American Smoking Pipe Company - Christmas Pipes - Advent Calender

[tinpan]

1992 - The Bent Dublin
This pipe is a bent dublin and is the second year where we can see Mark refining the finishing touches on his stems with the small black lucite and briar inlay in the stem. This one was finished with the brown stain and smooth finish.
Production Estimate - 80 - 90 Pipes

Prices $75 to $300

 

[ssjones]

Definitely an interesting stem progression.

 

[tinpan]

1993 - The Perfect Billiard
Mark and John designed this year's Christmas pipe. They took the features of several pipes they liked to come up with the perfect billiard. It has a tall bowl with a slight roundness to it. This one is finished in the natural smooth finish.
Production Estimate - 80 - 90 Pipes

Prices $75 to $300

 

[tinpan]

1994 - The Lovat Apple
This year John B. Hayes would design the pipe. It's an Apple with a lovat shank and the shank tapers slightly near the bowl. It is a very comfortable pipe, John really picked a great shape. This pipe is in the natural smooth finish.
Production Estimate - 90 Pipes

Prices $75 to $300

 

[ssjones]

I really had no clue that John had so much input in the design of Tinsky pipes, fascinating. I can't wait to my next visit, I'll definitely be chatting with him about those pipes.

 

[tinpan]

It was kind of interesting. John was starting his new tobacco store and Curt and Mark were beginning their pipe carving career. You have to remember this was in the days before email and the web. Your local retail tobacco store was THE only place to find pipes and to learn about the trends. As the web spun up and cigars took off pipe sales in tobacco shops declined. Both would have to find ways to adapt to the new business conditions.
Funny I remember when John came back from the RTDA one year with 10 pipes from some guy named Jim Cooke. I picked one out and smoked it for about a year, trading it away because it burned my english blends a little warm. Another year he came back with Peter Stokkebye pipes and another with Il Ceppo. The Il Ceppo pipes were cool because the stems looked black. When you held them up to the light you could see they were dark, I mean very dark red.

 

[tinpan]

1995 - The Poker
Curt had designed a similar pipe to this for Phil, a fellow collector and JBH employee. John suggested this pipe and they refined the shape into this year's Christmas Pipe. It is a poker and sports the tapered stem from the 1987 Christmas pipe. This one is finished in the natural smooth finish.
Production Estimate - 80 Pipes

Prices $75 to $300

 

[ssjones]

That '95 Poker might just be my favorite!

 

[tinpan]

1996 - The Bent Apple
This year's pipe is an apple with a curved shank. This would be the first year Mark would sell pipes over the internet. Sadly, it would also be the last year pipes were marked " John B. Hayes Christmas". This one features the natural smooth finish.
Production Estimate - 80 Pipes

Prices $75 to $300

 

[ssjones]

Wow, what a fabulous shape. If one of those ever pops up available, I'd pull out the stops.

 

[dmcmtk]

Some really great looking pipes!

 

[tinpan]

1997 - The Canted Billiard
This year's pipe is a canted billiard with a 1/4 bent shank. This one is displayed in the sandblast finish, it is the only year I don't have a smooth finish.
Production Estimate - 80 Pipes

Prices $75 to $300

 

[tinpan]

The period from 1997 to 2000 was a transition period.

New finishes began appearing as Mark worked to further refine his pipes and he would begin selling more of his pipes on the internet. He would design and make all the pipes from this point on.
In previous years a red stain would pretty much yield a red pipe like you see in the 1989 previously pictured. Brown stains yielded brown pipes like you see on the 1986. He started refining the stains with a new process that resulted in more of a contrast on the pipes.
I remember Mark showing some of these finishes as he was developing them, he was very excited. They really showed the grain on the pipes well.
In 1998 we would see a new logo grace the stems of his pipes. The briar ring and glass insert would be discontinued. Mark had experimented with a few other logos previously, but they were very labor intensive and just didn't seem to fit the pipes as well. The new logo would be the American star made of metal.
By 2000 we would see six standard finishes, Pristine, Cabernet, Walnut, Black and Tan, Tanshell, Sandblast and Coral.
A new grading system would also debut in 2000. Pipes would be graded on a star system with 5 stars reserved for the rarest high grade pipe.

 

[tinpan]

1998 The Bent Dublin
This year we would see a nice Dublin shape with a 1/4 curved, oval, bent shank. This one is displaying the natural smooth finish.

 

[ssjones]

Did Mark make the old ring & glass stem insert or have it made for him? (same for the metal star).

When did he move operations from PA to Montana?

 

[tinpan]

1999 - The Bent Bulldog
This pipe is a Bulldog shape with a 1/8 Bent diamond shank. It's a smaller pipe than some of the previous years and it's finished in the natural smooth finish.
Production Estimate - 100 Pipes

Prices $75 to $300

 

[pruss]

Tinpan, I am really enjoying this thread. The learning I'm taking away from your posts is as valuable and interesting as the pictures of your pipes.
Thanks again for posting.
-- Pat

 

[tinpan]

Thanks Pat, you are welcome

 

[tinpan]

2000 - The Bent Rhodesian
This year's pipe is a 1/4 Bent Rhodesian. It is the first year Mark began using a new star rating system and produced new finishes. This group of pipes would yield Mark's first 5 star rated pipe.
This pipe is rated 1 Star with a Cabernet finish.

Production Estimate - 150 Pipes

Prices $110 to $410

 

[dmcmtk]

1999 Bent Bulldog looks really great. Keep them coming! Curt and Mark have made some really terrific looking pipes over the years.