Pipe price
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No, I dare say I wouldn't.
No, with all due respect, I mean what I said. It's a piece of shaped wood.
I know this probably sounds like a typical troll thing to say, but I honestly don't get it. I appreciate the time, skill and work that goes into these handmade pipes, but that kind of money cannot be justified in my book.
The fact that you agree you would be willing to sell a pipe for $700 if someone were willing to pay it implies that you think either:
a. People who pay $700 for a pipe are bad at making value judgements
or
b. Some pipes are worth $700, just not to you.
Am I misunderstanding you? According to my wife, I'm really good at misunderstanding people.
a. People who pay $700 for a pipe are bad at making value judgements
or
b. Some pipes are worth $700, just not to you.
Am I misunderstanding you? According to my wife, I'm really good at misunderstanding people.
You're not really misunderstanding - maybe misinterpreting. It's A, but I don't mean it in a disrespectful way. It's their money and I'm certainly not going to argue with anyone who values any given pipe so highly. I can't honestly sit here and state no pipe is worth $700, as a fact, as others clearly think otherwise.
Well, to be harsh... yes
The perception of the value of the currency, not just the object, tends to be left out of these discussions.
It depends to a great degree on how much time and effort one has to invest in earning that amount.
There are many people to whom $700 is less than pocket change.
This started out not as "is any pipe worth $X?" but rather, hey, look at these two pipes and see if you think there is a $700 difference.
Key points:
1. They both come from the same shop
2. They both have a similar shape, size and finish/accents/grain
3. One of these two pipes may have been carved by Tom Eltang. One of them certainly was.
In regards to money, I am in the camp that will think before I spend it. Most wealthy people that I know also treat their money in this way, regardless of quantity. It's just smart, and it acts as a great buffer to making really stupid decisions. I find that if you keep every part of your house in order in the day to day, the whole thing will be sound for the lifetime.
Lots of small bad decisions have a weird way of filtering up to the bigger -more important- decisions.
There are, perhaps, some wealthy people who do not think about their money at all, but I suggest they are rare. Some billionaires, maybe. Even then, I doubt it. Some people also pretend to not care in specific circumstances to put on a little show for anyone who is looking. That's fine, they have their reasons. But don't believe everything you see. The ones who truly don't give a damn tend to be good at losing it.
Ask my friend who bought a chalet from the bankruptcy proceedings of an "aristocrat" who didn't think about money and did things like flying from Southern Germany to Paris for dinner and a haircut, among other "rich things" to do. I think he eventually killed himself. At any rate, he lost it all.
Anyway... I tend not to look down on people who cut coupons, haggle deals, or question the value they are presented with. Seems smart to me. But what the hell do I know?
I think there are lots of pipes worth between $1 and $1,000,000 depending on the story. Depending on the way it is carved. Depending on what it is made out of. Depending on who carved it. Depending on a near limitless set of variables. I also think it is legit to question all of those prices in-between. Most people do, even the rich ones.
Key points:
1. They both come from the same shop
2. They both have a similar shape, size and finish/accents/grain
3. One of these two pipes may have been carved by Tom Eltang. One of them certainly was.
In regards to money, I am in the camp that will think before I spend it. Most wealthy people that I know also treat their money in this way, regardless of quantity. It's just smart, and it acts as a great buffer to making really stupid decisions. I find that if you keep every part of your house in order in the day to day, the whole thing will be sound for the lifetime.
Lots of small bad decisions have a weird way of filtering up to the bigger -more important- decisions.
There are, perhaps, some wealthy people who do not think about their money at all, but I suggest they are rare. Some billionaires, maybe. Even then, I doubt it. Some people also pretend to not care in specific circumstances to put on a little show for anyone who is looking. That's fine, they have their reasons. But don't believe everything you see. The ones who truly don't give a damn tend to be good at losing it.
Ask my friend who bought a chalet from the bankruptcy proceedings of an "aristocrat" who didn't think about money and did things like flying from Southern Germany to Paris for dinner and a haircut, among other "rich things" to do. I think he eventually killed himself. At any rate, he lost it all.
