True Dat. My hats are 100% Beaver fur as well. Xs mean very little. My hats are custom built as well.
A Rumination on Thinning the Herd of your Pipes
- Thread starter Briar Lee
- Start date
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There's close to 40 pipes in my rotation and probably even more just sitting in boxes.
I'm a pipe smoker not a collector.
Although I appreciate nice pipes, I'm more interested in how a pipe smokes and feels in the hand rather than how pretty it is.
Although I've got several pipes sitting on display at my local tobacconist on consignment, I've gifted more pipes than I've sold.
I'm a pipe smoker not a collector.
Although I appreciate nice pipes, I'm more interested in how a pipe smokes and feels in the hand rather than how pretty it is.
Although I've got several pipes sitting on display at my local tobacconist on consignment, I've gifted more pipes than I've sold.
Well so long as you don't cull your rumination's, I quite enjoy them!
I don't think I would sell a pipe, but I have very much enjoyed giving them away (and receiving them) as gifts over the years!
I don't think I would sell a pipe, but I have very much enjoyed giving them away (and receiving them) as gifts over the years!
X's are a Stetson thing. If you are buying a Stetson, the X's are very meaningful. Other manufacturers have different methods of IDing composition. Bailey does one thing, American another. Boutique builders often only mention X but, do not elucidate as to meaning. But, Beaver belly is better than a regular 100% beaver hat. Want the best? 100% Beaver belly, I believe Stetson designates that grade as 1000 X. A thousand X "Boss of the Plains" will run a couple thousand dollars and last a lifetime. So, buy one at age 20 and it'll amortize into being a nice inexpensive hat in forty years. Or, you can spend a couple hundred for a decent hat and, if it's a "working" hat, you'll be buying one every couple of years. If your hat is only for show? Spend as little as possible. Most people have no idea as to the quality of another person's hat. To me a hat lasting 30-40 years, day- in day=out wear in all weather, is cheap at a thousand bucks.
X's have meaning, on simply heeds to ask the maker his grading system. Most will readily explain their system of designating composition. It's not all that arcane if one is willing to investigate a bit.
Enough of this hi-jacking. Back to the OP. I doubt that many people actually wear a broad brimmed hat day in and day out.
He probably meant one of those charro hats, Cap'n.
When the snow is wind blown and temps below ten, I wear the wolf. Warmer than that, one of two hats. What determines which hat is the wind. One hat has a stampede string, the other doesn't.
If I could find a leather one I liked, I'd wear it.
My new Lee four star had been carefully smoked, but I used over a dozen pipe cleaners to clean the airway.
This Kee is interesting to own for two reasons. The first is I’ve seen more five stars for sale on eBay than four stars. Remember the basic Star Grade Lee had two stars and cost five dollars. This was on the era when a dollar bought a usable briar pipe and two dollars one you could be proud of. Maybe the two stars got burned up sixty and seventy years ago, but you’ll see many, many $10 three stars for sale, often unsmoked in boxes, with papers, then $5 two stars also usually in fine shape, and then $25 five stars. The $3.50 one star was probably 1946 only. But the $15 four star is the rarest of the available Lees, in my experience. The well heeled Lee customer either paid $10 for his Lee or he paid $25. He sometimes paid $5, and in the literature in the boxes you’ll see assortments for sale, like a set of seven two stars for only $20, while supplies last. There are three five star pipes sets at bargain prices. But the four star existed to be worth three times what a two star did, early on. Later a Lee was $5 per star, and then they were no more.
The second neat thing, is my pipe is a small “shirt pocket” size but it has a standard medium bowl. I’ve owned a few Comoy’s on the same pattern. These need a high grade of briar, as bowl walls are thin.
The real surprise is the huge Marxman Jumbo. It’s so large you expect it to be a novelty, but it’s light as a feather, and somehow it clenches easily, and this is a very high quality pipe, that wasn’t cheap.
It has to be a Smooth Jumbo
pipedia.org
My Marxman looks like it was made last week, was smoked I’d guess exactly once, probably some long ago Christmas, and preserved like in a time capsule.
While I’ve played with my two new pipes that cost $60 my wife has been playing with her pressure canners, because she can buy lids again.
It’s my observation that during the time of the coronavirus a lot of people started to smoke pipes, do home canning, all kinds of reloading shells and cartridges, and buy cameras and telescopes to look at the stars.
I have this really neat Meade XTR 80 computerized telescope that I might refill a pipe and see if the gadget really does find hundreds of objects in the sky, on command. It’s about a $500 outfit that I gave $125 for at the pawn shop.
