Genin Trudeau & Cie

Google Form: Hey everyone. I've repaired the bug in the Google Form. All should be working correctly now. If you weren't successful, please give it another try. --Gigi.   HAPPY EASTER! A Íosa Fuair  Not long ago Ryan Thibodeau, a Canadian restorationist who goes by “Lunting Bear” at his website and in his eBay store, had three interesting Petes, all from K&P’s Canadian market.  Ryan also writes a fine blog and has some great Pete posts, one on a Dublin 120, another on a Classic Range Dunmore and a third on one of the early Belgiques with the V.P.B. (vulcanite push bit). He’s a fellow with a good command of the English language as well—I had to look up “lunting,” which I discovered is a word that all pipemen should have at their disposal, since it means smoking while walking. Pretty cool, huh? We’ve looked at Peterson’s Genin, Trudeau & Co. Canadian shape chart a few times before on the blog (Post #140 and #280), but this morning I want to share three pipes Lunting Bear offered from the 200 shape group: a 213 billiard, a 205 Dublin and a 206 Dublin. The 200 shape group from the c. 1955 GT&C pipe box brochure   The 213 Billiard I adore the 107 Chubby Billiard and appreciate how well billiards function, but as you know, while they’re the industry-standard for generations of pipemen, they’re not usually my cup of coffee. Nevertheless, it’s fun to see a Canadian-market straight billiard from K&P. Where oh where has all the grain gone? I wanted to show this detail photo not only for the gorgeous birdseye and rings of vertical grain running up the shank but for you to see another beautiful example of great tenon engineering from back in the day.   The 205 Dublin The 205 gets my award for the most peculiar stem. When you look at the pipe box brochure you don’t really notice the strange hybrid form of the stem: it’s flat, it’s tapered and it’s got a saddle. Can you see the very subtle saddle? If you enlarge the photo (right-click), you realize just how flat this stem is: the shank stamps are on the top, not the side. Ryan also provided an important photo of the COM stamp: while made for the Canadian market, this pipe was made in Dublin. Most of the Canadian-market pipes I’ve seen were made in London.     The 206 Dublin This is the only one of the three Petes that Ryan had up simultaneously that I felt I had to look at in person, and it’s a beauty. The stamps aren’t very clear on the band, but comparing them to the London hallmark chart (also available at the HALLMARKS tab across the top of the blog), it’s obvious we’re seeing a “T,” making this a 1954 production pipe. I'm sure my co-author documented one (and it's probably in the Peterson book's orange-tabbed Identification Guide), but I've never noticed a K&P over LONDON…