Not too long ago, Brian Levine and I chatted on his radio show about brick-and-mortar tobacco stores, tobacconists and how special (and arguably essential) they are. As is known, I worked for a few years behind the counter of a local Tinder Box, which is now closed. There is a silver lining, and that is through a pair of Nicaraguan brothers that opened up their version of a tobacco shop in the exact location. The brothers are wonderful. Marvin is the brother I know best, he’s usually the face of the store, and I first met him when they had much humbler digs a few years ago. They’re flourishing now, and this second location is giving life to my old shop. Their main focus is cigars, but the former manager of the Tinder Box has convinced Marvin to have a modest selection of pipes and tobaccos as well. I spent some time there recently and it was good to see everything old becoming new again. The life and vision the brothers brought to my old stomping grounds is nothing short of refreshing. If you’re in Reno, Ruiz Cigars is the place to go.

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Since we didn’t have IPCPR (Now the PCA) this year as a tradeshow I didn’t get a chance to go sit down and interview all the people in the pipe industry to bring you the latest news and information.  But, I have managed to reach out to a few people before the holiday season and try to get a summation of new products, holiday sales, and interesting deals available just in time for Christmas, etc.  

Note: Keep checking back as this post will be updated as more deals pop-up. 

Laudisi, Smoking Pipes

Now that Laudisi is in full swing over Peterson we’re seeing the seasonal pipes and plenty of them.

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From the Editor: Trevor Barton was a British pipe collector that favored historical non-briar pipes, such as: native American, tribal, ceremonial, art pieces, porcelain, ivory, and meerschaum. He ammassed a huge collection of pipes, along with smoking ephemera such as tobacco boxes, carved wood pipe cases, books, and large tobacco advertising figures in carved wood.

Via Press Release: Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers are to disperse one of the world’s finest collections of pipes and smoking accoutrements across a number of sales this year. The Trevor Barton (1920-2008) collection represents more than 50 years of acquisition and study, by a Hertfordshire pipe collector known to many in the antiques trade as ‘The Pipe Man’.

Mr. Barton began collecting pipes and other tobacco-related items in 1947, shortly after he was demobbed (British for discharged from the military). His son (also Trevor) recalls life in a small Tudor cottage in Hertfordshire surrounded by hundreds of pipes and regular visits from other enthusiasts, including fellow members of the Academie Internationale de la Pipe (the collecting association formed in 1984). “Dad was a true collector. One day he bought an antique pipe on a London street market. Within a few weeks he had ten, then 20. The collection then just kept growing for the next 50 years.” His father would unfailingly rise before dawn every Friday to attend Bermondsey market and then Portobello on Saturdays – the stallholders all familiar with ‘The Pipe Man.’

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