We’re all fully vaccinated, but we are about as rare as a four star Lee here in this part of Missouri, in that status.
This Kee is interesting to own for two reasons. The first is I’ve seen more five stars for sale on eBay than four stars. Remember the basic Star Grade Lee had two stars and cost five dollars. This was on the era when a dollar bought a usable briar pipe and two dollars one you could be proud of. Maybe the two stars got burned up sixty and seventy years ago, but you’ll see many, many $10 three stars for sale, often unsmoked in boxes, with papers, then $5 two stars also usually in fine shape, and then $25 five stars. The $3.50 one star was probably 1946 only. But the $15 four star is the rarest of the available Lees, in my experience. The well heeled Lee customer either paid $10 for his Lee or he paid $25. He sometimes paid $5, and in the literature in the boxes you’ll see assortments for sale, like a set of seven two stars for only $20, while supplies last. There are three five star pipes sets at bargain prices. But the four star existed to be worth three times what a two star did, early on. Later a Lee was $5 per star, and then they were no more.
The second neat thing, is my pipe is a small “shirt pocket” size but it has a standard medium bowl. I’ve owned a few Comoy’s on the same pattern. These need a high grade of briar, as bowl walls are thin.
The real surprise is the huge Marxman Jumbo. It’s so large you expect it to be a novelty, but it’s light as a feather, and somehow it clenches easily, and this is a very high quality pipe, that wasn’t cheap.
It has to be a Smooth Jumbo
Marxman - Pipedia
My Marxman looks like it was made last week, was smoked I’d guess exactly once, probably some long ago Christmas, and preserved like in a time capsule.
While I’ve played with my two new pipes that cost $60 my wife has been playing with her pressure canners, because she can buy lids again.
It’s my observation that during the time of the coronavirus a lot of people started to smoke pipes, do home canning, all kinds of reloading shells and cartridges, and buy cameras and telescopes to look at the stars.
I have this really neat Meade XTR 80 computerized telescope that I might refill a pipe and see if the gadget really does find hundreds of objects in the sky, on command. It’s about a $500 outfit that I gave $125 for at the pawn shop.
We’re all fully vaccinated, but we are about as rare as a four star Lee here in this part of Missouri, in that status.
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I'm never getting rid of any of my pipes. The closest I got was donating my oldest pipe to the prop room of the theatre where I teach and direct, because a student needed it for a show. I took it back three years later from the prop room and returned it to its rightful life as a regular smoker.
I couldn't see myself selling any of them, though. I'd miss them.
I couldn't see myself selling any of them, though. I'd miss them.
Some personalities just tend to accumulate or collect things. When you start questioning that behavior. maybe it's time to ask why. One way to stop is to ask what you want on your tombstone. Here lies so and so, he had 10,000 pipes. Or, here lies so and so, he helped others learn the joys of pipe smoking, yada, yada, yada.
I have found that two makes of pipes work best for me. They look good, are comfortable, and smoke like nobody's business. Every one of them. So I got rid of all the others, minus a travel pipe or two, and will only buy those two makes now.
Great response.
I feel the same way about the hassle of selling on ebay. I have a few pipes, some German model trains and some retired unopened Lego sets I'd like to sell. I'm just not motivated enough to go thru the hassle. It's a good thing I have plenty of attic and closet space.
I recently cut my herd in half and plan to do it again in future. That will leave a fourth of my pipes for my heirs to dispose of.
Warren, that is really interesting about your hats and their costs. I always wanted to be a hat lover. Instead I despise wearing a hat. The only time I would wear one was because I had to when skiing in really low temps. Even here in Florida playing tennis I could never wear one. Not on the golf course either. Now the only time I wear a hat is when I go into the [pool with my physical therapist.
Coming from a Russian background I always wanted that standard Russian looking fur hat. I am betting 5 grand is a starting point for something like that.
Growing up I would bug the shit out of my dad to get me one of those hats. He would just look at me and laugh. He also hated hats and would only wear one on the ski slopes.
Fair warning: The greatest danger in culling pipes are empty places on the pipe racks. Those spots just scream for replacement pipes. Cull the pipes, and then maybe a rack or two. If you leave those gapping holes exposed, pipes will be auditioning from every website and pipe shop window.
Unless you don't use racks.
MSO, I had every intention of filling the empty spaces in my racks once I began selling off a load of pipes. Filling empty spaces is the best part of thinning the herd.