Like any other material object, pipes don't last forever, and probably most hit the landfill or incinerator before they are actually unusable. I advise newbies to buy pipes carefully because they can be a lifetime possession, or nearly so, if they are used and maintained well and stored carefully when not in use. I have the first pipe I ever bought, new, a Tinderbox St. Ives smooth bent pot, forty years ago, and it still smokes just fine and looks rather good as well. Some of the restorations I have seen on Forums seem to be as good as new, maybe a little better. Not a few members have run photos of pipes one hundred years old or more. To balance out the averages, I suppose pipes do get lost, damaged beyond the owners ability to repair them or have them repaired, or simply abandoned. What's the oldest regularly smoked pipe you have? What do you consider the average expectancy? Do well refurbished pipes have a second full "lifetime" ahead, as they appear to have? I also advise newbies to keep at least a select rotation of their pipes since even determined quitting sometimes gets reversed after some months or years. What is your experience and what are your expectations?