Tag Archives: estate pipes

Don’t Despise Me Because of What You See

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I can see you looking down at me shaking your head and wondering why anyone would try to sell this piece of junk. You pick me up and turn me over in your hands. You shake your head when you see the cake so thick that you can barely squeeze your small finger let alone any more tobacco into my bowl, don’t misunderstand. You see the edges of my rim beat up from being knocked on my head to remove the dottle at the end of a smoke, don’t misunderstand. You see my finish worn and thin on the sides of the bowl and soiled with oil and grit, don’t misunderstand. You see the gap between my stem and my shank with the ooze bubbling out in the gap, please don’t misunderstand. You see the end of my stem chewed, gnawed and almost unrecognizable, don’t misunderstand.

You see, I know that you look at me and see the damage and wear on my person, but do not negate the value I have just because you cannot see through the grime and the damage. The value I have is irrespective of the appearance I have at this moment in time. I was the beloved pipe of my pipeman. In fact I was his only pipe for so many years. I think that as he grew older and I grew older he could not see or feel the subtle changes that were occurring in my person. I was like a worn shoe; I fit well in his hand and brought respite and comfort as the warmth radiated from the burning tobacco. I well remember his caress as he rubbed the sides of my bowl as he drew the smoke into his mouth. I remember the oils of his nose as he rubbed the warm bowl against his nose to oil my briar.

Yes, you see the damage and easily write me off as a pipe that has outlived its usefulness. As if, all that remained for me was the scrap heap or the fireplace. But don’t sell me short. I am not the abused waif of a careless piper who did not give a lick for his pipe. I am not a forgotten and despised pipe sitting discarded after hard use. No. I am the proud deliverer of many a grand smoke. I am the favourite pipe of the pipeman who called me his own. I have travelled with him around the globe on his business, providing him with repeatedly good smokes. You see, my state is not a reflection of neglect at all, but rather the reflection of love and affection. It is not a reflection of abuse but of jealous love.

I wish I could shout out to you to give me a chance. Clean out my bowl and shank. Polish my briar and replace my stem. Refurbish me and give me a new breath of life. I would tell you of the many good years that remain in my briar. I would speak of the fact that I will outlive you if you bring me back to life. I would deliver a well seasoned smoke from the first bowl you load and light. But alas, I cannot speak in words that most people can hear. Or maybe they are just deaf to my words or have not learned the language of the pipe. Yes that’s it. It is not my problem, as can you can no doubt see, I am not at a loss for words. It has to be the problem of the listener. Do you hear me as you hold me? Can you sense my presence?

Ah, I must be getting through to you. I see a change in your expression. The creases around your eyes and the upturned corners of your mouth show a different face than earlier looked down upon me. What is that you are doing? You twist off my stem and give my shank a look. You run your hands over the stem itself looking at the extent of the damage there and assessing what needs to be done. You hold me up to the light and look through the grease and grime at the briar of my sides and top. You nod as you look. You do hear me. You see the fine lines and the good grain. You see the rich colours under the grit. You look into my bowl and not only do you see the cake but you see the remnant of tobacco in the bottom of the bowl. You sniff the smell and the grin on your face spreads. You appreciate the tobacco smells that fill your nostrils. Oh my, will you rescue me and take me home? Will you restore me to my former state? Oh I do hope so.

What’s this? You don’t put me back on the shelf. You don’t set me down. You carry me to the front of the store and the antique dealer takes your payment for me. My, was the cost only $12? You must have some idea of what I originally cost. You just got a bargain my friend. I hear the seller ask if you would like to have me wrapped and put in a bag. I hear you say no. You would rather carry me out in your hand. I think this new relationship shows some promise. Now let’s get home and get to work on me. I can’t wait until I look like I used to and I am delivering a grand smoke to you my new friend.

Thank you for not despising me. Thank you for understanding that beneath the grime and age is a living pipe that has much life left in it. Thank you for knowing that with minimal effort, truly just minimal effort, I can be restored to a life of usefulness that will last longer than you do my friend. Ah, I can’t wait to show you what you have found.

Steve Laug 14 February 2014

My Pipe Collecting Habits

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I have been reading over the years about different people’s pipe collecting habits and what they look for in buying pipes. It is always a pleasure to read about their finds and purchases and to enjoy the photos of their pipes. I have seen folks beset with what has jokingly been dubbed, PAD (pipe acquisition disorder) who purchase all kinds of stuff seemingly indiscriminately. (I have to admit that when I first discovered Ebay that is pretty much what I did). It has literally taken me years to purge my collection of many of the ones I bid on and won. I have to say that I am glad to say that the majority of them have passed out of my hands either through trades or sales. Since then I am becoming much more selective. I now have focused my pipe purchases, whether on Ebay or through carvers, to 4 different groups. These groups have very different focuses and also very different purposes. By virtue of purpose they also can stay with me for longer or shorter periods of time.

