A Rare As Hen's Teeth 1920's Barling

[sablebrush52]

Here are some images of a Barling Elite, a short lived series of pipes that were rusticated to mimic sandblasts, not unlike the Sasieni Rustic. This one is a take on a ring grain. It's from a part of J T Cook's personal collection that's being sold through Vermont Freehand.
Enjoy!

 

[buckaroo]

Yeah, never seen a Barling like that before. Cool. Thx.

 

[mortonbriar]

Delicious texture!

 

[captainsousie]

Never seen one like that. Thanks for showing it.

 

[huntertrw]

sablebrush52:

That's a beautiful pipe! I have a Corniche made by Clifton in England that has a similar spiral design, but otherwise has a smooth finish. I wonder if they got the idea from Barling?

N.B.: I love the stem's button. If memory serves, that's a classic Barling feature.

 

[MattRVA]

It looks modern, that’s awesome!

 

[condorlover1]

Give it a week or two and the Chinese furniture factories will be churning them out as seven day sets!

 

[AroEnglish]

Thanks, Jesse. Do you have one in your own collection?

 

[kcghost]

Very nice pipe that Jim had!!

 

[sablebrush52]

Thanks, Jesse. Do you have one in your own collection?

Nope. Last one I saw on eBay, which was probably 8 years ago, went for more than I was willing to spend. Everything is done on a budget, even "once in a lifetime" opportunities. There's always another "once in a lifetime" opportunity.
On a rarity scale this is right around the level of the Barling FREAKS, which were the 1920's precursors to their quaints. While I have no doubt that many were made of both, very few turn up.
I wish more collectors would share what they've collected, for the general benefit of those who have an interest in pipes that goes beyond merely smoking them.

 

[AroEnglish]

Nope. Last one I saw on eBay, which was probably 8 years ago, went for more than I was willing to spend. Everything is done on a budget, even "once in a lifetime" opportunities. There's always another "once in a lifetime" opportunity.
On a rarity scale this is right around the level of the Barling FREAKS, which were the 1920's precursors to their quaints. While I have no doubt that many were made of both, very few turn up.
I wish more collectors would share what they've collected, for the general benefit of those who have an interest in pipes that goes beyond merely smoking them.

Yeah hopefully in the next 20-40 years we'll see a change in how collectors share what they have. It seems like it's already starting with a number of people and will only build momentum from there.

 

[sablebrush52]

Yeah hopefully in the next 20-40 years we'll see a change in how collectors share what they have. It seems like it's already starting with a number of people and will only build momentum from there.

One can only hope. I've seen amazing pipes in private hands. I've appealed to collectors of Barlings to add them to the Barling page and some have been kind enough to come through, which is very much appreciated. I've sent these images to Scott to add to the Pipedia Barling page and will be adding another Elite in the near future.

 

[xrundog]

I don’t understand the reticence to sharing photos. Is it a hoarding thing? If someone wants to see pics of something I have I’m happy to share. But I don’t have any Barling’s so maybe I’ll never understand.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Here are some images of a Barling Elite, a short lived series of pipes that were rusticated to mimic sandblasts, not unlike the Sasieni Rustic. This one is a take on a ring grain. It's from a part of J T Cook's personal collection that's being sold through Vermont Freehand.
Enjoy!View attachment 325934
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Immensely sweet Jesse, thank you for sharing and making me feel miserable
Why is the collection being sold ?

 

[sablebrush52]

Immensely sweet Jesse, thank you for sharing and making me feel miserable
Why is the collection being sold ?

Cook has retired from pipe making. These pipes are what he used as inspirations for his work according to what's written at Vermont Freehand. That's all I know.
I helped a little with offering valuations on the Barlings, as did several others.

 

[mingc]

Here are some images of a Barling Elite, a short lived series of pipes that were rusticated to mimic sandblasts, not unlike the Sasieni Rustic. This one is a take on a ring grain. It's from a part of J T Cook's personal collection that's being sold through Vermont Freehand.
Enjoy!View attachment 325934
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View attachment 325936
View attachment 325937
View attachment 325938

It reminds me of an Anne Julie, with perhaps less artistic pretension. Do you know how was it priced in its day? On the bargain end of things or on the higher side?

 

[sablebrush52]

It reminds me of an Anne Julie, with perhaps less artistic pretension. Do you know how was it priced in its day? On the bargain end of things or on the higher side?

That's an excellent question, to which I have no answer. Since these were not standard pipes I don't have any pricing information on them, perhaps an ad will surface some day. My guess wold be that they were priced higher, given the amount of work that went into them, but that's only a guess.

 

[jguss]

That's an excellent question, to which I have no answer. Since these were not standard pipes I don't have any pricing information on them, perhaps an ad will surface some day. My guess wold be that they were priced higher, given the amount of work that went into them, but that's only a guess.

I agree with Jesse’s statement about a lack of pricing data on the Elite (although I think it’s more a function of a general paucity of English pipe data from the Twenties than anything else) and with his surmise that the pipe probably commanded a premium. My only caveat would be a hunch that the premium was driven not just by incremental labor cost but by the “cool” factor associated with what was then a novelty.

From what I can tell when sandblasted and carved finishes began to proliferate in the 1920s manufacturers generally followed Dunhill’s example and priced these pipes on a par (or higher, as was the case with Loewe’s Ripple Grain) with the best smooth lines they regularly produced. This practice was abandoned in later years and generally speaking is absent from our degenerate time. An analysis could probably be done to clearly show this pattern; the data exists to support pricing comparisons across finishes for Dunhill, GBD, Orlik and Sasieni (among others) at the time the Elite was offered.

 

[sablebrush52]

Pictures of this pipe are now available in the gallery at the bottom of the Pipedia Barling page.

 

[AroEnglish]

I don’t understand the reticence to sharing photos. Is it a hoarding thing? If someone wants to see pics of something I have I’m happy to share. But I don’t have any Barling’s so maybe I’ll never understand.

I think some people don't want the potential attention if it was known that they owned a specific pipe while I think others want to keep their pipes concealed so that only they can enjoy it. I think there's ways around the former. The latter...