$20 Grabow Golden Duke Adjustomatic

[Briar Lee]

When you read how expensive a lot of estate pipes are today,,I think it’s well to consider a 1965-70 Dr Grabow Golden Duke Adjustomatic.

I own about a half dozen of these and Dr Grabow sold a ton of them judging by how many survive.

Somehow, Grabow managed to score a huge cache of the same grain quality of briar as Pre War Flame Grain Kaywoodies.

They are varnished and stained, but the varnish melts off with pure acetone nail polish remover.



This seller could have lined up the stem with a twist and cleaned this one up in minutes.

Always buy the condition of the stem.

The briar restores easily, the stem is the wear part.

The ones with the patent number stamping I’ve found are all just as a fancy as any flame grain pipe ever made by anyone, and the Adjustomatic was the ultimate gadget stem. These look like push stems when assembled due to the recessed mortise, like a 1st and 2nd Gen Lee.

 

[Old Hiker Piper]

It a

When you read how expensive a lot of estate pipes are today,,I think it’s well to consider a 1965-70 Dr Grabow Golden Duke Adjustomatic.

I own about a half dozen of these and Dr Grabow sold a ton of them judging by how many survive.

Somehow, Grabow managed to score a huge cache of the same grain quality of briar as Pre War Flame Grain Kaywoodies.

They are varnished and stained, but the varnish melts off with pure acetone nail polish remover.

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This seller could have lined up the stem with a twist and cleaned this one up in minutes.

Always buy the condition of the stem.

The briar restores easily, the stem is the wear part.

The ones with the patent number stamping I’ve found are all just as a fancy as any flame grain pipe ever made by anyone, and the Adjustomatic was the ultimate gadget stem. These look like push stems when assembled due to the recessed mortise, like a 1st and 2nd Gen Lee.

I’m glad not many people are interested in dr Grabow estate pipes. I’ve picked up a couple, both under $50 that were fine pipes. The last new one I purchased was in 2004, an Omega, bent. It has been in my main rotation for years, great smoker.
I’m hoping, for my pockets sake, that Dr. Grabow estates never gets too popular;-)

 

[Briar Lee]

It a

I’m glad not many people are interested in dr Grabow estate pipes. I’ve picked up a couple, both under $50 that were fine pipes. The last new one I purchased was in 2004, an Omega, bent. It has been in my main rotation for years, great smoker.
I’m hoping, for my pockets sake, that Dr. Grabow estates never gets too popular;-)

Dr Grabow heavily advertised only the $4.95 Golden Duke launched in 1965.



The 1949 patent on the Adjustomatic joint was set to expire in early 1966.

US2461905A - Smoker's pipe - Google Patents

My old pipe smoking mentor Harry Hosterman would have bought the $1.95 Grabow Duke, but his wife Wilda Mae and daughter Nona Fern would never buy him any less than a $4.95 Golden Duke:

The varnish on the top Golden Duke came off easily. Removing the varnish and using a dab of honey was part of Harry’s break in routine.

The one I just bought has almost all its varnish. It ought to clean up as new as if Harry had unwrapped it Christmas morning and took it over to our place to show it off.

 

[Briar Lee]

My wife unpacked two thermal coffee cups she ordered and I showed her my genuine late sixties Dr Grabow Adjustomatic Golden Duke.




She said eeewww—that is nasty—-somebody else slobbered all over it and it’s crudded up.

I replied in a few minutes I’ll save and restore this precious collector grade $20 Golden Duke Adjustomatic and our children should be able to sell it for $25 when we are on the far side banks of Jordan.

She said so noble of you, to always be so concerned with the children.




After one smoke and reapplication of acetone, to remove more stain —-

Varnish is an abomination, stain was used by a lot of good makers.

These are dynamite grade smokers, likely made of old stocks of Grecian briar, as fancy as any briar ever was or will be.



Now to break in her new thermal mugs with a picnic under the Missouri River twin bridges.

You don’t have to spend much money, to live a good life in retirement—-or even if you have forty more years to work.

Far Side Banks of Jordan

The Petersons

 

[Old Hiker Piper]

Very nice looking pipe, fine work!

 

[Puff nstuff]

Thanks for your ever-astute observations, the history lesson, and the colorful ruminations, @Briar Lee ! You're always a fount of knowledge and interesting lore.

I don't have a big collection of pipes - probably only around 40 - but a quarter of them are Grabows, mostly older ones gifted from, or traded for tobacco with, another serious Grabow aficionado I know. They are all from diverse Grabow lines, but I enjoy the hell out of each and every one of them. As you point out, so many of the older Grabows are crafted from very nice, light briar. My favorites are those featuring the adjustomatic joint, but the push stems work just fine, too.