Group 1: Pipes for refurbishing

Figure 1 Assorted pipe bowls for restemming

Figure 1 Assorted pipe bowls for restemming

Figure 2 Assorted bowls for restemming

Figure 2 Assorted bowls for restemming

This is probably the largest portion of pipe buying that I do. In fact I would say that most of the pipes I purchase from thrift shop, antique malls, rummage shops while on the prowl looking for pipes fall into this category. I periodically get emails or personal messages from people who wonder if I keep all the pipes I purchase or if I sell them. To be honest I think my wife and daughters have the same question. But the answer for me is that any pipe is always open to be sold or traded (with very few exceptions). Over the years I have sold, traded and given away hundreds of pipes. As far as I can predict with any certainty that will always be true as long as I am in the hobby. The joy of the hunt and the process of finding and restoring pipes are a large part of the hobby for me.

But truly buying these lots and pipes is an investment for me. So far I have not, nor is it likely that I ever will make a lot of money on these pipes. But that is not the point of the investment. I do not collect pipes like I invest for the future. It is an investment in terms of my education and skill development. Every pipe I purchase that crosses my refurbishing bench is part of my ongoing development as a pipe refurbisher. I love the process of bringing an old pipe back to life but even that is part of learning methodologies and become adept with tools. It is all about becoming skilled and proficient at something I love to do. And if there is no other reason that satisfies at least it gives me a justification for a part of the hobby that I really love.

With that in mind you will better understand that whatever I plan to work on in my skill set is determines to some degree what I purchase.This is somewhat arbitrary and determined by what I find but nonetheless it governs what I buy and work on. But even with that there are layers at work. For example I collected bowls that needed restemming over the past months because I wanted to work on honing my ability to restem and shape stems for a good fit to the shank.I wanted to learn to work with round, saddle, diamond and oval shanked pipes to be able to cut, fit and shape the new stem. Because that was my purpose the brand etc. of the pipe was utterly irrelevant to me. I just wanted a variety of shapes, styles and challenges. It is always a bonus if there is crossover with some of the other part of my collection but the primary purpose is skill training.

I have purchased pipes over the years for the purpose of learning about staining and finishes on bowls. I wanted to learn about application of stains, mixes and blends and even multi layered stains. I wanted to learn to make the grain stand out and how to make the flaws less visible. I wanted to learn how to replace fills and repair dents and damages to the finish of bowls. Because of this purpose I looked for rough-looking pipes that needed TLC to make them shine again. This included bowls that needed topping, finishes that were peeling, bowls that were scratched and dented. Again the purpose was educational rather than building pipes into my permanent collection. If that happens, again it is a bonus.

I have also purchased pipes knowing full well that they had broken shanks for the sole reason of having the opportunity to learn how to repair shanks and fit bands. This involved learning how to repair a cracked shank from within and without, how to repair a shank with a band and without using a band. The point was to learn methods and skills so the purchase of pipes to some degree was a search for those that needed this kind of work.

You get the point of what I am saying, I am sure. For me this aspect of my collecting will be a permanent feature. From it I will sell, trade or gift the majority of the pipes I have repaired or refurbished. All have been learning opportunities. This will also help explain why I take on what often seem to be impossible refurbs – I do it for the challenge and I will definitely build my skill set in the process.

But this is not the sole focus of my pipe collection. It is not the only kind of pipes I purchase. In fact this first group is where I carry on my education for the purpose of refurbishing pipes that will end up in my second group.

Group 2: Pipes from an Early Era

Figure 3 Some of my GBD 9438 pipes and others

Figure 3 Some of my GBD 9438 pipes and others

This aspect of my pipe collecting is one that I enjoy and which has some definite overlap with Group 1 pipes. I am constantly on the lookout for old-time pipes or just pipe bowls. I work to restem them with an age appropriate stems and bring them back to life. It is something that is relaxing and therapeutic for me in an otherwise busy time of my life. I find that I can unwind and relax while my hands are busy rehabilitating an old pipe. I can listen to books on disk, sermons, music, lectures whatever while I work away at the minute tasks of refurbishing. These pipes often become a part of my permanent collection.

