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kcghost

kcghost

Lifer
May 6, 2011
13,507
22,076
77
Olathe, Kansas
I received a call from a friend of mine that when Don Seatter, James Island Piper, was packing up to leave he couldn't find two pipes. One was a Tonni Nielsen Viking Horn and the other was by Peter Matzhold.
If you went to the show you might want to check your bags to be sure they weren't inadvertently placed in your bag.
If you hear of someone trying to sell said items you might want to give Don a heads up.

 

lordofthepiperings

lordofthepiperings

Lifer
May 3, 2010
6,444
1,499
Las Vegas, NV
I'll check my bags when I get home to be sure it didn't make its way into them.
I'll also ask the locals I know that were there if they heard of anything about it.
Hope it gets found and returned in the same condition.

 
samcoffeeman

samcoffeeman

Can't Leave
Apr 6, 2015
441
4
I doubt it. Too often I see these tables set up with too little security. Too many pipes for one man to keep an eye on. Most of us are true gentlemen, but the fact that there is a $500-1000 pipe sitting on a table, just a hands reach away from some unscrupulous pocket, is too much for some degenerate to handle. If I were to have a table at an event, I'd make sure to have some good security, perhaps some camera set up and pipes kept away from the edge of the table. This isn't the first time pipes have gone missing and it won't be the last. Too bad for Don, he has some really nice pipes and is a true gentleman, great estates at very good prices.

 
warren

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,733
16,332
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
Tables covered with stuff, staffed by one or two, from a security standpoint, are great targets for thieves. Especially two working together, one distracting the other fondling everything within reach.
I'm making this observation simply from the pictures I've seen. And a question, are the display areas open only to paying attendees? Or are they open to whom so ever walks in?

 
kcghost

kcghost

Lifer
May 6, 2011
13,507
22,076
77
Olathe, Kansas
Tables are open to whoever is let in. If the show charges an entry fee then everyone has to pay to enter and visit the tables. If there is no entry fee then anyone can come in. It is not uncommon for vendors and carvers to walk away from their table for a bit to visit with someone. Putting up cameras to watch each table and/or a having guard to watch is fiscally impossible for the show and the vendors.

 
cosmicfolklore

cosmicfolklore

Lifer
Aug 9, 2013
34,000
75,783
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
When I set up my work for shows (jewelry, not pipe), I use displays for each object, so that I can tell in a quick glance what is out of place or missing. This doesn't prevent theft 100%, but the quicker you discover something is missing, the more likely you are to get it back. Maybe using racks, pipe rests, or some other means of being able to glance across the table to see if anything is missing. After each sale, remove the rest from the table, or let the customer have it.

Just setting a pipe on the sock is not enough, IMO. If I wanted to steal a pipe, I would just take the sock also.

 
warren

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,733
16,332
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
Cosmic has a good grasp. A vendor needs to know immediately if something is missing. As for the vendors who socialize rather than vend . . . I suppose it depends on your objectives. Bottom line or socializing? Cameras are mostly a waste of time unless they are constantly monitored, costly at best. All you learn from them is how and when the loss occurred. The value of one pipe usually makes the crime a misdemeanor. This means the cops really do not care, only the vendor and a few commiserating friends. Of course, losses can be realized, at least in part, for commercial operations through tax relief. Mom and pops usually do not enjoy such.

 
cosmicfolklore

cosmicfolklore

Lifer
Aug 9, 2013
34,000
75,783
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
Even if caught on cam, if you don't realize that the pipe was taken immediately, you'd have a hard time tracking that person down, especially of they left the venue shortly after. And, if you are only in town for the event, then it is even harder. If you catch someone on camera, and they are not caught with the thing in their possession, then you have nothing on them. If the guy immediately takes the pipe to his car, or drops it behind a counter or the bathroom or just leaves... best to use some way to immediately know what is or is not on the table, such as rests or displays, and have enough people continuously watching the table to keep it secure. Someone setting in a chair watching Youtube or Facebook does not constitute security. My blood boils when I see a vendor playing with his or her phone.

 
jpmcwjr

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,748
27,348
Carmel Valley, CA
I was there, and no pipes I didn't buy found their way back home. A bummer for sure.
OTOH, a couple of HiDef cameras running full time could provide a measure of security. Something for the show's organizers to consider, I would think.
EDIT: Wrote above before seeing Cosmic's post. It may have a deterrent effect, was what I was thinking, as well as maybe IDing the perp.

 
basil

basil

Might Stick Around
Nov 17, 2013
83
0
When I set up at a show, everything is organized. Try to keep the same amount of pipes in each row, try to keep them facing a certain way. Not only is an attractive, neat display an eye catcher but you can check inventory at a glance.

I hate that Don had two pipes "grow legs". Sounds like someone new what they were taking.

 
okiescout

okiescout

Lifer
Jan 27, 2013
1,530
6
Anyone who would steal a pipe shouldn't be smoking a pipe! True pipe smokers are gentlemen, and above thievery!
Lee, someone being a pipe smoker no more precludes them being a criminal than their faith, race, or political party. Criminals come in all stripes. How someone looks or smells is not necessarily an indication of their scruples, anymore than a persons beauty or handsomeness is an indication that they are intelligent.
I have purchased a number of pipes from Don and am sorry that it appears he has been victimized by some unscrupulous person.

 
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