I've culled pipes -- thinned out my collection -- on three occasions. Twice I sent off a box of three or four pipes to smokingpipes.com for store credit toward a pipe I wanted, and once I sent an old friend some pipes to stand in as decor for this now non-smoker. Since I tend to perennially have too many pipes, by my own reckoning, on all three occasions this was a good experience. However, I do admit, there is a down side. One of the pipes I sent to my friend has a cracked stem where it joined the bowl which I could have repaired or had repaired at little cost, on a nice "Made in London" smooth billiard basket pipe, a nice smoking pipe. I traded an L.L. Bean house pipe which could have been improved by simply sawing off the stinger (which didn't slide out). Two or three pipes I don't miss, just not good smokers with other problems. But most pipes are good enough to keep. I know some Forums members buy and sell pipes, restore pipes, and otherwise handle far more than they would care to keep for their own use. But since I don't, I have to admit that as many pipes as I have, mostly I trade them away with strongly mixed emotions. How about you?