This part of the collection is made up of two larger subsets of pipes – English and North American pipes from days gone by. In both subsets I look for pieces that represent the shapes that I appreciate and are in excellent condition or can be returned to that condition. This means that in both subsets there will be turnover as I find better examples in the course of my refurbishing and in the course of the hunt. This portion of my collection represents about half of my entire collection. It is pretty much equally divided between English and North American. In both I am not looking for newer pipes I am looking for pipes from the late 1800s through the early to mid-1900s. I am looking for signature pieces from that time period made by companies that in many cases have either disappeared with time or have been bought out by others. The briar in these old pipes is generally very good.

In terms of brands that I collect they are as follows. In the English line I collect GBD, BBB, Orlik, Loewe, Simms,Weingott, Barlings, Sasieni, Parker, Friborg&Treyer,Charatan, Comoy’s, Bewlay, older Dunhill, and others. In the North American line I collect old CPF, GFB, WDC, KBB, Kaywoodies, Yello Bole, Dr. Grabow, Barclay Rex, Custom Bilt, Custombilt, Tracy Mincer,Malaga, Blatter and Blatter, Brigham and others.

When I am in the antique shops and malls in the states and in Canada I have an eye out for these kinds of pipes. It is amazing where they turn up and the condition I find them in. I have become picky if they are intended to be keepers for me so I select hard, unless of course, they fit a learning/skill objective that I have set for myself. Even then I choose according to what I want to work on and leave behind some that just do not fit the collection or the objectives.

Group 3: Pipes that are Oddities

Figure 4 Odd Pipe 1 - a British Buttner Bakelite pipe bowl with a clay insert

Figure 4 Odd Pipe 1 – a British Buttner Bakelite pipe bowl with a clay insert

Figure 5 Odd Pipe 1 - a British Buttner Bakelite pipe bowl with a clay insert

Figure 5 Odd Pipe 1 – a British Buttner Bakelite pipe bowl with a clay insert

Figure 6 Odd Pipe 2 An LHS system pipe

Figure 6 Odd Pipe 2 An LHS system pipe

Figure 7 Odd Pipe 2 An LHS system pipe

Figure 7 Odd Pipe 2 An LHS system pipe

Figure 8 Odd pipe 3 a Dr. Plumb Metal

Figure 8 Odd pipe 3 a Dr. Plumb Metal

Figure 9 Odd pipe 3 a Dr. Plumb Metal

Figure 9 Odd pipe 3 a Dr. Plumb Metal

Figure 10 Odd pipe 4 a Chinese Chicken Wood Dragon

Figure 10 Odd pipe 4 a Chinese Chicken Wood Dragon

Figure 11 Odd pipe 4 a Chinese Chicken Wood Dragon

Figure 11 Odd pipe 4 a Chinese Chicken Wood Dragon

Figure 12 Odd pipe 5 a Swedish Broma Nylon Pipe with screw on briar bowl

Figure 12 Odd pipe 5 a Swedish Broma Nylon Pipe with screw on briar bowl

A third category of pipes that I collect is more accidental than by choice. It is made up of uniques and oddities. For some reason I am drawn to odd pipes that were attempts at finding and ensuring the perfect smoke. The variety of creativity and experimenting intrigues me and I like taking these apart and cleaning them up. They are often more of a collection of historical pieces and are not in the regular rotation. The collection itself is quite indiscriminate and in many ways strange. They are misshapen, built with internal gizmos and gadgets for trapping moisture, made out of alternative woods, metals, Bakelite or other unique materials. But all of them have in common inventive designs that caught my attention. This part of my collection is actually quite small and broad in scope. It contains pipes from England, Scotland, North America, South Africa, Canada, France, Holland, Hungary, China, Nepal, Vietnam, and other places. The oddity of the pipe is what catches me. Again this group is somewhat transient as I look for better examples of the various types of pipes some of the original pieces are sold or given away to make room for better examples. I am always looking to upgrade the pieces that I have so that I can have the best examples that I can find for this group of pipes.

Group 4: Artisan Pipes
This part of my collection is specialized to some degree. I love beautiful hand carved pipes with hand cut stems. In this part of my collection there are pipes from a variety of countries and a variety of artisans. I enjoy having some of them commissioned for me personally and being part of their creation. I also enjoy purchasing some of them directly from the craftsman. In both cases the point for me is to have works of art/hand craft that I enjoy looking at and smoking. In this group are pipes by Stephen Downie, Rad Davis, Oliver Camphausen, Larry Roush, Michael Parks, Tony Fillenwarth, Frank Axmacher, Brad Pohlmann, Paul Bonaquisti, Peter Heeschen, Peter Matzhold, Steve Morrisette, Dan Cheblove, Jack Howell, Trevor Talbert, James Gilliam, Mark Tinsky, John Calich, Blatter Brothers and Jeff Gracik of J. Alan Pipes are just some of the ones that I have examples of in my collection. This is an aspect of collecting that I take seriously and have built up slowly and consistently over the years as I could afford their pipes. It continues to grow and develop as pipes from Group 1 provide the funds for expansion.

