First time 'Piper'

It might certainly be a good idea to start off cheap. If you want an affordable briar pipe to try many websites have starter-kits that include a cheaper pipe and tobacco/tools

Nothing wrong with a cob. I have more expensive pipes that don't get as much mileage as my cobs. I would say check out P and C as might find a better price. If only getting a pipe the amazon price kind of hedges the shipping cost; if planning to get tobacco might be better off going the P and C or other dedicated pipe website.
I would take a look at some of their starter kits:
P and C starter kits
or their pipe of the month club includes a cob with the tobacco. Might not be a county gentlemen, but no reason couldn't pick one up separately:
P and C Tobacco of the month
Again, I am biased towards P and C as I have had luck with them and their sister sites. There are several sponsors on this site though you could check out.

Go with a couple or three Missouri Meerschaum cobs.They're all terrific pipes. For my tastes, I like the Mark Twain, the Diplomat, the General and the Freehand. If I were to get only two, then the General and the Freehand. (Get a tamper/pipe tool and a couple of packs of pipe cleaners while you're at it.
Spend your money on good tobaccos to start. Some will advise going with mild aromatics but Greg Pease (You will get to know the name) suggests a mild to full flavored blend.
I recommend n that you get a good sampling of well reviewed blends of different types: a good Virginia (Samuel Gawith Full Virgina, a Virginia/Periqu,(Escudo) a Virginia Burley, (Magnum Opus), an English blend (maybe Squadron Leader) and an aromatic (Lane IQ).
Alternatively, you could get the GL Pease Sampler from Pipes and Cigars. It includes 6 really good blends.
This will get you going for a few weeks to a few months. Afterwards, you'll begin to have some idea of the types of tobaccos you like. You can then get more cobs or start your briar collection. I strongly recommend that you get name brand pipe and budget $80 to $100 for your first briar if new.You want go wrong picking Savinellis or Stanwells.
Alternatively, you can get an estate pipe from Smokingpipes.com, Briarblues.com or http://mkelaw-pipes.com/ for as little as $50 to $60. You can trust these guys and you will get a great smoker.
I would avoid the bargain briar pipes especially the grab bag offered by P&C. If I could do all over again, I would buy fewer pipes but higher quality, and spend the money the money saved on good tobaccos.
BTW, these are just blends and brands I happen to like and there are other great alternatives. The guys here at PipesMagazine will take care of you.
Pax

I concure with above posts, go with the MM to see if you like smoking a pipe and which tobacco blends you favor. After you have become a nut about it like the rest of us, then you can think about investing $ in a good briar. I have a ton of pipes but I smoke a MM at least twice a day! They are without a doubt the most cost effective and simplest way to dive into this journey! Good luck, and keep us informed as to how you are doing. Lot's of very very knowledgeable folks on here that you can get great information from.

I would add for a nice easy introduction to English style blends, the Frog Morton series are all very good. Cellar and On the Town being my favorites. But it looks like you have a good start so far.

astateofbliss- welcome. Most here agree cobs are just a fine way to start (or continue, or finish!)
You've got quite a mix of tobacco there. Escudo is a standard that many Virginia/Perique blends are compared to. Squad Leader certainly has a storied lineage, though I just can't enjoy Orientals so I don't smoke it.
Half and Half....well Half love it, Half hate it...let us know which one you are!

Nice....you're off to a great start with that order. Enjoy!
I recently tried Escudo for the first time and really enjoy it. Six Pence is very enjoyable to me also. ::

This journey begins with one pipe and one tobacco. Many stop right there because of a bad experience.

Those of us who've managed our smoking to some semblance of proficiency (after much trial and error) know not to jump to any conclusions.

It usually requires more than a couple of bowls of any blend for best appreciation.

Great!! (half n half not withstanding :? ) Now, after you have smoked these for a week or so, and decide you like smoking a pipe, get online and go to http://www.walkerbriarworks.com/html/-forever-_stems.html and order some forever stems. Dave Wolff is one heck of a guy. He has come through for me on multiple occasions. He hand makes quality stem to fit MM pipes. Others on here can verify his quality. Every MM I have (8) has a forever stem attached to it. After your cob wears out, remove the forever stem, toss the pipe, buy and new one, attach forever stem and off you go! These are very inexpensive for what you get. Each one is hand made by Dave himself. I always recommend these for anyone with a MM cob. ::

Welcome astateofbliss first to the wonderful world of pipes and also to the forum. Lots of good information here. I would say that if you are going to start with a MM, head to the local drugstore and pick one, (or three), up. It's the same pipes that you will get directly from MM and you save on the shipping cost. Same with pipe cleaners. Just remember to go slow. It doesn't matter how many time you have to re-light a pipe. Once you have smoked a few bowls and decided that you just can't get enough of it, sure move on up to a briar. There have already been some good recommendations of places to check out online. I would also say that if you have a good local brick and mortar to go to, you should check that out also. Not only can you pick up some tobacco, but I'm sure that you can get plenty of "unsolicited' advice. (Just take it with a grain of salt) Most of all, just enjoy. Enjoy the new experiences, the learning, the sampling of new tobaccos, and be sure to post the successes. We all love to see when a new piper breaks through and says "yeah, this is definitely for me!!"

I'm still pretty new to the hobby, myself, but I'll chime in and share my experience. I started pipe smoking last summer, simply because I'd always enjoyed the smell of pipe tobaccos and smoke, and I had nobody nagging me not to. I started with an MM cob and one of their blends. I'd smoke a bowl in the evening after my son had gone to bed, and I enjoyed it... but don't feel like I got "serious" about the hobby until I got my first briar. I didn't really feel like I could afford a nice, new pipe... and I knew I didn't have the tools or expertise to renovate an estate pipe from eBay. I stumbled across this guy's site piperestorer.com , saw a pipe that appealed to me, and decided to try my luck... and thus began my struggles with PAD. Since that time, I've purchased a few more cobs, and a couple of new pipes that I just had to have, but I've bought 4 (so far) from piperestorer.com over the past 6 months, or so, and haven't been disappointed once... as long as you do a little research, and keep in mind that there may be hidden flaws and small issues that keep a pipe from being "perfect" (although, this guy seems to be pretty up front about what he's got), then a restored estate pipe may be an less expensive alternative for you. YMMV.