'61 Dunhill OX & Williams Estate Briars

[ssjones]

Has anyone ever purchased from Williams Estate Briars?

http://estatebriarpipes.dk/the%20pipes/dunhill/index.html
He has a whole slew of Dunhills listed.
I was looking at this 1961 OX Tanshell, he's asking $221 US shipped. I'm kind of picky about my bowl tops, so I passed. Perhaps I'm nuts ('61 is my birth year), you don't see too many OX's become available.

 

[doctorbob]

That stem doesn't look too good...
Doc

 

[mcitinner1]

I would have passed too.

 

[klause]

Al,
Yes, many times - William is an absolute gent, and his pipes are incredibly competitively priced. He will work with you so you get the pipe you want, and resolve any issues you may feel you have.
He is also a master of the art of pipe smoking, and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Danish carvers and Marques.
Caveat to the above - he's also a good friend ;-)

 

[ssjones]

@klause - thanks for the info. I'm sure that I've heard about him before, but it's been a while since he has been mentioned on a forum. I passed on this particular pipe but he has many more.
I asked for the pipe bowl top to be cleaned and updated pictures, he quickly complied.

 

[usrkain47]

I’ve been looking for a Tanshell OX myself though I would have likely passed on that one. The is definitely another pipe that just caught my eye on his site though. Definitely has quite a few up!

 

[skaukatt]

Hi Al,
Yes, I have had a wonderful experience with William. I ordered one of the special Stanwell's he's got listed, an Anne Julie designed shape - she could have possibly even been the actual carver as this pipe is from a special batch of limited pipes that were put away in a vault in the old factory and "uncovered" at some point. These are now for sale on his site.
The only thing I would do differently on future orders, and I would have no problem doing business with William again, is to pay the extra postage for tracking as my order took 25 days approx. from Denmark to NYC and I was getting a little worried. I stupidly did not pay for the tracked shipping - my mistake.
The only other thing I would say is that the box the pipe was shipped in could have been a better selection. The pipe was shipped in, I'd estimate, in a 4-1/2" cube that was almost paper thin cardboard - it really is a wonder that the pipe made it to me in one piece. The box was stuffed with newspaper and the pipe wrapped in bubble wrap with the bowl separated from the stem, but I felt that the box was not appropriate especially for shipping from overseas. Other than that it was a delight to deal with William!
Lou

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

In past I was dealing with William,no complains and yes his prices are competitive,but should you have any concerns about the condition of the rim,then it might be advisable you ought to ask him prior to buying,,another is packaging

 

[jazz]

I have 3 pipes from William and he is a wonderful chap to deal with. I was having trouble choosing between 2 of them and when he got wind of this he put one of them away for me and told me not to rush as it would be there when I had the money. Something that never even crossed my mind to ask and certainly never expected. I am extremely glad he did this because not only have I never seen another quite like it but is also my best Virginia pipe.
As skaukatt mentioned though the packaging was interesting. One of mine arrived in an egg box :D However, it was done quite well and arrived unharmed. I would not hesitate to buy from him again if something took my fancy. A real gent.
There is a video of him and his collection on the internet somewhere where he was interviewed for television I think. It is not in English though.

 

[ssjones]

@Lou: Yes, I had requested additional postage with tracking for those reasons you stated.
William was quite willing to clean the rim top and send me updated pictures. The condition wasn't what I was hoping for (he voluteered to clean the top) but he was quite cooperative.

 

[skaukatt]

That's a great '61 add to your collection, Al, my birth year as well!
Enjoy it!