As I finish writing this piece, I am struck by the breadth and variety of the pipes in my pipe cupboard. There are many but only a few of them hold places that are at least semi-permanent. I have one simple rule in my collecting – pipes are always for sale for the right price and the right reason. That reason for me is to upgrade and fill out places in the collection.

My Wife Says that I am a Scavenger…

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Looking at the picture below, you might agree with her and think that I have lost whatever was left of what few brain cells that remain in my 57 year old head. My wife and daughters are likely convinced that this is closer to the truth than I care to admit.  I will even agree that while both you and they may be correct, you need to understand that I intentionally bid on and won this lot from EBay recently. While nobody else wanted the lot I did!

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I just received them in the mail today. They came well packaged and labelled. In fact they were better packed than virtually every other pipe I have ever received from EBay shippers. The box was a solid 2”x4”x8” and stuffed with paper packing materials. The stems and pipes were then bagged and wrapped in bubble wrap and stuffed in among the packing papers. It was as if the seller was trying to protect a rare treasure. I opened the box and cut the tape on the packaging to expose the pipes inside. Five of the six pipes had cracked bowls and the sixth had a cracked shank and stuck stem. The bag included 9 extra stems that were actually quite old and three of those were military bits for spigot style pipes. The five cracked pipes were admittedly firewood and beyond repair.  The sixth one, with the split shank, which was the cleanest of all, could be repaired with glue and a band. I set it aside for a rustication project. In examining the split bowls I noted that they all had the same problem – a huge amount of cake. I am talking about cake so thick that you can barely stand a pipe nail spoon end down in some of the bowls. The cake had erupted from the tops of the bowls and had exerted so much pressure that the bowls were split in multiple places, as you can see in the picture below. It is a shame really as two of them, the ones with the stems on in the picture below, are opera pipes with oval bowls.

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Now you might wonder why I would purchase this lot. It was not a surprise or a disappointment to me, after opening the box, because I had asked enough questions of the seller to know exactly what I was getting. I had been the sole bidder, no other competitors for the lot to drive the bid higher.  In the past, when no one else bid, it used to bother me because I asked myself what I was missing. You see I was not bidding on the pipes.  I could care less about these pieces of firewood that were beyond redemption. What I wanted in the lot were the older stems and I bid accordingly, and I ended up with 15 stems, once I took the pipes apart, added the stems from the lot and found an extra one in the box.  I could not have been happier because I prefer to use stems from a similar era to re-stem the older pipe bowls that I have. These stems provide me with a solid batch of stems and in the next few months they will have new bowls attached to them. The beauty of this lot is that none of the stems were chewed or gnawed, and only one has a very repairable tooth mark. In this sense the old stems were my real and intended acquisitions.

I am a scavenger of pipe parts. It only is a matter of perspective that enables one to see beyond burned out unsalvageable shells of pipes and identify the many salvageable parts they contain. There are always parts on the worst of them that I reuse – stems, bands, logos, etc. that can be scavenged and re-used.  I have a box of these parts that has come in handy more times than I can remember. But another good part of the lot is that once I clean up the older briar some of the shanks could provide the base for tampers and such. The rest may well go in the fire pit this summer but you never know. Part of my hunting through thrift shops, rummage sales, garage sales, and Craig’s List for pipes always includes the element of hunting for pipe parts. I have scavenged old broken KWs and Yello Boles and kept the stems to use on sister pipes. I have cleaned up chewed KW and GBD stems so that I could remove the logos and medallions and re-inserted them on new stems or stems missing the logos. Even these little parts are always removable and reusable. It only takes eyes to see the possibilities in old castoffs.

Only one final word… if you begin to pick up my scavenging ways make sure to leave some parts around for me. Also if you need someone to blame for your newly adopted bad habit I am more than willing to take the blame… for a small price – say a few stems and parts. That is it for now I am off to take apart those old pipes and strip them down.

 

Good hunting – estate pipes

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I wrote this about one of my walk about hunts for estate pipes. Thought I would share it here.

