When is an estate pipe find not sweet? When it’s a Savory pipe. If you never ever heard of a Savory pipe, you’re not alone. When I first saw the “Crown over S” logo I thought it was a Stanwell. But, it was stamped “Made in London England” so I knew it wasn’t a Stanwell. I started doing some research.
The research started with the websites, pipephil.eu and a closer examination of the crown. Instead of a solid outline crown of both the Stanwell and Preben Holm’s pipes, the logo on the pipe matched the crown on the Savory’s Argyll line of pipes. Interestingly enough, the logo was only on the Argyll line – other Savory’s have a stylized S on the stem.
H.L. Savory & Co. is older than Dunhill
Many pipe smokers consider Savory’s a seconds-line of Dunhill pipes. In other words, Dunhill bowls with flaws but still sellable under another name. Dunhill created the Parker brand just for this purpose so, I understand this perception. As I scoured the internet and forums for more information, I developed a different impression. I believe Savory’s were more of a sub-brand instead of a second. Here’s why.
The H.L. Savory & Co. predates Dunhill pipes by a 19-years. Savory started making pipes in 1885 and registered a trademark for tobacco pipes on Jan. 1, 1886. The trademark was active until it expired on Nov. 4, 1994. Dunhill acquired the Savory brand in the early to mid-1930s. Apparently, Savory continued making pipes and the company stayed in business through the 1970s. This is evident because H.L. Savory & Co. also owned the trademark for Robin Hood pipes from June 1971 until 1993. I think it is also possible that Dunhill acquired H.L. Savory & Co. more for the H.L. Savory line of pipe tobaccos and not for its pipe business.
Pipes Galore
The pipe I acquired was in a vendor’s booth at the Daphne Antique Galleria in Daphne, Alabama. When I walked into the shop, I found three vendor booths with around 30 pipes. Admittedly, half of the pipes were Dr. Grabow’s and Medico’s but there were also some pipes of more interest to me. One of the first pipes I saw was an old Nording with a 14k gold band that had been severely mistreated in my opinion for the asking price. There was also what appeared to be a silver-banded Peterson spigot mount. Under closer examination though, the bowl had no markings, the silver spigot looked to have been soldered onto the band and the stem didn’t fit.
The next vendor’s case contained over 20 pipes, including the Savory and a Parker, in it. The Savory appeared to be in better condition than the Parker, so I chose it. While both had the heavy cake build-up of well used pipes, the Parker looked like someone liked using a sharp pocket knife as a pipe tool. I did consider buying both but opted just for the Savory once I understood what I had in my hand.
Restoration
The only issue I had in the restoration was that the stinger broke off in the tenon during the cleaning process. Apparently, someone had tried to remove it before and stressed the aluminum where it entered the tenon. As I was trying to clean it with a soft cloth it broke. The pieces were easily removed though and it was a minor issue as I don’t normally keep the stingers.
I soaked the bowl overnight in an alcohol bath to loosen the cake on the inside and the grime on the outside. This made the cake in the bowl and residue in the airway easy to remove. It also meant I could skip my usual alcohol/cotton ball soak and just pack the bowl with wet coffee grounds.
After letting the stem soak for over an hour, I wet sanded it starting with 800 grit sand paper, followed with a 1000 grit. I used bristle pipe cleaners soaked in alcohol to clean the bore until it was relatively clean and then followed up with soft pipe cleaners until there was no discoloration. After a quick rinse in hot water, I applied Walker’s Pipe Stem Deoxidizer/Cleaner followed by Walker’s Polish/Sealer. While the instructions say to just wipe with a soft cloth, I found that I like to use my buffing wheel to finish off the pipe. I also use the polish/sealer on the smooth bowl of the pipe.
When finished on the buffer, I let the pipe air out on my desk for a day before loading it for my first smoke. It was worth the time and money spent.
© J. Gibson Creative Services. May 5, 2019
