As you can see, I am slightly in doubt as to the heritage of this pipe. The stem logo, which must be original (well, “must” might be a bit strong, but I don’t really see how it could be faked, or why it would be faked) is that of the old Ben Wades made in Leeds. Having just read the supposed history of Ben Wade pipes on Pipedia, I still can not definitively place when and where this pipe was made, but I have what I think is a good guess. Looking at the pipe, the grain, the shape, the all-important specifics of the stem, I’d say it’s a post WWII pipe, from Leeds, during that time the family was trying to regroup after losing the factory to German bombs. (Or to quote the great wartime cartoonist, Bill Mauldin, in a slightly different context…trashed wine barrels leaving the wine only on the floor of a French or Italian winery, and thus unavailable for our GIs to drink…”why those dirty, rotten, atrocity committing Huns.). The nomenclature declares the pipe was made in England, but omits the “Leeds.” This nomenclature does not appear in Pipedia. It also is stamped “Straight Grain.” That’s the extent of the nomenclature. I see a couple of pits and one area on the bottom of the bowl which I examined as extensively as I could with a pretty high powered lens. I don’t think it’s a fill. It’s a Grp. 5 with all the straight grain you see in the photos. If the Pope of Pipes (me) says it’s a Ben Wade made in Leeds, who has the authority to gainsay me?
5.75” long, bowl 1.95” tall. Weight: 1 1/8 oz., 30 grams.