It was a beautiful sunny autumn day in Southern Alberta. It was fall, crisp and clear. The fall colours were in full glory. Leaves crunched under foot and swirled on the breeze as I walked down the sidewalks. In the city of Lethbridge, Alberta (city is a bit of overstatement) I sat at the local Tim Horton’s shop (a donut and coffee shop for those who are not Canadians). I sat looking out the window enjoying the morning. A couple of antique shops had caught my eye earlier that morning when I had taken a meandering stroll with a pipe. It was still early and they would not open for awhile yet, so I leisurely sipped my coffee and dreamed of what I might find behind the windows and locked doors of those shops. I had scoped them out with my nose pressed against the glass. I had seen in one of them a pipe rack or two on a shelf near the door. The other was a bit more mysterious and less organized. They both looked hopeful to me. I wondered what treasures I would find once they opened. Would there be some Dunhill’s, some Larson’s, old Comoy’s or GBDs? Always the hunt and the wait are things that leave me budding with optimistic (and I suppose naive) hope that a real treasure would await me. Would I find a new lighter or some tampers to add to the collection at home? It is always fun to travel through the shops in my mind before actually going through the door.

Ahhh. Coffee is finished and the first shop is opening its doors. I am off for the hunt! I go through the door and wind through the shop. I walk down the aisles to eliminate any hidden finds before I check the ones by the door. There is nothing here so far. I know there is a rack or two by the door but I want to finish the back first and then work through that rack. I find some cracked and sad old Grabows, a beat up old Yellow Bowl, some pipe reamers, a few dilapidated pipe cleaners and some old racks that do not grab my attention. I move through the rest of the shop and come on the racks by the door. I work through the pipes in the rack and check out the finds there. There is nothing that grabs me or begs to be taken home jumping from the racks. There are some older Grabows, pretty sad shape. There is an older GBD that is really caked and damaged with a crack bowl and shank. I look at the prices and am amazed at the nerve of a seller to ask the kind of money they want for these poor old fellows. I ask the clerk for the best price and find they are willing to knock off $5. The remaining $25 per pipe mark is still far too pricey for what the pipes are, so I walk away. I leave the shop and head next door to the second shop. It is still closed so I wander down the street wondering if the day is going to be a bust in terms of pipe finds. I visit a couple of used furniture shops and thrift shops and find nothing.

Finally I make my way back to the other antique shop. The door is open and the owner is outside having a smoke. Hmmm, that could be promising maybe there will be something here. At least they are not antis! I wander in and immediately come upon a rack with three pipes. Nothing stunning but very interesting just the same. One is an older SC Pipe, made in Canada by the Paradis Bros. in Montreal. The second one is no name Italian in pretty rough shape and the third is an old Brigham two dot. As I am checking out the stems, shanks, bowls etc. for viability the owner comes up and we strike up a conversation. He asks me what I am doing with old pipes. I tell him of my hobby of cleaning, restoring and smoking the old timers. He is pretty interested. He calls his wife over and asks her whether she remembers where he had put some other pipes from the shop. He asked her if they were here or at their home. She sends him to the back room and I go back to work through the threesome in this rack.

I hear the owner in the back room and shortly he comes out carrying a large bucket of pipes. I feel a wave of excitement move over me as I look at his bucket. I leave the pipe rack and make my way to a table where he puts the bucket and pours out his loot. Wow. There are a lot of pipes there – probably about 50 of them – really an amazing lot. Mostly junk by the looks of the pile but worth the time. This is the joy of the hunt that I so love. To me there is nothing like just digging through old briar, looking at the stampings and shapes, getting a feel for the haul and separating them into piles that demand further attention and those that are disposable. I love the task of digging through the pile of old clutter, dirty pipes, various pieces and stems and bowls and seeing what I can salvage. Sure enough I find quite a few. I am working through the first sort and feeling the excitement rise in me. I put the ones for a third look in a pile and return the rejects to the bucket. These rejects just do not catch my eye or interest. They might have some cracks in the shanks or bowls and just are not worth this cut. The remaining lot is five pipes – a Comoy’s Guildhall pipe, SC Bent egg, a GBD Billiard, a Old Pal pot, a Golden Arrow London Pipe Lumberman made by Comoys. They were filthy and grimy. Grain was relatively invisible. An utter mess, which made me realize that I was probably in for a good deal.

