A Slight Wrinkle On A Common Topic

[sablebrush52]

From time to time someone asks if you could only keep one pipe in your collection, what would it be. Frankly, I just can't answer that one. If I was forced to make that choice I would probably just give them all up as no such decision would satisfy me.
So what if you had to dispose of 80% of your collection? What would you choose to keep to keep?
That would still leave me with a good assortment.
I'd keep my Paul Tatum volcano, hot rod and acorn, my Talbert retort, three Barlng pots, the 1907 Barling companion set, three Barling quaints - one meerschaum lined, two Barling sterling capped billiards, my Ryan Alden dublin, my Von Erck panel billiard and dublin, my Cannoy and Fillenwarth wax drips, my Piersel Canadian, three Kaywoodies - a billiard from 1931, a Dublin from 1919-24 and a prince from the 1950's, and my two Herreria pipes.

 

[pruss]

I'd keep the following pipes:

- Parks Rusticated Bent Bulldog

- Weaver Blasted Dublin

- All three Aldens

- Comoy's Blue Riband Extraordinaire 399

- Comoy's Sandblast Extraordinaire 399

- Comoy's Tradition 409

- Castello Sea Rock Canadian

- Sasieni Four Dot Canadian (patent)

- Sasieni Four Dot Billiard (fishtail patent)

- S. Yanik Figural (owl) Meerschaum
That was a fun, and painful, exercise. Nice topic!
-- Pat

 

[georged]

Dispose of .08% you say? Why, that would leave me with everything but a stem for one of them, and I'd just make another. :lol:

 

[sablebrush52]

Dispose of .08% you say? Why, that would leave me with everything but a stem for one of them, and I'd just make another.

Nice try George.

 

[georged]

Nice try George.

Well, shit.
Can't blame a man for tryin'. :mrgreen:

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I'd sell almost everything that isn't a Churchwarden or Canadian.

It's not often that the first thing I buy in any given category is the best long term choice, but in this case the first pipe I bought is one of the best (that being a military mount Churchwarden). And then those 8" Ropp Canadians were a fantastic deal.

Pretty much everything else is redundant or less desirable, or if it's a full bent pipe it can be downright painful. I remember trying to smoke some McClelland Virginia out of a full bent pipe and it felt like splashing acid in my face every few seconds. Finding places to smoke outdoors where there isn't a draft blowing smoke into your face can be pretty difficult.

 

[voorhees]

That would leave me with an even dozen or so.
I'd keep the following...
Growley Rhodesian

Ashton Bulldog

Dunhill Shell

The LHS Cavalier my wife gave me.

Comoy Pebble Grain Volcano

Tsuge Ikebana

Perterson Billiard

LVC Meer bent billiard

Kaywoodie Standard late 30's

Stanwell Bulldog

Ivory by Sasieni pipe(Tinder Box)

Sasieni Mayfair

 

[cosmicfolklore]

It's too early to do math, but if the question was down to just one pipe, I would want my stacked dublin Hilson work pipe. That thing has been tested day in and day out to provide a great smoke all day long over and over. I am pretty sure that it is strawberry wood, ultra light and very easy to smoke. It has melded into my bark like a chainlink fence into a tree.

I have several of these pipes, but if I just had to have one, this is the very one that I would want.

 

[aldecaker]

I can never make up my mind with these "Sophie's Choice" or "desert island" type threads. It's just too painful to contemplate.

 

[mso489]

I'd have to sit down for hours with the whole stable spread out on a table and switch around until I was "satisfied," and then go into deep mourning for the rest. Offhand, I'd keep the Ser Jacopo, the Ferndown, choice gift Sav's and Johs, most of my Jerry Perry handmades, several French pipes, and then I'd probably be out of picks. Since crazy variety and a wide range of low and mid-price pipes are my thing, giving up the Kaywoodie, Yello-Bole, La Rocca, MM cobs, etc., would not make me happy. Keeping my top twenty would leave out several of my best smokers and most interesting pipes. When I'm smoking most any of them, each is my favorite pipe for an hour or two. Too many is the name of my hobby here.

 

[cigrmaster]

I would be left 10 pipes at the 80% number. This is really not fair as the Rad's I don't pick are going to be pissy for a week.
Rad Davis Calabash

Rad Davis Dublin wirh 24kt gold stem application

Rad Davis Billiard natural stain

Rad Davis Rhodesian with Spalted Tamarind cap

Brian Ruthenberg bent Apple

Michael Parks Billiard

Michael Butera bent Apple

Stephen Downie Apple

Ryan Alden bent Brandy

Bruce Weaver bent Rhodesian

 

[captainsousie]

Heck, I can't even get it down to 20% but the ones that absolutely would stay are my Ryan Alden strawberry wood pipes, my first Arley Curtz, my birth year Dunhill and my Castello from a good friend here.
Past that there are so many nice ones that I could get it down to about 45% without having to second guess each missing pipe.

 

[lifesizehobbit]

My 80% value is 3 pipes (rounded up). If I really had to pull that trigger:
My 98 Boswell bent twist (gift from my wife).

My 15 Savinelli Lovat (gift from my wife).

My 16 Rick Black Morta.
As a hobbyist, it's "sobering" to realize that other people's 80% values exceed my entire collection. :rofl:
Any of you are more than welcome to send your cast-offs my way to grow my collection. 8O

 

[sablebrush52]

As a hobbyist, it's "sobering" to realize that other people's 80% values exceed my entire collection.

I know collectors, 20% of whose holdings would exceed MY entire collection. There are small nations whose total asset value is less than what some collectors have sitting on their shelves.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

Dunhill Lovat (3111) 2015

Dunhill Liverpool (3110) 2013

Kyriazanos Bulldog
That's 20% of my current collection, and these are currently my favorites.

 

[danielplainview]

It makes me anxious just thinking about giving up 80%.
The keepers would be:
GBD billiards

BBB lovat

LHS 99's

Pre-60's Grabow's

Marvic's
That list doesn't include my favorites I can still buy brand new after the hypothetical smoke Nazi's confiscate 80% of my collection.

 

[macaroon]

I can only keep 20% of my collection, huh? Somehow I don't think I'd get very far on nothing but the stem of an MM cob! *cue the sad trombone*

 

[ray47]

I'd probably keep my Falcon pipes for their versatility and durability.

 

[weezell]

I'd probably keep my Falcon pipes for their versatility and durability.

and my Meerschaums and MM Cobs...

 

[mso489]

Take this Iwan Ries Exclusive house pipe, a little bent billiard compact, in which I am smoking a bowl of Five Brothers. The pipe would never make the cut, but what a sacrifice. I think it was $37 about five years ago, made for IR by Benton, so you can't even get them anymore.