated part of the Cadogan group sometime in the final quarter of the twentieth century. As with other brands belonging to this group, it is not easy to pinpoint a date marking the end of Loewe's independence and singularity. This is partly due to Cadogan's own development from a cooperative to a monolithic entity.

In 1979, a German paperback said that the Loewe brand had been discontinued two years

previously, but that the pipes themselves were due to reappear as high-end GBDs. Interestingly,

[[File:Loewes.jpg|thumb|Courtesy Doug Valitchka]]

throughout the1970s. It was the purchase of Orlik in 1980 that enabled the Cadogan group to

consolidate all manufacturing in that company's new factory in Southend-on-Sea. Whether or not

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As with most brands now owned by Cadogan, the collector's emphasis is on finding pieces made

before the consolidation of the group's production in the Southend factory. It is generally agreed,

ability to assess a pipe's quality from a couple of photos on Ebay.

Mounted Loewes are thus the most valued, since the hallmarks on their silver bands offer an

indication of age. Other pipes bearing the 'L&Co' logo are impossible to date as exactly as older

the original patterns rather consistently.

With help from members of the pipe-smokers' newsgroups ASP and DAFT (Germany), I have

looked into ways of rectifying this situation. We have come a little closer to dating Loewe pipes

ownership and location issues.

To an extent, Cadogan have been helpful with information, but they have not answered historical

questions. Also, their stamping philosophy really adds to the confusion. For example, they still

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The period of transitions — and therefore of interest, here — begins some time after 1960.

Around that year, the pipes were still being made in the Haymarket building, though - of course -

than earlier Loewes.

Based on information rendered by owners of hallmarked Loewe pipes, the stamping from 1920

(or earlier) to 1967 (or slightly earlier) appears as follows:

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'LOEWE', 'LONDON W.'

Logo 'L&Co'. A series or grade stamp appears underneath this on later pipes. According to catalogue

evidence, grades were introduced at some stage between 1956 and 1964. The first series names to be used appear to be 'CENTURION' and 'ORIGINAL' and 'OLD ENGLISH'. According to catalogues, they denote grades. Centurions were allegedly made of wood over 100 years old. Grading was not introduced until some time between 1956 and 1964, as one Danish owner of Loewe catalogues reports. Additional, probably later, grade stamps include 'MOUNTED', 'SPIGOT', 'STANDARD' and 'STRAIGHT GRAIN'. There are certainly no grade stamps on pipes made up to 1920. There were also none on the sandblast pipes advertised as Ripple Grains in 1950. That year's catalogue also lists a pipe called the "Process", with a natural finish and a processed bowl requiring no breaking- in. Both the Process and the blasts were missing in 1956.

(There is also a case of 'Great Britain' being stamped here in place of a series name, though

on an undateable pipe bought around 1980.)

Shape name, e.g. 'INVERNESS' (= Lovat), sometimes also a 'Made in England' stamp, probably only on pipes exported to the USA.

During the 1960s, still under the Civic regime, the original premises were lost to development

schemes, and Loewe pipes were made in various, (possibly successive) locations all over London

(Hammersmith appearing to be one of them).

Also, at some stage before 1968, shape names were replaced by shape numbers, apparently all

incorporating three digits and beginning with a 9. For example, a 910 was a billiard. We know

only imported Loewes to Denmark until 1968.

Manfred W. Resag has a page on 9xx numbered pipes, with photos of pieces made from 1978 to

1982 (with one possible exception — an unbanded and therefore undateable pipe):

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By studying the website of one UK dealer I was able to deduce that the present shape numbers

(early 2003) mostly (probably all) differ from those used from 1967. For example, a Billiard is

though only on request.

It would appear that both older pipes with shape names and pipes using the 9xx numbers were

made in London, before the move to Southend. My guess is that only the pipes made prior to the

shanks (series names) probably indicating pieces carved after 1956.

To go some way towards verifying this theory, we would need to know the exact year of the

move from the Haymarket, but also more about the stamps on pipes made between 1960 and

certainly encompassed the loss of the Haymarket workshop.

Cadogan has not answered questions concerning this or the later move to Southend. However,

from the evidence contributed by readers of the first version of this article, I would say that the

Canadian with the new 296 shape number.

This is notwithstanding the fact that several people own Loewes with the 9xx stamps — pipes I

would attribute to the late London days — yet with hallmarks from 1982 or even 1983. There are

records of being offered both London-made and (cheaper) French Loewes in 1982.

Moreover, it is also reasonable to assume that some pipes began life in London and were

stamped there, but only completed in Southend. In a few cases, it even seems clear that the lapse

years later. The dealer remembers that they were the last Loewes ever offered to him.

Curiously, some of the Loewe shapes from the 1970s and early 1980s apparently reappeared as

Comoys (now also made by Cadogan), later on. Indeed, Comoy spigots were among the new

were still being produced for the new Comoy pipes.

One final note on the transition period regards the desirability of Loewes made between the

Haymarket days and the move to Southend. I have yet to hear a complaint from an owner of one

a superlative smoker.

In 1926, the wholesale price for an unmounted Loewe was 11 shillings and three pence. 24 years

later, it had doubled and such a pipe retailed for 50 shillings. At this time (1950) an ounce of

pieces were fetching up to 175 Euro or US $.

A 1946 catalog details the "Process" line of pipes; "Every bowl is chosen for some unique character in its grain.The interior is treated by the inimitable LOEWE PROCESS which renders breaking in unnecessary. The briar will colour beautifully and become richer in tone as the pipe is smoked."

Retail price for Process pipes were 57/6 (unmounted) and 75/9 (mounted).

Early Loewes were available with a variety of options, such as amber stems and solid silver or

gold mounts at a surcharge. Interestingly, the 1926 catalogue prizes the pipes' "natural finish",

but adds that an attractive dark tan was available at no extra charge (!).

This article grew in the making, following requests for information on Usenet and the

publication of a first version, which almost immediately hastened new input from readers.

My thanks to Asp'ers Kevyn Winkless, Stephen Bozle. Greg Pease, Chris Keene, Manfred

Resag, Sonam Dasara, Jorgen Jensen and Jesper of Danpipes for contributing information and

Duesmann, Joachim Acker and Michael Karrengarn.

Finally, though I include my e-mail address here, it is not really intended for queries, since I lack

the knowledge to answer them. I am simply an admirer, but no expert on Loewe pipes and have