I worked through the five that I had set aside a second time in the light. I wet my finger and highlighted the grain to see what was under the grime. I checked the shanks and rims for char and burn. I looked for gnawing at the mouthpiece and cracks in them as well. I wondered about the prices and what I could get the lot for. I called the owner over. He smiled as he saw my work. His first words were to offer the whole lot. A bucket of pipes for $50 cash would make the bucket mine. I have to tell you, at first the joy of the hunt caught me, I wanted it all – a price of $50, Canadian no less, for the lot had my wallet virtually leaping out of my pocket. I thought about it. Oh the stories that these pipes could tell and that I could make them tell. The mysteries that lay beneath the grime. I wanted them all for sure. Then my more rational and logical side kicked in as I realized I would never get the lot on the airplane and carried home. I envisioned explaining to airport security why I was carrying a bucket of pipes on their plane. It was tough to work through this process. I argued with myself and finally asked the fellow about the price for the five of them. He scratched his scrubby beard (I can say that because I have a long one). He looked at me and asked if I was sure I did not want the lot. I hemmed and hahed then said no and he said the price was $5 each… I quickly settled up before the price changed. I made my way outdoors with my treasures and headed to the airport.

Since then I have had all kinds of thoughts about the ones I left in the bucket. I think of creative ways I could have gotten them home. I thought of shipping them to myself, of bussing them to my home by Greyhound. I even thought of calling my friend in Lethbridge and having him pick them up and ship them to me. But the fact is that the bucket of pipes is still sitting in that little shop in Lethbridge, Alberta. Maybe they will be there the next time I visit. Or maybe one of you will stumble upon the shop there and have the same joy of discovery as you gingerly and excitedly paw through the lot. If you get there and pick up the lot be sure to let us know…. some of us are interested!

A Perfect Alignment of 54s

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I wrote this one on my birthday a few years ago now. I love the alignment of events and items that made that a special day for me. I wanted to share it here as well.

It is funny how it takes me some time to finally get around to writing some things down. But today I decided it was time to sit down and write about a special event in my life. I celebrated my fifty fourth birthday December 7, 2008. Periodically I find myself going back and reflecting on all the individual pieces that came together for a perfect smoke that day. It was a combination of planning and serendipitous discoveries that made the event work out better than I could have ever imagined.

I spent the previous year gathering the actors for the event – each of them would play a major role in making the day memorable. Each of them came with its own unique story to contribute to the day. In almost every case their past was shrouded with a bit of mystery and certainly a lack of definitive information about their existence before finding me.

The first character I went looking to recruit was a pipe for the occasion. Not just any pipe would do as I wanted one that really fit my birthday in a special way. The more I thought about it the more I wanted to have a pipe that was as old as me. It would be great to smoke a pipe from 1954 on my 54th birthday. So I began the hunt for just such a pipe. My decision imposed limitations on me to just a few makers. The only ones that I know that can be dated to 1954 with any degree of certainty are those made by Dunhill and Peterson. There may well be others that bear a silver hallmarked band, but in my experience the banded ones I have seen were all made in the late 19th or early 20th Century. That gave me a focus for my hunt – an older Dunhill and/or a Peterson pipe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I emailed Mike Hagley to see if he had a 1954 in his collection of Dunhill pipes that he might be willing to part with. Of course as is often the case in my experience, Mike had several from other years but not a 1954. We ended our correspondence with a promise that he would keep his eyes open for one. I cannot remember the details but eventually Mike emailed me an eBay link to a 1954 Dunhill Shell Briar in a Canadian shape. It was in decent shape but had a replacement stem that had been poorly made. The stem was not seated properly in the shank and appeared to be at an angle. I decided to bid on the pipe and see what I could do. I entered my highest bid and let it sit. I was surprised to see that I was the only bidder. The pictures were rough so it did not give a clear idea of the condition of the pipe. The short and long of it was that when the auction closed and the pipe was mine.

Two weeks went by and Canada Post finally delivered my birth year Dunhill. Upon inspection it appeared to be in very good shape. The finish and the condition of the rim and shank were very good. The reason for the misfit stem turned out to be an angled tenon and not a misdrilled shank done during the repair. What a relief. I cleaned and polished the bowl and shank and re-bent the tenon to straighten it out. (Though even with this work it still did not fit flush to the shank.) As I held it in my hands I began to wonder about getting a new stem made for it. I contacted Dr. Dave at Walker Briar Works to see if he was interested in making a new stem for me. He was up for the challenge and I sent it off to him. He researched what a 1954 Dunhill Canadian stem looked like, took an old Dunhill stem he had in stock and cut it to fit. This allowed for a properly sized white spot for a ’54. He also was able to match the taper on the stem to the original. Once it was finished he shipped it back to me and I was pleased both with his work and to have the first character for my celebration in place.

