According to our esteemed Pipedia, Charles Patrick Cooke was a pipemaker from Southern California, highly regarded there but a victim of an early death. Judging from this pipe, he was good. It’s not a fancy shape, but it is well done, with precise corners and sharp points of meeting, such as the shank and bowl. The reading of the grain, and placement of the cross grain and Bird’s Eye is very good, too. The rustication on the top of the shank is very reminiscent of Charatan and this pipe could be mistaken for that brand. This piece is quite large and is at least a Grp. 7 in size. the vulcanite stem is near mark-free, with just a hint of tooth chatter on the bottom, and I’m pretty sure I can polish that to oblivion (the tooth chatter, not the stem). The rim, as you can see, is also clean and crisp. Besides his last name, the nomenclature includes the year of production…1976. It looks like it was made yesterday.
6.25” long, bowl 2.2” tall. Weight: 2 5/8 oz., 76 grams.