Anyone Remember the ASP Group Pipe Buys?

[peregrinus]

Around 20+ years ago there were several group pipe buys coordinated on the old alt.smokers.pipes newsgroup.

I remember a direct buy from Alberto Bonfiglioli that was coordinated by Ray Bromely (sp?).
Then later there was a gentleman that lived in Katy, TX I believe that ran a ASP direct buy from Les Wood (Ferndown) and later, a group buy through tobacconist James Barber that included multiple carvers like Bill Taylor (Ashton) and Les Wood. The L.W.’s were store branded and stamped as “James Barber” in that later buy.
Any of you that remember this?

 

[BROBS]

Around 20+ years ago there were several group pipe buys coordinated on the old alt.smokers.pipes newsgroup.

I remember a direct buy from Alberto Bonfiglioli that was coordinated by Ray Bromely(sp?)
Then later there was a gentleman that lived in Katy, TX I believe that ran a ASP direct buy from Les Wood (Ferndown) and later, a group buy through tobacconist James Barber that included multiple carvers like Bill Taylor (Ashton) and Les Wood. The L.W.’s were store branded and stamped as “James Barber” in that later buy.
Any of you that remember this?

I would have been just graduating high school so... no. Good luck tho!
I think it would be cool to organize such a thing today.

 

[donjgiles]

I remember, however I did not participate.
At that stage of my pipe smoking I was focused on tobacco, not pipes.

 

[seanv]

I would have been just graduating high school so... no. Good luck tho!
I think it would be cool to organize such a thing today.

Same here but cool idea and something is be potentially in for

 

[mso489]

Ah, at last something that was before my time here.

 

[cshubhra]

I am a member of a Pipe Group in Facebook and they are doing a group pipe. (A Kaywoodie handmade by Bill Feuerbach) . Nathan Davis of Greywoodie who is a member here with handle @crashthegrey is coordinating the whole effort. We will get the pipe in hand end of this month.

 

[rmpeeps]

Around 20+ years ago there were several group pipe buys coordinated on the old alt.smokers.pipes newsgroup.

I remember a direct buy from Alberto Bonfiglioli that was coordinated by Ray Bromely (sp?).
Then later there was a gentleman that lived in Katy, TX I believe that ran a ASP direct buy from Les Wood (Ferndown) and later, a group buy through tobacconist James Barber that included multiple carvers like Bill Taylor (Ashton) and Les Wood. The L.W.’s were store branded and stamped as “James Barber” in that later buy.
Any of you that remember this?

Through A.S.P. I acquired several group-buy pipes; a Bonfiglioli, a Viprati, and a Tinsky.
Good times!!

 

[LOREN]

I don't think I was aware of that group.

 

[peregrinus]

several group-buy pipes; a Bonfiglioli, a Viprati, and a Tinsky.
Good times!!

Yes, I had forgotten about Viprati, I now remember getting one of his pipes also. I also remember Mark Tinsky was quite active on ASP for some time and was Greg Pease and Trever Talbert among others.

 

[mikethompson]

I remember group buys on another forum, and they would always go sideways with someone not paying or some such.

 

[jpberg]

Ah, at last something that was before my time here.

To be fair, there was quite a lot of stuff that happened here, and on other forums and services, before you arrived in 2013.
I would posit that 90 % of post 2013 discussions are rehashes of prior threads.

 

[kwg116]

That’s how I became aware of Bonfiglioli during that time. Back then you could order one of his catalog shapes and get the pipe, then send him a personal check for $110. If I recall Tinsky did a few ASP pipe of the years. There were some epic threads on ASP and, besides the Pipe Collector and the Pipe Smoker Ephemeris, online pipe groups were so new that a lot of the older generation, guys in their 40’ and 50’s at the time, were sharing their knowledge with the next generation of pipe smokers. Estate pipes were dirt cheap at that time also.

 

[Spinkle]

Same here but cool idea and something is be potentially in for

Second.

 

[dcon]

I remember, however I did not participate.
At that stage of my pipe smoking I was focused on tobacco, not pipes.

Same here.

 

[ssjones]

Slightly ahead of my time. ASP was waning when I started smoking a pipe (and forums coming into vogue).

 

[peregrinus]

Slightly ahead of my time. ASP was waning when I started smoking a pipe (and forums coming into vogue).

The “internet” was like an electronic Wild West in the early 90’s and ASP was, of course, an unmoderated group of pipe enthusiasts, hobbyist carvers, budding blenders and professional blenders and pipe makers. It billed itself as, “the most civil news group on the internet“ and it really may have been that at that time.
I remember there were some really nice and generous people on there in the mid 90’s when I first found my way there. As a new pipe smoker I was gifted tobaccos and a lot of free advice. It was great while it lasted but I left around 2000 when things began to become less cordial and the group became overrun by cranks, crackpots and trolls.

 

[donjgiles]

The “internet” was like an electronic Wild West in the early 90’s and ASP was, of course, an unmoderated group of pipe enthusiasts, hobbyist carvers, budding blenders and professional blenders and pipe makers. It billed itself as, “the most civil news group on the internet“ and it really may have been that at that time.
I remember there were some really nice and generous people on there in the mid 90’s when I first found my way there. As a new pipe smoker I was gifted tobaccos and a lot of free advice. It was great while it lasted but I left around 2000 when things began to become less cordial and the group became overrun by cranks, crackpots and trolls.

I left about the same time.
It was the generosity of ASP that started my love of the pipe. I received a big box of tobacco and a few pipes to get me started, I will never forget that group.

 

[dcon]

I left about the same time.
It was the generosity of ASP that started my love of the pipe. I received a big box of tobacco and a few pipes to get me started, I will never forget that group.

I’m with you guys. I started somewhere in the 90’s and may have stuck around a bit longer than either of you. However, I read more than I posted. I do not even recall my user name. I was a registered lurker more than anything else. It was great and full of great characters in the early days. You are, also, correct that the trolls and idiots ruined it.

 

[whitebar]

I remember ASP well. Too bad it went downhill as there were some really knowledgeable people hanging out there. Lots of good memories.

 

[bullet08]

Alt.. good ole days. I was hanging around bagpipes group, but wasn't smoking pipes then. Marlboro was still my thing.