I am not sure if this is all old stuff, which most people know about, but I use the pipe silvermounters and pipe-makers identification http://www.silvercollection.it/DICTIONARYTOBACCONISTH.html this gives me some really great info on identifying British pipes which are mounted. It also gives the info as to whether a specific mark was from a pipe-mounter, shop, wholesaler, importer or pipe manufacturer which I find useful when trying to find out more about a specific piece. According to this site, Henry Perkins was a pipe-mounter, meerschaum (and briar?), pipe maker and case maker and changed his silver-stamp marks' appearance over the years.
Blumfeld's Best Briar (BBB) were sometimes just stamped L.B. (Louis Blumfeld) on the silver-mount but usually accompanied by BBB in a triangle on the mount.
One thing that I find annoying is when some English ebay 'pipe specialists'/traders see, for example, a pipe with a silvermount stamped E.B. W.B. and describe it as a rare Barling Pipe (when it is not)- and people bid high on it as a result. Edwin and William Barling were silversmiths who, I am sure mounted pipes for many pipe makers, shops and wholesalers.Barling pipes with silver mounts were commonly stamped with B.B. (Benjamin Barling). These are my views (correct or incorrect) and maybe J.S. or someone other specialist could shed more light on this.