My attention shifted to the next character I needed to have in place for the day – the tobacco I would smoke in the 1954 Dunnie on my 54th birthday. I looked through my stash of tobacco and I set aside several potential favourites that I could open. But nothing struck me as the right one. I still had time to work on that so I put the search aside for awhile. I knew something would come up and be just right for the occasion.

While I was on holidays in the US, visiting family in Idaho, I decided to check out an old junk shop/antique mall that I always shop at when I am there. I have frequently found some good pipes to refurbish and some other unique tobaciana items. I walked through the many booths of things for sale – three floors worth – and picked up endless old pipes to check out and old tins that on handling proved to be empty. I did find a one pound tin of old Prince Albert that was unopened and added it to my pile but still nothing that fit the bill for what I was looking for in a birthday smoke. I carried my “treasures” to the cash register by the front door on the first floor to settle up and leave. Just as I was taking my cash out of my pocket I happened to glance over my shoulder at a shelf by the door. A small round tin on the middle shelf caught my eye. I put my money back in my pocket, left everything on the counter and went to check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I got closer I saw that it was a small round tin. It looked like the older 3/4 ounce tins that were available a long time ago. I could see that it was silver with some green squares. I moved the clutter away that made it hard to see and lifted the tin out to have a better look. It was clearly an old one. It had the label Dobies Four Square Mixture. It was full of tobacco and the seal and the tax stamp were still intact. I examined it carefully and found that there was no rust on the outside. The tobacco on the inside did not rattle around as I shook it. All of these are good signs when buying old tobacco. I then inspected the tobacco tax stamp and found that it was dated 1954! I could not believe my eyes. I took it to the counter and immediately added it to the haul and paid for it. I might have found my birthday tobacco to smoke in my 1954 pipe – I just needed to verify its age. I did a web search on the blend and on the importer that had its sticker on the back. The way the address and zip code were set up it pointed to a date of the 50’s. As best as I could determine I had a tin of tobacco from 1954!

The two major players were in place for the birthday celebration – a 1954 pipe and a 1954 tobacco. All that was left was for my 54th birthday to arrive, or so I thought. It was only a few months until my birthday. I had no idea of what lay ahead for me in the drama of my life. I had no clue as to how the third player in my celebration (me) was to be prepared.

In May of 2008 I was greeted at 2AM one morning with a crackling of fire and the flare of light that comes from flames illuminating my bedroom. I looked out the window to see the three houses next door to us on fire. I woke the kids and fled the house. And yes I left the Dunhill and the tobacco in the house. By 8am that morning we were back in the house and found that with all the soaking of fire hoses our basement had 3 inches of black water in it. Everything was in ruins. This time I dug out my favourite pipes and some tobacco to keep as I knew we were in for a long haul with restoration. I had the foresight to pick up the Dunhill and the Dobies Four Square Mixture. This would turn out to be a smart move in the long run.

In July my position at work was closed and I was declared redundant. I was out of work with our house being an unsellable mess. The restoration company was hard at work contacting contractors to do the restoration. I ended up being the general contractor for the repairs and was in charge of coordinating all of the trades. Those were hard days for me but my pipes helped lend moments of sanity to an otherwise insane time in my life. By the end of November we were allowed back into our basement and settled back into the routine of our lives. Only a few days before my 54th birthday we were able to finally get back to some sense of normalcy.

On December 7, 2008 – my 54th birthday I woke up early in morning and made a cup of strong Ethiopian coffee. I picked up one of my favourite books and settled on my front porch with the 54 Dunhill and the 54 Dobies in my 54 year old hands. The sun was shining and it was relatively warm in Vancouver – not something to be taken lightly in December. I popped the old tin of tobacco with a 1954 dime (I thought that would be a nice dramatic touch), removed the paper disc that was on top of the tobacco and which verbally guaranteed a great smoke or my money back and lifted the open tin to my nose. What an amazing aroma! The pungent smell of well aged Virginias and the tantalizing sourness of Orientals came together in what smell like a delightful mixture.

I pinched together a wad of tobacco and packed the pipe. I loaded it as I usually do and checked the draw to make sure it was the way I liked it. I used an old Zippo to light the pipe and drew the smoke into my mouth. Wow what a smoke! The alignment of 54s was complete! I had the 54 Dunhill loaded with a 54 Dobies tobacco and smoked in my 54 year old mouth. What a perfect way to begin the day of the celebration. What ever happened next would be bonus and I would end the day the way I began it – another bowl for this 54 year old in the old 54.

