Vintage Kaywoodie Boxed Set

There’s nothing like a boxed set to get the PAD juices flowing and this looked to be a great one. This is a 1960’s vintage UNSMOKED Kaywoodie Matched Grain Five-Day set in a leather-bound case. In my stepdad’s day when most pipe smokers had a handful of well-seasoned Grabows, Medicos, or no-names, Kaywoodies were the Cadillac of pipes; the upper-echelon generally reserved for special occasions. If you routinely smoked Kaywoodies, you’ve arrived! My stepdad could only dream of a set like this.


Before acquiring this set my only experience with production Kaywoodies was a straight billiard with faux amber Bakelite stem with inlaid black cloverleaf made between 1929 and 1931. My other Kaywoodies are of the handmade variety by Bill Feurbach, a different animal entirely. Those are large freehands that look nothing like the classic Kaywoodies of yore.


The pipes have threaded stems that house the patented Kaywoodie Drinkless condenser or stinger. I’ve never been a fan of stingers. They usually prevent a pipe cleaner from reaching the bowl and are generally more trouble than they’re worth. At least the Kaywoodie version allows you to easily unscrew the stem in mid smoke.





The grain and finish on these Kaywoodies are beautiful. A deep reddish-walnut reminiscent of the stain Peterson uses for their Sherlock Holmes pipes. The stems are immaculate with zero oxidation. As these are all straight or ¼ bent, I wonder if K B & B made a similar set of Kaywoodie bents?



(Photos by Jason Bard)

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Thanks everyone! I know what you mean cynyr and it presents a quandry. Part of me wants to keep these unsmoked and pristine while the other half can't wait to enjoy a fine smoke from them! I've always ascribed to the philosophy that a pipe was made to be smoked, thereby honoring the pipemaker's art. To not smoke it denies the pipe's intended function so most likely I'll light 'em up. :D

Wow, I'm matched grain with envy. That set was sold by forum member Jason Bard who owns "Bards Vintage Briar" and is your neighbor. I'm pretty sure he had this set on his table at Richmond, but I never got back to take a good look at it.
That is a dream set beyond the reach of most Kaywoodie smokers in that era.
Is there any chanced you can make it to the new Frederick Pipe Club meeting on Nov 18th? I'd love to see that set in person. I'm bringing my 1940's Kaywoodie Churchwarden for show and tell.

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Thanks Al. I know Jason and bought several pipes from him over the years. His offerings are always top-notch and he points out any flaw no matter how small or trivial. His restoration work is excellent. {/SHAMELESS_PLUG}
He did indeed have this set on his table at CORPS and was asking $975 for it. I fully expected the bidding to climb to $1,000 or higher, figuring $200 for each pipe to be about right. I was astounded when I saw the bidding hadn't even reached $400 with only 30 seconds remaining. Not a bad day's work.
Jason mentioned the Frederick Pipe Club meeting and invited me to attend. I'll definitely put it on my calendar and should be able to make it. I'll be sure to bring this set, along with a pristine 1899 Peterson's Patent Deluxe Magnum.

There's a small label in the upper left corner that says MATCHED GRAIN $100. That was a small fortune back in the day.