Opinions on "Trading Up"

Do what you want. Sounds like a bunch of ebay talk to me. So, you expect that someone in China who is jacking up prices on Danish high grades is going to trade with you? Or, are you interested in a trade with someone on this forum?
Will you be at the Briary event in a couple of weeks? Have I met you there before? I'm trying to place you face in the picture.

Well, if you can strike a trade with someone and you want pipes by those makers then go for it.
Personally, I wouldn't trade any of my 26 Cookes or any of my 11 Michael Parks' pipes for pipes like those you describe, but that is my personal preference, I did buy two new Jess Chonowitsch pipes last year but I didn't trade for them, and they would be the only two I have that would likely be viewed as ultra high grade pipes (whatever that may mean).

I think life sort of takes you by the hand and you end up with the pipes you need. Ultra high end pipes

could be what you want, but I'd think carefully about each one and shop carefully, and talk to high-end

owners and others to be sure you are getting what you pay for. For that kind of purchase, I'd take a year

or more to locate and negotiate and not buy anything quickly, and probably not off ebay. My low to mid-level

pipes, nibbling here and there at high end (but nowhere near ultra) I find that the history and personal associations

of pipes -- gifts, "finds," basket pipe surprises, etc. -- fill the need. Buying one pipe that costs as much as the

my whole stable wouldn't serve me. I savor variety. I like some Yello-Bole and Dr. Grabow, but that's me, and my

life. My Sixten Iversson is a shape 86, designed by him, but done in brushed brown by Stanwell, sold by P&C for

$49.95. One of my best pipes was given to me with two packages of tobacco by a Forums member.

Personally, I like to file the nomenclature off of all of my pipes. This makes them all smoke well. :wink:

Rather than trade your Dunhills, why not try to sell them on eBay and use the money to buy what you want?

Aggressive? Which one? I'll take care of them for you? I got your back.

Also, I am of the same mind as Sparks on the question of thinning your collection to move up in grade. Fewer pipes in your rotation will mean smoking a wider variety of tobaccos in the same pipe. In doing so you will risk degrading your smoking experience while paying more for it.

It's a thread asking our opinion. Some just want clarification, so they know how better to form an opinion.

Me, I say that if you find someone willing to trade and they have what you want, go for it. I place no special ranking on pipes. I do appreciate my few high grades, but I do realize that there are few people on this planet that would ever pay over a thousand for a pipe. Even the high grades in that price range at the Briary always seem to go to the same few people. And, most are in Asia. Here on this forum, when someone mentions something expensive, you get bashed as being flooty snooty or something. Hell, most on here think $15 for a tin of tobacco is ridiculous. It's just the way of this forum. Lots of different folks from different aspects of life and income.

I know I'm late to the party but. I'd never trade something I know I'm happy with for something I might be happy with.

Nate not judging but it seems you like glitter, I have an extensive collection and have never thought about how much they are worth. Old Man that I am they are like children to me, some I like more than others, but I still love em all. I feel if you don't change your philosophy you will never be satisfied, and view your passion for pipes will never nurture to a pleasant one. The cry in your head will be How Much are they worth, rather than loading up. Kicking feet back and slide into a world that only truly satisfied people can go to. Well I rambled enough with my uneducated ponders.

If what you spend on a pipe relates, for you anyway, to the desirability of a pipe and the enjoyment derived from same then, by all means spend more and "trade up" as you write. It's what ever makes you happy. I buy pipes strictly for smoking, price is only a minor, very minor, consideration in the equation.
I learned years ago that cost doesn't not necessarily mean quality or satisfaction. A pipe has to fit my eye, my fist and be sufficiently well crafted to smoke to my satisfaction. I'm not snob when it comes to pipes or any other of my acquisitions. If the marque was of interest to me I'd drive Mercedes as opposed to an F-150. I'd have only Dunhills as I'm wedded to conventional shapes as plateaus, free hands, etc. do not please my eye. And I'd have a well-bred Englishman for a valet instead of a poorly paid illegal for pipe cleaning and tamping.
You certainly should not be seeking validation from me or others as to your choice of pipes and blends. Just get what you want and enjoy. You should become a bit hedonistic and do what you enjoy! This is especially true if the pipe is a "hobby" to you as opposed to a nasty habit" as it is for me.
I'm guessing the use of trading "up" as opposed to simply "trading" will rub more than one member a bit abrasively. The "up" means that all other pipes are not as good. That may be your opinion but, you are just looking for the slighted members to rise to their own defense and the defense of others..

All that glitters is not gold.
- Tokien

Do what gives you satisfaction.
I've had numerous discussions with collectors over the years and none of them has ever said to me that their Nordhs, Ivarrsons, etc smoked better than pipes in their collections that cost a mere fraction of the price. One went so far as to say to me that his ultra high grades smoked about as well as his Grabows.
But none of them regretted spending the money on a well recognized maker whose design sense and perfection in crafting is top of the mark. They really appreciated the extra touches that go into the finished product and that it was worth the money for the aesthetic value. And a couple basically admitted that they enjoyed the "status" of owning something really expensive that others could only pine over. Think of it as the trophy pipe rather than the trophy wife.
As has been said here by a number of experienced smokers, it's about 25% equipment, 75% technique.

I'll have to admit, also, that my higher end pipes don't get smoked as much as some of my cheaper pipes. It's hard to say whether they are better or worse in design. I don't regret them at all. They are beautiful, and I appreciate them when I do smoke them. But, I would never suggest to someone that price has anything at all to do with quality. I have a Grabow that rocks my world when I fire it up, just as much as any other pipe on my rack.

Not only are a lot of Grabows good smokers, but there are some attractive and uniquely-shaped old Grabows floating around out there. Kaywoodie also made some very unique and attractive pipes. Granted they are not at all artisan, but they are easy on the eye.

I would keep the pipes you have, and save up for the ultra-high-end pipes, and buy them when you can afford them. Then you would have both sets of pipes. The lower-priced pipes you can smoke when you do yardwork, or when you travel.

All that glitters is not gold.
-Tokien

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Peck, technically Tolkien's poem begins "All that is gold does not glitter", but you came up with an appropriate corollary, all the same.