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cigrmaster · Feb 24, 2013

I was watching this one to see how high it would go. 8050.00 for one pipe, and it looks like it could have gone higher if the guy who was runner up didn't quit. I predicted the pipe would go for 5500 or so, but I was way off. Check out the bidding history, very interesting.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350709553568?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

peckinpahhombre · Feb 24, 2013

Ok :!: - you can't compare a Chrysler 300 to a Bentley, and let me assure you, it doesn't drive just as well.

crk69 · Feb 24, 2013

8O Wow, While I like the pipe, I can't see myself spending that much money.. Even if I had it to burn.... :crazy: That was a crazy max bid, Hopefully the winning bidder will enjoy it and not set it under glass..

peckinpahhombre · Feb 24, 2013

Roth - I think you best check your tobacco pouch to make sure it's really tobacco your smoking

:rofl:

peckinpahhombre · Feb 24, 2013

Just taking a shot at you Roth - you are of course entitled to your view (as wrong as it may be!)

peckinpahhombre · Feb 24, 2013

That's like saying all pipes are equal because they all are meant to be smoked. Someone a lot funnier than me once said: "Whoever said that 'All men are created equal' obviously had never taken an army physical."

cortezattic · Feb 24, 2013

That is magnificent wood, but the shank is too stumpy for my tastes. (Not crazy about bamboo either.)

docwatson · Feb 24, 2013

Rob Cooper is smiling all the way to the bank.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 24, 2013

I like bamboo on some pipes, but still, for $8000, the pipe better come with a willing buxom blonde in a low cut French maid's outfit.
Still, everybody has their own assessment of value, and we all ascribe different values to different things. I am sure I have spent money on things outside of the pipe world that some people would just shake their heads at. Each of us approaches value measurement in a different way.

peckinpahhombre · Feb 24, 2013

The "true" value of any commodity, my friend, can only be measured in a market - where willing buyers meet willing sellers to determine price.
There is a market for cars and a market for pipes. That market has determined that this pipe is worth $8,000. It also has determined that a Bentley is more valuable than a 300C.
That's not a nugget; it's just the truth.

rhogg · Feb 24, 2013

That is an insane amount of money for that pipe. I can't imagine that an $8k could ever possibly live up to the price tag. At a cetain point your paying purely for personal satisfaction.

bigboi · Feb 24, 2013

8000 for a pipe... 8O In my current situation that my wife would probably make me sell one of my kidneys

puffy · Feb 24, 2013

No matter who made it.I think it's just plain silly to pay that much for a pipe.

pitchfork · Feb 25, 2013

The runner-up upped his bid about 15 times trying to outbid the winner. He changed his max bid from about $3.5k all the way up to $7,950. And lost. He was probably relieved to lose the pipe (or will be) at some point. That was crazy.

numbersix · Feb 25, 2013

He was probably relieved to lose the pipe (or will be) at some point.

+1
I am just amazed someone can afford to spend that much on a pipe.

daveinlax · Feb 25, 2013

Usually I would have to wonder about what I assume is a consignment sale. I looked up "88" (china) and this pipe is a very big step up in price for him. I'll assume again the "winner" is a overseas dealer who is confident in a profit. 8O

eaglerico · Feb 25, 2013

ok...so I don't want to get into a pissing contest about what this pipe or any other pipes are worth.
My question(s), to you guys who have been at this for a long time, so what is the desirability of this pipe to make it sell for so much? Is the maker / brand a rare artisan? Is there just something about the pipe I do not know as far as grain / craftsmanship / the bamboo?
I think it is a beautiful piece of work, especially how the divot in the bamboo, where it meets the briar, was carried into the briar. This is the epitome of a great craftsman. I just don't know enough about the high end of the market and am curious as what makes the pipe so valuable. I am asking for education, like in art history. Many paintings lately have found their way into a garage sale or Goodwill because many people did not know what they were looking at.

zonomo · Feb 25, 2013

I dont get it. :roll:

rmbittner · Feb 25, 2013

eaglerico:
Chonowitsch is a major name among artisan pipe makers. Also, the fact that it is a straight grain means that a number of briar blocks likely had to be sacrificed (or made into lesser pipes) in order to find this one. It's also apparently about a Group 5 in size, judging from the pics.
It doesn't appeal to me personally. But even for a fan/collector, it seems at least $5,000 too high.
Also, even though it shows a winning bid of over $8,000, we don't really know that this deal went through. It's not unheard of for auctions to end like this, only to have the winning bidder renege on the deal.

numbersix · Feb 25, 2013

what is the desirability of this pipe to make it sell for so much?

Interesting question.
I am no expert, but IMHO I would guess it comes down to "collectability". Certainly craftsmanship and beauty of the pipe is a huge part of it, but when it comes to collectors, desire for an object they fancy often trumps common sense (no offense intended to collectors).
The same question could be asked of any collectible. A show I enjoy watching is Pawn Stars (even though I am fully aware it's not reality, but "scripted reality"). Nevertheless, time and time again you'll see things like a pair of sneakers going for $5,000 or a plastic Star Wars toy, still in package, getting $3000.
Is a piece of plastic in a cardboard box worth $3k? Of course not - but it's not about actual value, but perceived value. If enough people want it, that inflates the price.

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