Got Me a Big 'ol Marxman

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Drucquers Banner

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

tuold

Lifer
Oct 15, 2013
2,133
165
Beaverton,Oregon
I like big chunky pipes. So when I saw a Marxmen listed on ebay for $9.99 with free shipping I had to go for it. From the blurry, dim picture provided by seller it was really hard to tell the condition. As luck would have it (for a change) the pipe is in like-new condition except for the finish being faded or bleached a bit. Pipe cleaners and swabs can out white as New England snow.
I cleaned and buffed the pipe, then applied a thin wash of black dye which I wiped off before it dried. Here she is:
Marxman%2002_zps33abqpqx.jpg

Pipedia says Marxman was in business from 1934 to 1953. Here's an ad from the 40's:
Marxman%20ad_zpslzgyhpwz.jpg


 
Mar 30, 2014
2,853
78
wv
Nice score. Nice work as well. It looks as good as new. I've seen a few Marxman ads and they were pretty pricey back then.

 

tuold

Lifer
Oct 15, 2013
2,133
165
Beaverton,Oregon
dave g observed:
I've seen a few Marxman ads and they were pretty pricey back then.
I think this pipe would have been from Marxman's "Jumbo" line and retailed for $10.00. In today's money that's over $100.00.

They also made a "400 Line" with 14k gold bands that went for considerably more.
Marxman%20jumbo_zpslz9qtdrr.jpg


 

gtclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 3, 2013
512
3
I always love finding old dis-regarded pipes and bringing them back into service. There's a lot of great briar out there bearing long forgotten nomenclature.

 

dadgy

Might Stick Around
Nov 13, 2015
78
1
Does yours have a stinger? I recently picked up a Deluxe model and it had an interesting stinger design. It was just pushed into them stem and came out with almost no effort, so I plan to leave it out while I have it.

 

tuold

Lifer
Oct 15, 2013
2,133
165
Beaverton,Oregon
Dadgy, It does have one and I removed it as well. I keep it with the pipe in case I sell it someday....which isn't likely. The stinger looks like one of those Russian "onion dome" church spires.

 

tuold

Lifer
Oct 15, 2013
2,133
165
Beaverton,Oregon
Here's another Marxman I picked up from Etsy. This one if very different being smaller and having a carved bowl. The stem has a screw tenon and the threads for it are drilled into the shank, something I'm more used to seeing in a meerschaum pipe than a briar.
It hasn't been smoked much but shows wear from bouncing around in storage for some amount of years. I've given it a light cleaning and polishing and will leave it at that.
I'm curious to know if any Marxman collectors know when this pipe might have been produced. I can't find anything from the usual sources on the Web.
Marxman%20leaf%2001_zpsvkadjijp.jpg

marxman%20leaf%2002_zpscqzuxfxy.jpg


 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Love the looks on these. How's the weight on these? I only ask because some large pipes are surprisingly light weight, but even if they're heavy, they're classics.

 

tuold

Lifer
Oct 15, 2013
2,133
165
Beaverton,Oregon
mso489 wrote:
Love the looks on these. How's the weight on these? I only ask because some large pipes are surprisingly light weight, but even if they're heavy, they're classics.
They both feel light though the larger one has a wider stem and a substantial button so it's easier to maintain a grip on it without too much effort.
They weigh respectively 1.85 and 1.4 ounces.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
For pipes that look quite massive, they are not heavy at all! Makes them all the better in my mind.

 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,223
5,350
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
In his book titled "Rare Smoke - The Ultimate Guide to Pipe Smoking" author Richard Carleton Hacker had this to say, in part, concerning Marxman pipes: "Bob Marx opened his New York factory in 1934. His wife, Helen, took care of the administration activities while Marx handled the sales. There were seven carvers, one of whom was Lewis Cowan, who had previously worked for Loewe & Co in London. Each pipe was polished with a special formula known only to one man in the shop, Hugo Sohn, who had four decades of tobacco blending and pipemaking experience in Germany."
The Jumbo was one of five styles offered by Marxman. Regarding it Mr. Hacker wrote, "As its name implied, the Jumbo was a much larger pipe, part carved, part smooth and occasionally exhibiting variations on classic stylings. In a way, it was one of the forerunners of the freehand.?

 
Status
Not open for further replies.