A Little About Basket Pipes

[mso489]

The term basket pipe usually refers to a pipe bought out of a pipe shop basket, usually lower priced, often marked down pipes that aren't on the display pipe wall. When people use the term, they are often implying that the pipe is a cheapie and maybe not the best they own.

Actually, I have found them to be a little more varied than that. They are as often pipes that have been in inventory a little too long, that have been marked down to sell. Obviously, they are not high end pipes on which the proprietor needs to recover his cost.

However, I enjoy churning through a well stocked basket to test my eye and see if I can find the ones that are better quality. Two I pulled from a basket turned out to be unfinished Savinelli pipes that were unstamped, that used to be sold as seconds. These have few or no visible fills and have gained color over time, and have actually acquired the appearance of being stained and polished, without the use of wax, polish, or any other finish. At a certain point, they just started to shine with a depth usually associated with a fully finished pipe.

So a basket pipe can be anything you can find in a pipe shop basket, and this does not always or often mean the dregs. It's a chance to test your eye and feel for pipes. You can pluck out some good ones that will round out your rotation. And the pipe shop owner is happy to make the sale and cull his inventory.

Have you pulled any winners out of the basket? Tell about 'em.

 

[LeafErikson]

I've only purchased one basket pipe and it was when I was new to pipe smoking. I ended up trashing it as I didn't think it smoked well. I don't go to a brick and mortar too often but next time I do I'll try my luck with the basket again.

 

[Hillcrest]

The term basket pipe usually refers to a pipe bought out of a pipe shop basket, usually lower priced, often marked down pipes that aren't on the display pipe wall. When people use the term, they are often implying that the pipe is a cheapie and maybe not the best they own.

Actually, I have found them to be a little more varied than that. They are as often pipes that have been in inventory a little too long, that have been marked down to sell. Obviously, they are not high end pipes on which the proprietor needs to recover his cost.

However, I enjoy churning through a well stocked basket to test my eye and see if I can find the ones that are better quality. Two I pulled from a basket turned out to be unfinished Savinelli pipes that were unstamped, that used to be sold as seconds. These have few or no visible fills and have gained color over time, and have actually acquired the appearance of being stained and polished, without the use of wax, polish, or any other finish. At a certain point, they just started to shine with a depth usually associated with a fully finished pipe.

So a basket pipe can be anything you can find in a pipe shop basket, and this does not always or often mean the dregs. It's a chance to test your eye and feel for pipes. You can pluck out some good ones that will round out your rotation. And the pipe shop owner is happy to make the sale and cull his inventory.

Have you pulled any winners out of the basket? Tell about 'em.

Back in the 80s and 90s I would rummage through the barrel in my local B&M and found my Peterson Erica System seconds; a 302 and an XXL Hand Made. They had a few fills but otherwise as good as any Pete. My brother bought a rare XL339S bent dutch which he traded to me for a Savinelli Erica Fiamma.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Still enjoyed weekly after 35+ years !

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I want to know this place where name brand pipes are moved from the shelf to the baskets. The Briary has basket pipes, but they are no name pipes with no nomenclature at all. He gets them from major known factory pipe makers that make the pipes specifically for this. They seem good, nothing off on the drilling and such, but I am just not interested in buying one. They are mostly for the new pipesmoker.

 

[kg.legat0]

I have a half dozen or so of these - I smoke them a lot on my commute and they've really gotten broken in over the years ...no complaints at all except one of them has a draft hole drilled a bit high for my liking, so I do get a bit of dottle..but I know what to expect. I kind of like the fact that they are just basic, solid pipes.

 

[greysmoke]

In addition to the scenario you describe, some basket pipes were made for the basket. Notably, Irish Seconds and Savinelli's unfinished, putty-riddled seconds. The cool factor about both was the ability to buy a classic Peterson or Savinelli shape at a much cheaper price.

Nowadays, I'm not sure that's still the case. I haven't seen a basket of new pipes of either brand in decades. Irish Seconds pop up rather often on eBay but at prices approaching those of Peterson branded pipes. So the original purpose and rationale seem long gone.

I have one Irish Seconds remaining in a collection that once numbered a dozen or so. I've kept it because it's my favorite shape -- the same as the Peterson Sherlock Holmes Original.



I had a Savinelli second in a Zulu shape for years. I bought it at a B&M while paying for a new Upshall. The Sav was literally in a basket of such pipes on the checkout counter. I sifted through it for a while and found a shape I liked. The price back in the late 90's was $9.95.

The Savs generally featured a lot more putty than the Irish Seconds. My Zulu had a thumbnail-sized fill to the inside of the bowl. For the first few smokes, I had a distinct peppery taste no matter what tobacco I used about halfway down the bowl. But once a cake had formed, the pipe smoked as well as any. I finally let it go when I was thinning things down. It had been my travel pipe for years.

Irish Seconds can be found in smooth or rusticated finishes, often with plenty of putty but not always. Sometimes they're otherwise good pipes with an especially bald grain pattern. I've never seen one with a P-lip; always fishtail bits.

Years ago, I had a pipe stamped Irish Bents. It was a Peterson 302 shape with a few massive putty fills. Unlike the Seconds, it featured a P-lip. I've never seen another one.

For $19.95 I once bought a no-name Made in Italy pipe, a small bent. It was beautifully made and had a nice birdseye grain with just a couple of putty fills. It's the only second I've owned with a lucite stem in a tortoise shell pattern. A special touch. I had that pipe for 30 years before I let it go.

Don't overlook those baskets.

 

[Hillcrest]

They are mostly for the new pipesmoker.

