Yello-Bole gets unfairly lumped into the “drugstore pipe” category, but pipes like this are the reason serious American pipe collectors never write the brand off. This isn’t the Yello-Bole sitting in Grandpa’s tackle box. This is an Imperial Takedown, one of the most unusual and desirable configurations KB&B ever produced.
The Imperial was positioned near the top of the Yello-Bole lineup, and the takedown mechanism is what sets it apart. Instead of a standard push-tenon, the shank separates with a precision threaded aluminum assembly that allows the entire airway to be cleaned while maintaining perfect stem alignment. It’s a clever piece of engineering that predates the obsession with military mounts and reverse Calabash systems by decades. They weren’t made in huge numbers, and far fewer survived intact.
The KBB cloverleaf stamp puts this squarely in the era collectors want—before KB&B was sold to S.M. Frank in 1955. These earlier Yello-Boles were built alongside Kaywoodies during what many consider the company’s golden years. The briar selection, machining, and overall fit were substantially better than what most people associate with the Yello-Bole name today.
Then there’s the shape. Liverpools are relatively scarce in American factory production to begin with. Most surviving Imperials tend to be billiards, bulldogs, or pots. A long-shanked Liverpool wearing the Imperial takedown system is an uncommon combination, and the proportions on this example are particularly elegant. It has a much more English feel than you’d expect from a mid-century American factory pipe.
Come and take it.
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Keywords – briar smoking tobacco pipe rare vintage antique estate pipe potato
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