Anyway... I tend not to look down on people who cut coupons, haggle deals, or question the value they are presented with. Seems smart to me. But what the hell do I know?
I think there are lots of pipes worth between $1 and $1,000,000 depending on the story. Depending on the way it is carved. Depending on what it is made out of. Depending on who carved it. Depending on a near limitless set of variables. I also think it is legit to question all of those prices in-between. Most people do, even the rich ones.
In response to the original question, the Tom is absolutely not worth $700 more than the Sara to me. In fact, I prefer the Sara.
Given the fact that Tom Eltang seems to have no trouble unloading his pipes to willing consumers, it seems wrong to say that in general, the Tom does in fact have at least $700 more value than the Sara.
Given the fact that Tom Eltang seems to have no trouble unloading his pipes to willing consumers, it seems wrong to say that in general, the Tom does in fact have at least $700 more value than the Sara.
Jud- No need for any apology. I was just reminding about some details. I think you have some interesting points worth considering. I initially thought the price was interesting because they are so similar and they come from the same shop.
From your perspective, I can appreciate why you think this way. There are some forms of art, for example, that I wouldn't trade a bucket of piss for but some people spend hundreds of thousands on. Maybe it's similar.
Honestly, I probably wouldn't spend $1k on a pipe. I like pipes, but I don't like them so much that I'll spend $1k - $10k on a pipe. I think many people can afford to buy pipes like this. If you have a car, chances are you can find a few grand for your pipe passion - if you are passionate. I know of pretty common people who have bicycles worth many thousands of dollars. It's not crazy money.
I would certainly spend it on other things though. A lot of the perception of value, I think, comes from what you are interested in.
My thoughts on this are sure to evolve and maybe even wrap around to the beginning over the years. Value is an odd thing to me.
From your perspective, I can appreciate why you think this way. There are some forms of art, for example, that I wouldn't trade a bucket of piss for but some people spend hundreds of thousands on. Maybe it's similar.
Honestly, I probably wouldn't spend $1k on a pipe. I like pipes, but I don't like them so much that I'll spend $1k - $10k on a pipe. I think many people can afford to buy pipes like this. If you have a car, chances are you can find a few grand for your pipe passion - if you are passionate. I know of pretty common people who have bicycles worth many thousands of dollars. It's not crazy money.
I would certainly spend it on other things though. A lot of the perception of value, I think, comes from what you are interested in.
My thoughts on this are sure to evolve and maybe even wrap around to the beginning over the years. Value is an odd thing to me.
I can certainly sympathise with your art analogy, but with pipes it's not really about taste dictating how much I'd spend. As it happens I think the pipes you've posted in your OP are gorgeous, especially the second with the slightly fatter bowl. No, it's more about what you're actually buying - essentially a lump of carved/shaped wood. I'm afraid I just can't see the justification in paying several hundreds for such a thing.
It's worth mentioning that I'm aware of the economics of all this. If these pipe makers didn't charge hundreds for their creations, there's a fairly sound argument to say they wouldn't continue to exist.
A tire, one tire, for my Jeep is $371.78 , but it's just a big chunk of rubber... a diamond is just a piece of coal, gold is found just layin around. It's all about perspective. How much would it cost for a hand cut stem for a pipe? It's just a piece of plastic isn't it?
I can't justify paying $700 for a pipe, no way, no how, but I can't say it's not worth the money. It's just not worth it to me or I can't afford to spend that much for a pipe. :wink:
Sounds rather like someone who inherited a lot of money but had no real income streams of their own.
And yes, it's certainly true that wealthy people who are wise with their money aren't normally going to be in the habit of being flippant or reckless even with (what are to them) minor purchases.
But I would still say that if you have two pipe smokers who both appreciate the qualities of a really nice pipe, and one makes $700 or more per day, every day...while it takes the other a week or more to make that much...the second guy is going to be FAR more reluctant to pay $700 or more for a pipe than the first guy.
And he's more likely to question how a pipe could be worth that much...simply because $700 to him represents much more time and energy out of his life than the first guy.
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