Exactly ! I was in school at the time. My first pipe was a Peterson 68 Irish Army which cost about $70 and I really liked it. When I saw I could by a Peterson second for about 80% off it was a no brainer. And i still have all of them so the quality was still there though perhaps not the fully developed "art".

 

[Grangerous]

My Tobacconist would basket his pipes that were sun damaged. In other words, faded in appearance on one side. He had wall length glass cases with pipes on display in felt. Those that received sunlight would be notably light and dark.

Some of my most beloved pipes came from that basket.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Basket pipes! I have a half dozen or so, many packed away from moving, all over 50 years old. Four or five years ago, I got a fine Parker 1/8th bent in London, and a good Hungarian at a B+M in Leith, hard by Edinburgh. All fine smokers and some great lookers.

 

[EA/DC]

Two group 1 size 'basket beauties' here.

I am working on both of them to make them shine 'like new' again... they deserve it. The Bulldog is a "Victory" pipe. The bent one is marked "Real Briar Made in Italy".

 

[tenton]

Purchased this Italy Basket Pipe right after moving to Florida in '95 from a local Pipe Shop. I picked it out of a plastic basket lined with paper and filled with pipes. Price was $5.00.

 

[anotherbob]

At my local the policy was basket pipes didn't have a warranty or any sort of protection. If it was really a messed up pipe they'd make it right. They just didn't have a prescribed remedy. But the pipes were kind of grab bag. I had amazing luck and got pipes of quality. And in most cases they really were just seconds. And most seconds just aren't as pretty as firsts.

 

[Pooh-Bah]

I've mentioned her before in WAYS, but Gianetta The No-Name Italian Briar cost me $35 out of a basket. While my meer was in the shop, I concluded that she smokes better than any of the other wooden pipes in my (admittedly small) inventory. And is the only pipe I've bothered to name, because... All the others already have names.

 

[mso489]

Unless you already have what you suspect is too many pipes, I think sifting through a pipe shop basket is always of interest, and maybe sometimes just out of curiosity.

Once you have smoked a few good pipes, wherever they came from, basket or not, you develop an eye for a good pipe.

 

[kcghost]

I avoid basket pipes like the plague.

 

[Pooh-Bah]

Unless you already have what you suspect is too many pipes, I think sifting through a pipe shop basket is always of interest, and maybe sometimes just out of curiosity.

Once you have smoked a few good pipes, wherever they came from, basket or not, you develop an eye for a good pipe.

Come Saturday, I'm supposed to be back in Gettysburg to help a friend with his first steps into pipery. Gary at the Gettysburg Cigar Co has a good track record for quality basket pipes, and I do have an empty space or two on my rack...
Thanks for the idea.

 

[Zamora]

I want to know this place where name brand pipes are moved from the shelf to the baskets. The Briary has basket pipes, but they are no name pipes with no nomenclature at all. He gets them from major known factory pipe makers that make the pipes specifically for this. They seem good, nothing off on the drilling and such, but I am just not interested in buying one. They are mostly for the new pipesmoker.

That's much better than the ones that have flaws

 

[DeerparkDays]

In addition to the scenario you describe, some basket pipes were made for the basket. Notably, Irish Seconds and Savinelli's unfinished, putty-riddled seconds. The cool factor about both was the ability to buy a classic Peterson or Savinelli shape at a much cheaper price.

Nowadays, I'm not sure that's still the case. I haven't seen a basket of new pipes of either brand in decades. Irish Seconds pop up rather often on eBay but at prices approaching those of Peterson branded pipes. So the original purpose and rationale seem long gone.

I have one Irish Seconds remaining in a collection that once numbered a dozen or so. I've kept it because it's my favorite shape -- the same as the Peterson Sherlock Holmes Original.

View attachment 221062

I had a Savinelli second in a Zulu shape for years. I bought it at a B&M while paying for a new Upshall. The Sav was literally in a basket of such pipes on the checkout counter. I sifted through it for a while and found a shape I liked. The price back in the late 90's was $9.95.

The Savs generally featured a lot more putty than the Irish Seconds. My Zulu had a thumbnail-sized fill to the inside of the bowl. For the first few smokes, I had a distinct peppery taste no matter what tobacco I used about halfway down the bowl. But once a cake had formed, the pipe smoked as well as any. I finally let it go when I was thinning things down. It had been my travel pipe for years.

Irish Seconds can be found in smooth or rusticated finishes, often with plenty of putty but not always. Sometimes they're otherwise good pipes with an especially bald grain pattern. I've never seen one with a P-lip; always fishtail bits.

Years ago, I had a pipe stamped Irish Bents. It was a Peterson 302 shape with a few massive putty fills. Unlike the Seconds, it featured a P-lip. I've never seen another one.

For $19.95 I once bought a no-name Made in Italy pipe, a small bent. It was beautifully made and had a nice birdseye grain with just a couple of putty fills. It's the only second I've owned with a lucite stem in a tortoise shell pattern. A special touch. I had that pipe for 30 years before I let it go.

Don't overlook those baskets.

Hey Greysmoke.
My aunt sent me an Irish Second at Christmas that she bought in a town in Ireland, it’s rusticated and I think a 314. It has a P lip, that I wish was a fishtail!

 

[tobakenist]

Haven't seen basket pipes in England since the 1960's, they were usually French made ones but good smokers, it was a basket pipe that started my pipe smoking when my older Brother stole 2 from our local Woolworths (every town in England had a Woolworth's, long gone) I still have that pipe somewhere in my collection, this was 1965 when I was 10.

 

[mso489]

Granted, I've prowled through baskets that were all Eastern European cheapie or some other low quality. So you have to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. And yes, as someone pointed out, to find a brand stamped pipe is a surprise, but not impossible. It's whatever the proprietor wants to unload at low cost.