1912 Barling On eBay - More eBay Frolics

[sablebrush52]

I was following this auction with an intent of possibly placing a bid. I have one exactly like it from 1912, cased, which I bought a few years ago for $285. Prices like this should make me happy.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPER-R-RE-ANTIQUE-1912-Barling-s-make-Sterling-banded-amber-stem-smoking-pipe-/201899008583?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=T78%252B9KpJudwrY%252BG3OygVilRgrvw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[brian64]

The "1%" have copious amounts of pocket change these days that they don't know what to do with. And I'm sure there are some pipe smokers among their ranks.
EDIT: It's also why prices on all high-end collectibles are in the stratosphere these days.

 

[pitchfork]

Looks like the Barling bubble ain't popped yet...
Good pipes, but wowza. Too much for my collecting dollars.

 

[ashdigger]

Brian, the 1%?? No need for that and don't be ridiculous. I highly doubt the rubes on eBay rule the economic stratus.

 

[brian64]

Ash: I'm mostly being facetious. I do realize it's ebay rubes in a case like this. But there's also some truth to my comment, IMO, regarding the absurd prices on high-end collectibles these days and the economic reality that there is an unprecedented amount of cash bottled up at the top of the spectrum. And every now and then this might even be relevant to a high-end pipe sale.

 

[tschiraldi]

That... is... GORGEOUS! Too rich for my blood, but... WOW!
Tim

 

[ssjones]

I saw that one and almost messaged you about the details.

The Barling's stamp is on the opposite side (right?) from typical. Was it a case of being made specifically for that shop?
Tell me about the two stems and the tenon treatment on the Amber version, was it built that way in '12

 

[sablebrush52]

There are a few buyers who seem to have piles of cash to spend, like the buyer in the recent George Sidney auction who plopped down thousands of dollars on pipes that he wanted in the space of a few hours. He clearly didn't care about price as his bids were way over the general market value for pipes in that condition. In following bidding patterns over the years I've identified a few such characters who plop enormous amounts of money, multiple thousands, in a very short period.
In the case of this auction we had three "snipers" dropping in from the stratosphere, a tactic predestined to result in a high price, against a newbie with a high maximum bid. I was a little surprised by how high the pipe went. I was thinking $450-$500 as the inflated top. To put it into perspective, this Barling from 1882 cost me about the same amount:

But, bidding for Barlings from the mid teens thru the 1920's has been more aggressive in the past couple of years. Add to that that the condition of the pipe looked to be excellent. What bidders forget is that a pipe can look great on the outside and be charcoal on the inside.

 

[sablebrush52]

Hi Al,
I was typing while you were posting, so I'll respond to your questions. In 1912 and thereabouts, Barling put its stamp on the other side and the dealer's stamp on the side we would expect to see the maker's stamp. This is mine from 1912:

It's a 360˚ straight grain. The orientation of the stamps is the same as the pipe just sold.
Barling pioneered the use of a friction tenon in place of the usual bone screw-in tenon for mounting stems. What they did was ingenious. They drilled a mortise in the amber stem and inserted a vulcanite tenon, which reduced the stress on the much more fragile amber. Mine is the same as the one pictured in the pipe just sold. The vulcanite stem may be a later addition, used to reduce wear on the amber stem.

 

[wyfbane]

Wow, that pipe went for a mint. Glad you got yours at a more reasonable rate, Jesse!

 

[sablebrush52]

Wow, that pipe went for a mint. Glad you got yours at a more reasonable rate, Jesse!

Thank you. I had a bit of luck as the eBay presentation wasn't very good, and that affects who buys. But some of these prices are surprising to me and I need to make the mental adjustment for current market conditions. It's not that the final price was whack job crazy. I've seen prices in the thousand and up range for items similar to this, which is whack job crazy. But it's still some pretty good coin to shell out for an unknown condition pipe.

 

[ssjones]

Fascinating, I was sure you were going to say that was added in a more modern era. Ingenious indeed!

 

[graydawn]

Barling and Sasieni prices are definitely up the last few months. But so what. Moving money in the marketplace is good for the economy and demonstrates the strength of our hobby. Those of us that purchased early when things were lagging can appreciate our buying savvy and always thin the herd if we choose to capitalize on the market. Sounds like free enterprise to me and a healthy marketplace.

 

[brian64]

Inflation has been much more evident in luxury goods than in other markets for a long time now. Auctions for high-end collectibles (especially paintings) continue to garner prices far in excess of expectations. I see no reason why prices for high-end or rare pipes would not be affected similarly.
The graph here is revealing if you click on the 10 year button.
S&P GLOBAL LUXURY INDEX
http://us.spindices.com/indices/equity/sp-global-luxury-index
A couple of others:
Luxury Good Inflation
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/luxury-good-inflation-making-things-really-hard-rich-people/358754/
Soaring Luxury-Goods Prices Test Wealthy's Will to Pay
https://www.wsj.com/articles/soaring-luxury-goods-prices-test-wealthys-will-to-pay-1393803469?tesla=y

 

[sablebrush52]

Barling and Sasieni prices are definitely up the last few months. But so what. Moving money in the marketplace is good for the economy and demonstrates the strength of our hobby. Those of us that purchased early when things were lagging can appreciate our buying savvy and always thin the herd if we choose to capitalize on the market. Sounds like free enterprise to me and a healthy marketplace.

Well, yeah, I suppose I should be happy since it means that I can sell mine and retire to Switzerland. But on the other hand, it makes it difficult to add to the herd.

 

[kenbarnes]

I love the full cross-grain on this pipe. I am wondering if it originally came in a fitted case as the condition of the pipe seems excellent.

 

[sablebrush52]

I love the full cross-grain on this pipe. I am wondering if it originally came in a fitted case as the condition of the pipe seems excellent.

I suspect that it did have a case. Mine does. That amber stem is pretty fragile, so for it to be in such clean condition it must have enjoyed the protection of a case for a long part of its existence.

 

[snagstangl]

Ebay prices have been high for the last month across the board, even on pidly shit pipes. I was convinced it was stupid tax return spending. Hell custombilts have been going $50 or $60 for only solid pipes, not amazing.