Buyer Beware

kola · May 24, 2018

Zoom in on that rust spot. Oh yeah. You can bet your butt that the tobacco is toast. Buyer beware. Years ago I got burned for 500 bucks on these rusty tins. I wish someone would have warned me.
BTW, this is no way a dig on Greg Pease. It was in no way hs fault. Shit happens and I love his blends. From what I've gathered it's just the GLP tins from 2000-2004 that has serious rust issues. I'm not posting this to excite the drama-queens here, just letting others know about the risks.
https://www.4noggins.com/capstanmediumnavycut50g-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.aspx

kola · May 24, 2018

This one rusted out too, down at the rim bottom.
https://www.4noggins.com/capstanmediumnavycut50g-2-1-1-1-1-1-1.aspx

kola · May 24, 2018

and another:
https://www.4noggins.com/capstanmediumnavycut50g-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.aspx

opus777 · May 24, 2018

thanks kola for the info.

kola · May 24, 2018

This one is hard to tell but I sure would hate to see a guy be out 600 bucks. As Sablebrush (and a few other members) noted in another post, the tins from 2000-2004 can look perfectly fine on the outside yet still be damaged severely on the inside. Buyer beware. And I'm unsure what type of policy 4 Noggins has but what is printed on the website doesn't look like they'll give you a refund should the tobacco be ruined.
$600 ? Feeling lucky ?
https://www.4noggins.com/G-L-Pease-Bohemian-Scandal-2004.aspx

kola · May 24, 2018

another one, right hand side bottom. Toast.
https://www.4noggins.com/capstanmediumnavycut50g-2-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1.aspx

kola · May 24, 2018

I wish all his blends of those years were in mylar bags. This will make Woodsman happy.

This big sack of Mephisto should be lovely and intact,no doubt.
https://www.4noggins.com/G-L-Pease-Mephisto-2003-C.aspx

dottiewarden · May 24, 2018

As with wine, all aged products come with an element of risk. The only way to determine the quality of the product inside is to compromise the seal, therefore compromising the value of the sealed product. I've also found rust in 5 year old Peterson and Mac Baren tins, though not enough to ruin the contents. There is no possible way to hold a trader responsible, as the risk is inherent in the purchase. :puffpipe:

irishearl · May 24, 2018

Prefacing this by saying in my 40+ years of smoking a pipe I've never bought tobacco in tins, only bulk. Did get 1 tin free with a pipe I bought once. But, that's been it for me and tins. So, excuse my ignorance. But, given all the chatter I've seen here on the risks of buying older tins of tobacco, why take that risk at all? Of course I ask that as someone who doesn't have a lot of extra $ to risk with.

jacks6 · May 24, 2018

Not a gamble I would take.

anthonyrosenthal74 · May 24, 2018

Personally, I think 4Noggins should mention that there is some rust on the tins. I'd hate someone to spend 200 dollars on a tin of tobacco, only to find out it's no better than saw dust. I'd be pretty irritated if it happened to me. No return on tin sales is fine, good, and understandable. But the buyer should be made aware of the risk, as it's easy to overlook any issues in those photos.

Chasing Embers · May 25, 2018

I love Mephisto and still have a couple of tins. Noticed that bag a while ago, but you can get the same experience from a $30, 8 ounce can of Black Frigate.

samw74 · May 25, 2018

I recently purchased an 8oz tin of 2005 GLP Telegraph Hill. I knew it was a roll of the dice when I bought it. It’s one of my favorite blends, and I've never been able to find any with age.

The tin held up and the tobacco is incredible. I guess C&D corrected this issue, or I just got lucky.

mso489 · May 25, 2018

I'm a moderate smoker, so my habits may not apply, but I like to buy modest quantities. I find the blends accumulate much faster than I smoke anyway, and if I get a rusted tin or have some other problem, my loss is limited. Obviously, people who use more tobacco need to buy more, but the principle still applies. Besides which, I find my tastes do change, if gradually, so being able to trend toward different genres of tobacco from month-to-month, year-to-year is appropriate.

maker · May 25, 2018

These are consignment for someone else right? They should return damaged tins to the owner. On the other hand, if they are just selling used tins as "consignment then that's another matter. They were selling new tins of MC Cellar at $60 when they were still on the shelves as consignment.

jpberg · May 25, 2018

I opened all my 2000-2003 tins after finding rust in a Ravens Wing tin in 2014. Over half were comprised. All were salvagable, but 3o%+- were in pretty bad shape.

sablebrush52 · May 25, 2018

Most of the problem tins I encountered and posted about:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/look-carefully-before-you-leap
were made between 2001 and 2003. By 2004, C&D had begun to fully line the tins, but some 2004 tins were also compromised.
4noggins states that they make no representation regarding the state of the contents of any of the consignment tins they sell, so it's totally a "caveat emptor" situation. If you take the risk, that's your responsibility. If you don't notice or read their warning, that's your problem.
The one part of their statement that I disagree with is where they state that restoring dried out tobacco is simply a matter of rehydrating. Rehydration will restore some of the lost flavor, but not all of it. Once some toppings are dried out, they're gone for good. Once tobacco has gone stale, it stays stale.
Buying any anonymous tin of vintage tobacco entails an element of risk. To suppose otherwise is to be naive. You don't know under what conditions the tin was stored. Tins were not intended to hold up for decades. Long term cellaring and the market for vintage blends is a fairly new phenomenon. It's a total gamble. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

oldgeezersmoker · May 26, 2018

Buying any anonymous tin of vintage tobacco entails an element of risk. To suppose otherwise is to be naive. You don't know under what conditions the tin was stored. Tins were not intended to hold up for decades. Long term cellaring and the market for vintage blends is a fairly new phenomenon. It's a total gamble. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

+1
Why do it? When everything is as it should be, the experience can truly be memorable.

npod · May 26, 2018

At the shows, I always trust the guys selling old Baccy in mason jars with sharpie notes on the lid. That’s usually a safe bet.

kola · May 27, 2018

I agree npod. I've also purchased or traded to acquire mason-jarred tobacco from long standing online forum members. I'm also veering away from any tobacco over the 10 year "aging" thing. I haven't notied any real diference or benefit in old aging it. But I havee seen some tobacco that has lost it's flavor-punch over time.

Buyer Beware

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