Pipe Brands
GBD Shape Numbers
What the shape numbers stamped on the shanks of GBD pipes mean, how collectors' shape lists are read, and why no consistent order can be found in this numbering.
GBD shape numbers are the numbers stamped on the shanks of GBD-branded pipes to indicate which mold the bowl came from. Ranging from a single digit up to four digits, these numbers alone give no information about date, quality, or factory. Records show that the firm, founded in Paris in 1850 and passed to the London-based Oppenheimer house at the turn of the century, used the same number sequence across all its production lines, whether made in France or England.
Where the Number Sits in the Stamp
In a typical GBD stamp, one face of the shank carries the line name alongside the GBD logo set in an oval, while the other face, or the underside, carries the place of manufacture and the shape number. Repair records give concrete examples of this: on one Dura Mount pipe, one side of the shank reads "Dura / GBD / Mount" while the other reads "London, England" along with the number 9488; on a French-made Coronet, the line name sits on top of the shank and "St. Claude" with the number 753 sits underneath. Although the layout of the stamp varies by period, the number is almost always on the same face as the country mark. For the naming of shank, bowl, and stem, see the entry on pipe anatomy.
How the Lists Describe a Number
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Source: Pipedia, adapted under the CC BY-SA licence.