IMH 2 cent opinion, I would not hesitate to purchase an ASPC pipe at that price. I think I found the listing you are referring to also. It's a beautiful pipe carved by Curt Rollar. I have a soft spot in my heart for old ASPC pipes. I think the story of how the company began is amazing. Two avid bikers peddling across Europe in search of some of the finest blocks of briar available. Tinsky, so obsessive about carving pipes, pitched and lived in a tent in Curt's back yard. These two ate, slept and shit pipes. This type of obsession is what makes me respect this particular company. How can one make a bad pipe when in the early stages of the game (late 70's -80's) they were so immersed in their craft? The pipe in question is from a decade or more later than that. That's another 10 years of pipe carving experience under APSC's belt. The American Smoking Pipe Company's story, to me, is on par with Danish pipe carving master, Preben Holm. But the ASPC story has no sad ending and is still going strong.
I had four ASPC pipes from 1980. I gifted one to someone a while back and I am left with three. All of them estate pipes. Two of them are still waiting for me to refurb them. One is finished. I smoke it and it is a fine smoker. It's a winter pipe because it's a dedicated lat pipe. I like a long latikia smoke in the colder months and this pipe is a champ at providing a long, cool and outstanding latakia smoke.
If you want a pipe carved by Mark Tinsky, it's not the one we're looking at. But it is a fine looking pipe and there is a higher than average chance that the pipe we are looking at will be a great smoker. I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on that one unless I had my heart set on a Tinsky carved pipe.
Good luck.
May your lovers stay hot and your pipes stay cool.
