Christmas Money and Dr. Grabow

I have a fondness for Dr G's. Some may sneer down their noses at them, but I think that they're great pipes - especially their rusticated pipes. That Dr G rustification pattern is as recognizable to hardcore pipesters as the Chevy bowtie is to motor heads. They're not stunningly good looking pipes. They're not hand-crafted by Sherpa artisans from the bones of Alfred Dunhill. However, I've found that they are decent little pipes that do just what they're supposed to do - allow one to imbibe the smoke from burning tobacco leaves.
So, I got little Christmas money and used it to buy a couple of Dr. G's from Cup O Joes: a free-hand #9 and a Royal Duke #2 Dublin. Gonna use both of them as hacking around the house pipes, and both are gonna be used for my beloved SWR or basic MacB blends. (Also threw in some pipe cleaners on the order for good measure).

Yezzir. A Dr.G and an OTC blend is the quintessential American pipe smoking experience.

The pipe stable is now up to 26. I had thinned the heard to 24 a while back, but one of my pipe stands has two glaring holes and my OCD/PAD kicked in. The wife thinks I need professional help...

Could be. About two years into pipe smoking, round'bout 1981, I became a horrible pipe snob and sneered down my nose at Dr G's and cobs. Spent a lot of money on "good" pipes and tobacco, but was really just rude and ignorant. In hindsight, the only reason that I ever sneered down my nose at them was their low price point, the fact that you couldn't swing a cat without hitting one, and they were generally affixed to cardboard display cases at the local drug or grocery stores. However, nothing was actually wrong with the pipes themselves - they just were not excusive enough for me any my obnoxiousness.
I got big into cigars back in the late 1990's, and strayed away from pipes for a few years. I got back into pipes back in 2002 but could only find two of my old pipes - a Pete Sherlock Holmes original that I bought back in 1989, and my first "good" pipe - a no name Italian basket pipe that I call "The Canadian." PAD bit me in the butt, so I began rebuilding my collection at a fevered pace. In the process, I discovered Dr. G's once again.
Like many, my first pipe was a Dr. G, so it seemed right that my first "new" pipe should be a Dr. G. So. I bought a little Lark - not bad, but not great. A few years ago, I bought a rusticated Royalton. Swee-eet little pipe. I ditched the Lark during my recent down-sizing, but kept the Royalton. The Lark was a mediocre smoker, but the Royalton is a champ. Hoping the Royal Duke and the Free-Hand will be as good. Both are rusticate, since I really like the Dr. G rustification pattern. Can't wait to break-in the new pipes.

I had an Alpha that was like that. Think it was an Alpha... it was made in Israel and was sold by the folks at Dr. G. The briar bowl and stem was good enough, but the acrylic bit was way too thick. It rests somewhere off the United Arab Emirites, where it fell overboard one evening back in 1989.

I guess they might be COJ stock numbers. The Royal Duke is a Dublin and the Free-hand is sort of a Zulu shape. Don't know enough about Dr. G's to know what their sizes or shapes are - I just like their pipes.
I've oft heard the lament that pipe smoking is on the decline. I'm not sure if it is or not, cuz I suspect that only a few of us actually spend time on pipe forums or go to pipe shows. Dr. G and MM still crank out a lot of pipes, but not as many as during their prime in the 20th century. Who knows. I'm pretty much done buying pipes, and these will most likely be my last pipes unless I come across some stunning specimen that I just can't pass up or I need to replace a cob that has finally given up the ghost. Who knows, maybe Falcon will come out with a really cool looking new bowl that I just gotta have.

Swee-eet Dr G Free-hand. Hope the one I ordered looks as nice.

My two Dr. G's arrived today, and I'm smoking some SWR in the Royal Duke right now. I'd like to say that it's the bestest pipe ever, but it's not. It's just a decent looking pipe with that unmistakable Dr. G rustification and trade-mark spade. It has a decent sized bowl, a nice open draw, and it doesn't gurgle - a perfectly serviceable, US-made pipe. A pipe to smoke on my drive to work, or when I'm puttering around the house, or out hacking around in the yard, or out hunting or fishing or hiking - which is all I ever wanted. Just a pipe.

Round Two: new Dr G. and some Sam's Flake. Bliss!