 

Why I Buy Old Estate Pipes

3 Replies

Blog by Steve Laug

For some the idea of putting someone else’s pipe in their mouth is repugnant and therefore something they would never do. For others the building of their own story around a specific pipe is what keeps them from buying previously owned pipes. For me both of those thoughts do not negate the pleasure I get from estate pipes.

I too enjoy buying a new pipe and then choosing the tobacco to christen it with as I work on my own story with this pipe. Though some do not like the process of breaking in a pipe, I find that I like the virgin first smoke in a new piece of briar. I love building the stories of when and how and with whom I smoked the pipe. I love thinking through why I purchased this one pipe and what it was that drew me to it. I enjoy the process of working with the carver or artisan as the pipe is born. The events and the place add dimensions to the smoke for me. It is not just a disconnected piece of wood for me. It comes dressed in a story.

The same can be said of an estate pipe. The reason I buy estates is not just for the good deal on old briar but because of the stories that are associated with them. As I smoke this pipe after it is cleaned the place and the time I found the old pipe is a part of the thinking in my mind. I remember what it was that drew me to it and where I was when I bought it. I remember who was with me and what we were doing. I always try to research as much information and the story attached to the pipe as I can. That information may be merely some data on a previous owner, or maybe just a time period. But sometimes I get the full blown story from the seller. I find out who used to own it and what they were like. I find out their tobacco likes and dislikes, not only form the story but from the ghosts in the old pipe. I can tell a lot about the pipe by the state it is in when I bought it. If it tarred and thickly caked and the stem is discoloured and has few bite marks I can see that the previous owner loved this pipe and obviously it smoked well enough to make them keep coming back to it. Often there is a bit of tobacco still in the bowl as if the person laid it down for a moment and never got back to it – kind of like I do sometimes when I get called away after just loading a pipe. There is much more that can be learned just by looking at the pipe as you handle it and clean it.

When I have exhausted the information that is available to me through the seller and through my observations I am still not finished with the story of the estate pipe in my hands. Then I use my imagination to help me put the pipe in its time and in the hands of the person who bought it. I picture their smoke as they pack the pipe with the chosen tobacco. I picture the setting of the smoke and even try to imagine what they were thinking when they chose the pipe for the first time in the shop. I know this is esoteric stuff but it is the stuff of a good story for me. It adds colour to the object in my hand. After all, this pipe comes to me with a history and to some degree I want to honour that history and enjoy it in the process.

To this data, real and imagined, this story I add my own new stories. I join a line of folks who have held this pipe and cherished it over the years. I know full well and appreciate that someone will follow me in that line and add their own stories to the ongoing life of this briar. As it has outlived its first owner I know it will outlive me. I wish at times that the old pipe could talk and tell me the stories it knows and holds. I wish it could speak of the quiet conversations with its previous owner. I wish that I could travel back and have a smoke with the previous owner and listen to their full stories. I wish also that I could jump ahead and give that info to the person who gets the pipe from me. All of that contributes to the joy of the old pipe for me. The hunt for the perfect estate pipe is good. The restoration and resurrection of old briar is good. The rekindling of fire to the tobacco in the old bowl is good. The patina and feel of old wood is good. But it is the story of the pipe, the mystery and the history that grabs me and keeps me on the hunt.

As I close these thoughts I want to use one of my finds, one of the old ones I got on the hunt. It is an Altesse Genuine Briar (with a real amber stem). I know the pipe comes from the era of the 30’s. It rests in a snake skin case that is in pretty good shape. The pipe bowl is out of round yet the overall care taken of this pipe speaks a wealth to me. Its previous owner loved this pipe. It is well smoked and well cared for. When I bought it from the antique dealer it still had a bowl load of tobacco in it. It was unsmoked tobacco so I imagine the owner loaded the bowl and somehow never got back to it. His heirs sold the pipe to a traveling antique dealer who sold it to the one I bought it from. Nowhere in the process did the bowl get dumped. It was hardened and dried out tobacco to be sure… but what must have happened to that old fellow who cherished this pipe that he did not light that bowl?? The thought of it makes me wonder. So when I cleaned it up and reloaded the bowl I raised it in his honour and said cheers old fellow. Here’s to the bowl you did not get to finish!! Enjoy the smell of your pipe as the smoke wafts your direction.

…. I know this sounds cheesy but hey… cheesy is my prerogative! Just an example of what draws me to preowned briar! Here’s to your pipes! Cheers