Ok boys Ole Gary had a hell of a day at the flea Market yesterday. It will be a bit long winded and pic heavy but I have to show and tell. I went to the flea markets yesterday and as I was walkling through and digging around like always and I found one pretty nice old Kaywoodie. It was a pup bulldog with a four hole stinger in good shape. I got it for 4 dollars. As I started to walk off an Older gentlemen in a Korean War Vet hat asked me if I collected anything besides pipes. I told him pipes, pipe stands, old tins, pretty much anything pipe related. He said I was just the guy he needed. He then proceeded to tell me that he had sold about 200 pipes off over the years but had never sold his pipe stands, and he thought he had a few old pipes left also. Here was the catch. They were in a closet at his house that he could not get to because he had put a dressser in front of the closet years ago and could not move the dresser to get into it. With no family to help him he said it had just been that way for years. He asked if I would be interested in probably 25 stands and a few pipes but I would have to come to his house and move some furniture around and do some digging. He guarenteed the pipe stands would be worth my time and I could have the pipes too. Now my wife was skeptical to say the least. She thought it would be a waisted trip but I couldn't stand it so I agreed. I followed the old gentlemen to his house a few blocks away and helped him out of his truck and followed him to a small modest home. It was cluttered but clean. He lead me to the closet in question and sure enough there was a big dresser in the way. It couldn't be moved without moving the bed and several other things being moved out of the way. He agained assured me it would be worth my time. I started moving things out and got to the dresser. I finally got it moved out of the way and got the closet open. Sure enough the closet was packed with clothes and some tubs but there in the back was two big boxes labeled pipe stands. I cleaned out the closet and got to the boxes. I carried them out to the sunlight where I could get a good look at them and opened the first box. It was full with pipe stands. They were in poor condition but not broken or anything. At first my heart sank, but I thought a little sanding and staining and I would have some good stands. There were 12 stands in the box. I went to the next box and opened it. Hell Yea !! Here is what I was waiting for. In this box wrapped and placed perfectly with care were 13 stands all in beautiful condition. All excellent with humidors and lids and just perfect. I could not believe it. All together there were 25 stands. Next was a small box with a few pipes in it. They were all right up my alley. There were three Kaywoodies (one handmade Hercules, one Carburetor straight billiard, one fine line billiard) All in very good shape. The next was a Yello-Bole small carved imperial. It is marked with the three leaf clover and KB&B cured with honey. Has the patent off marking and is excellent condition. The next was a large Prince of Whales straight billiard with lucite stem. It is excellent and if smoked at all it has been very little. Next was a Custombilt straight billiard in excellent shape. The last pipe was a Corsican Giant. This is a huge bent billiard. Biggest pipe I have ever bought next to freehands and calabash's. There were also several broken pipes and bowls and stems that were in a old box. Some of these can be fixed and cleaned up no problem. One is a Dr.Grabow lovet that is marked Linkman Deluxe, a couple of London Hurricanes with the wind caps and a nice Falcon stem with no bowl. I couldn't beleive it. I was estatic to say the least. We worked a deal on the whole lot, which by the way his first price was way to cheap. So I upped the offer and then helped him move all his furniture the way he wanted it and situated his furniture where he could use his closet. We drank a coke , swapped a few army stories and I gave him my phone number and told him anytime he needed anything never hesitate to call. I loaded my haul and we parted ways. I won't lie probalby one of the best Flea Market days ever!! New friend, all the pipe stands I will ever need and some really nice pipes. Sorry so long boys but I had to share. It was a great day. Pics to follow!
The Good
The Bad ( if you can call them that)
The Pipes
The Good
The Bad ( if you can call them that)
The Pipes