100 yr old NOS pipes @ SP....$55
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I hope I will not sound too much like a naysayer, but I do not understand the fuss over these pipes. Yes, they are 100 years old, or nearly so, but they may have been made of young briar. The quality of the briar and workmanship is unknown. My gut feeling is that these are basket pipes that remained unfinished. They may be just fine, but the value is almost all in their status as old AND unsmoked. The first bowlful will turn them from a $50 pipe to a pipe that might be hard to unload on eBay for $10.
They don't look like cheap basket pipes to me, they look like pretty damn decent old smokers. Nice shapes, good looking wood. I doubt the engineering is where I'd like it, but you could spend a bit more money and send it out to a guy like Ronni B at Night Owl Pipeworks to open up the airways and they should all be great smokers.
Young briar? So, if we found a stash of one hundred year old cut blocks, what would we call them?
As jaded as I am, I think these pipes are terrific, a good bang for the buck, and as mentioned above, if you find the draw restrictive, get it worked out and you still have less than 150 bucks into a pipe with a ready made story.
As jaded as I am, I think these pipes are terrific, a good bang for the buck, and as mentioned above, if you find the draw restrictive, get it worked out and you still have less than 150 bucks into a pipe with a ready made story.
It's not how long the block has been sitting around, it's how old the burl was from which it was cut.
Alas, Ronnie B has retired.
I'd like to hear from someone who has smoked one, preferably for several weeks. My guess would be that these are good quality and quite smokable, back from the days when pipes were universally popular and the competition for sales fierce. They seem to be small pipes, but that could be a good thing. I'm not lining up for one yet, but I suspect good, rather than negative, things.
Life changing or no, I think we could all agree that for our brothers and sisters who are new to the hobby and need an affordable first briar- this would be a fine way to go and would have a bit more "story and character" than your average basket pipe.
Hmmmm. I know he still works, maybe just on contract and not on individual pipes ? I talk to him quite often, but we usually talk about everything but work. I know he is working on upgrades in his shop. I'll ask him what the story is.
They look to be decent. Is pick one up if they had bent stems. This time around their all straight.
I don't see anything about the pipes that says the burl it was cut from is any smaller (younger) than what is coming out of modern briar mills.
One thing you would notice on a very small burl is how tightly the grain would fan out on the pipe. You can follow the grain as it fans outward from the center of the burl and have a rough idea how big or small the burl was. These pipes look just like your average ebauchons cut today.
I agree with that.
That is what I meant in my reference to the age of the briar. I should have been clearer.
I would agree that they do not look different to the average briar of today. For me the middle-of-the-road appearance is part of why I do not understand the fuss made over these pipes. As tarak says, they are a good option for a new smoker looking for an affordable pipe. The rate at which they are selling makes me suspect the hands of new smokers are not the ones into which these pipes are falling.
I saw on his website that he was no longer doing general restorations, but I did know he had retired. I hope lonestar will deliver good news.
Years ago a local tobacconist got a stock of pipes that had "Hermes" written on the side. They were found at Genod and were supposedly made for the Hermes store in London. Small pipes, most nosewarmer in length and maybe group 2 bowls, but they were good smokes.
These look like would be good smokers but probably have a narrow draw, especially on the bone stems.
These look like would be good smokers but probably have a narrow draw, especially on the bone stems.
I will buy one purely for history sake, my expectations of it being a good smoke would be the same as any other briar pipe, and i would open up the draw if need be. It is a neat opportunity to get something that old, regardless of the burl size or origin.
Hopefully they stay for sale long enough for me to get to the month where I can have $45 hobby money again ha...sigh
Isaac
Hopefully they stay for sale long enough for me to get to the month where I can have $45 hobby money again ha...sigh
Isaac
@ mortonbriar, I think they are pretty interesting as well. With a horn bit. The black ebonite bits we use now were created as an alternative to ebony wood used for flutes etc. way back in 1848. So it is interesting that they were using horn when ebonite was available. I have no idea what stock is like but they have been showing up regularly over the last few weeks.
What Ronnnie told me is that, at age 67, he's decided to throttle back. He'll do some work for pre-existing clients and wants to work at the "hobby" level rather than as a full time profession. He wants to make some pipes rather than repair pipes. So he's upgrading his workshop so that he can have fun.
Got one, wanted to see how they smoke, a bit smaller than I like but it was a big Apple and I"m curious.
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