A Jess (?) Pipe

[peckinpahhombre]

If this is a REAL Jess Chonowitsch pipe, you would have thought the seller would make mention of it in their ebay write-up. Anyone smell anything really fishy here?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/221300403258?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

[papipeguy]

Interesting. The stamping reads Chonowitsch. I'm no expert on his pipes but I can't see someone forging a stamp for a pipe with a $129 bid.

 

[pitchfork]

I don't think so, Peck. That seller often deals in high-grade pipes and you can see the Jess Chonowitsch nomenclature on the shank. Maybe they were too lazy to try to spell "C-h-o-n..." Nice pipe!

 

[group4]

Looks legit to me. Wait til the final hours of bidding -- it'll sell for more than $130.

 

[fishnbanjo]

I'll check my Jess tomorrow morning but what does bother me is this is his personal pipe which should bring a large price and the stamping photos are less than good but other pipes he has up for bid have crisp clean photos of the stampings, not sure what's what they have 100% rating and nearly 1300 transactions, request a better shot of the stamping and ask to see something not posted like the bag, regards........

banjo

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I am suspicious fish. I had a dealing with this seller a long time back. They say they are based in phoenix, but then they told me my pipe would be shipped to me from China. Like you say, the seller has other pipes that are clearly identified by brand/artisan - seems strange they wouldn't do that here.

 

[philobeddoe]

Technically, they aren't selling you a Jess Chonowitsch pipe. They are offering a Jess....pipe, any connection between the two is your assumption. My gut tells me to stick with known sellers such as Briar Blues, Scandpipes, Quality Briar, Smokingpipes.com or Pulversbriar etc. for pipes costing as much as this pipe will inevitably go for.
Buyer beware indeed!

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I wouldn't touch it with a 20 foot barge pole. Agreed, I don't think you have any recourse if its fake.

 

[flmason]

The current bid is now over $1,000.
Someone must think it is the real deal. The pictures are very poor. I do not trust this item as bring real. No text description either. Only some measurements given. Very poor listing.

 

[pruss]

It's interesting... I've never seen a Jess Chonowitsch pipe in person, but when I saw the hallmark on the one in the ebay picture I went searching for others just to compare nomenclature. I've now seen a few iterations where the "J" in Jess matches up to the first "O" in Chonowitsch (or more precisely, between the first O and the N). This is consistent with the Jess Chonowitsch pipes I reviewed (with visible pipe marks) on Smokingpipes.com. On the pipe posted on eBay and linked above, the "J" in Jess matches up with the first "C" in Chonowitsch. While I am not an expert on Chonowitsch pipes and this search has not been exhaustive, I think that the variance in nomenclature should raise questions.
$0.05 in the bucket.
-- Pat

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Pat, you need your own Pipe Detective show where you wear a trench coat like Columbo and investigate stuff like this. You need an affable but incompetent sidekick too. I will send you my resume.

 

[jpberg]

At that end of the stratosphere "Jess" is akin to "Rolls", the first name will suffice. Not a perfect analogy, nor a very good selling strategy (in my small mind).
On a different note, I bet had his father made that pipe, it would have had a raised ring instead of the cut. I always liked that in Emil's bulldog/rhodesian shapes.

 

[pruss]

I am thinking the 'JESS' is stamped separately from the circular stamp, thus there can be some variation.

That's entirely possible Sam. I thought the same, which is why I was trying to survey as many Jess Chonowitsch pipes as I could. So far, my limited exposure to his pipes means that I can't be definitive. But I wouldn't be buying this pipe without more and clearer pictures of the nomenclature, some conversations with the buyer around provenance, and perhaps some by-play with the maker.
As the bidding stands now, the buyer is either getting a deal of the century (JC pipe at a cool grand) or he/she is getting hosed (fake JC pipe for $1000!).
Caveat Emptor
-- Pat

Pat, you need your own Pipe Detective show where you wear a trench coat like Columbo and investigate stuff like this. You need an affable but incompetent sidekick too. I will send you my resume.

Do you think that NBC still has the truck from Sanford & Son? We're going to need a ride to investigate pipe crimes with...

 

[tbradsim1]

Peck don't you be takeing my job, I'm more incompetent than you!

 

[fishnbanjo]

Here you go Peck, a photo of my Jess Chonowitsch Billiard with Bamboo Shank

 

[pruss]

Hmmmm the stamp on Banjo's bamboo shank extension looks a lot like the stamp on the shank of the pipe currently listed on eBay.

Peck don't you be takeing my job, I'm more incompetent than you!

Ha! The truck's big enough for three, Bradley. We need a hard boiled guy who's calm in a crisis. You could be the muscle.
-- Pat

 

[fishnbanjo]

Only you can read mine pruss..... there room for a 4th on the truck?

 

[pruss]

there room for a 4th on the truck?

I don't know about the truck. But if we're applying network TV P.I. serial formula, we're going to need a money man who has a place we can use as a hang-out, base of operations, watering hole. You wanna run the high-end, pipe friendly, lounge we solve all the pipe-crimes at while drinking single malt, the best coffee in town, and everyone's favourite draught?
We're going to need a smart and mouthy cocktail waitress/waiter too... Ya think Harris wants on the show?
-- Pat
PS - To stay on topic... I will not be buying the pipe in question on eBay. Please feel free to bid without worrying about little old me. :wink:

 

[tbradsim1]

As Enforcer on this crew I will have to demand Harris not wear too revealing a costume.The Mortiary of Canadian pipe crimes Peck will be bothering us too much to get a peak at Harris.

 

[brdavidson]

Any room for a goon/henchman on this crew? Unfortunately that's about all I can offer. Well that and a tub of Carter Hall (Peck's favourite doncha know).