A Pipe Smoking Article From 1975

[autumnfog]

Stumbled upon an article about pipe smoking in New York Times from 1975.

https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/06/archives/smokers-are-like-their-pipes-varied-but-with-some-similarities.html

 

[p40warhawk]

VERY interesting and thanks! Especially interesting considering its from the NYT!!??

I got a kick out of how expensive a Dunhill was at $80 bucks!

 

[georged]

 

[alaskanpiper]

haha had the same thought, george

 

[newportpipe]

There are, in addition, pipes for every occasion—to puff in the morning, after lunch, in the office, at church, or in the deepest privacy of a smoking room.

^ ^ ^ pretty much ::

 

[rodo]

I want to know what Simenon's blend was!

 

[brian64]

haha had the same thought, george

And if we measure the rate from the currency's inception in 1913, $80 would now be over $2000, for an inflation rate of 2500%.

 

[weezell]

Nice read! Thanks for posting...

 

[kcghost]

Interesting article if rather antiquated.

 

[smittyd]

Sweet article, thanks for the post.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Oh, the nostalgia! Long live Wilke!

Other outlets, including the Wilke Pipe Shop at 400 Madison Avenue, at 47th Street, one of the oldest in the city, offer briar pipes from about $6 for “seconds”—those with minor blemishes. The bulk of their briars come from Greece or Corsica, where there seems not to be a painful shortage. On the other hand, Wilke has a pipe for $1,000. Aroniza Zipper, one of the shop's clerks, sold another last week for $500 to a young seaman. The briar was Algerian.

 

[samw74]

Thanks for sharing this article. I was walking around the City yesterday and it occurred to me there are barely any tobacconists left. Aside from Barclay Rex and Davidoff, I can’t think of any other. It bummed me out. 10 years ago Ed Burak’s store and de la Concha were still in business.

 

[npod]

Good stuff

 

[bnichols23]

Classic article. I remember reading either that or something very similar in one of the slick-paper pipe connoisseur mags BITD. (Of course TBH there were a TON of those, & nearly all of them would have an item on celeb pipers at one time or another back in the glory days.)
Bill

 

[npod]

I love this quote from the article. I guess not much has changed over time.

Pipe smokers, it appears, are a tenacious lot. Once habituated, they go on forever.

 

[bnichols23]

not much has changed over time

Yeah. 'T'was ever thus, I think, Neal. Good thing too.....
B

 

[husky]

So in 1975, pipe smoking was on the way up and 2015(?) it is down.

Will this 40 year period be called "the pipe era" in future books on tobacciana?

 

[writingraav]

[On the other hand, Wilke has a pipe for $1,000. Aroniza Zipper, one of the shop's clerks,]
I remember Arizona Zipper very well and probably bought a pipe from him (not for $1000.) He was a friend of Tom Dunn. They used to go hiking together. The Ephemeris was a wonder!