Birth Year Pipe

[mikeysmokes]

I am curious what, if any, guidelines are used when searching for a birth year pipe. I'm sure this varies from person to person. My biggest question is how do you find a pipe for that specific year; are there sites that let you filter out by year? If you have one, was it enough to simply have a pipe from that year or did it have to be a specific maker?

 

[AJL67]

I am curious what, if any, guidelines are used when searching for a birth year pipe. I'm sure this varies from person to person. My biggest question is how do you find a pipe for that specific year; are there sites that let you filter out by year? If you have one, was it enough to simply have a pipe from that year or did it have to be a specific maker?

My only requirement was it be a pipe from my birth year, a lot of ppl it seems look for Dunhills as their pipe, different strokes for different folks. I found my birth year Dunhill on eBay after months of searching. I now have 3 in 3 classic shapes.

 

[Homer]

I bought last december BBB christmas pipe 1980 and Stanwel pipe of the year 1980. Both unsmoked.

 

[AJL67]

I bought last december BBB christmas pipe 1980 and Stanwel pipe of the year 1980. Both unsmoked.

Damn kids and you’re easy to find birth years.

 

[ThermionicScott]

Damn kids and you’re easy to find birth years.

The flip side is that a lot of things sucked for those of us born in 1980 -- cars, guitars, amps, appliances, etc. Tail end of the malaise era.

 

[Streeper541]

The flip side is that a lot of things sucked for those of us born in 1980 -- cars, guitars, amps, appliances, etc. Tail end of the malaise era.

I dunno... I've got a pretty great Peterson birth year pipe which is hallmarked 1980.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I dunno... I've got a pretty great Peterson birth year pipe which is hallmarked 1980.

Oh yeah, not everything sucked, for sure. Wonder how many 1980 kids we have here?

 

[Peter Turbo]

Oh yeah, not everything sucked, for sure. Wonder how many 1980 kids we have here?

Got a couple bids going right now on two 1985 Dunhills, I've seen a few since I started smoking but none of those caught my eye like these did.

Also an '85 Stanwell I found looking good as well.

I only need 1

 

[Homer]

Damn kids and you’re easy to find birth years.

Yes it was so easy I only found two unsmoked and bought them.

 

[rmbittner]

I am curious what, if any, guidelines are used when searching for a birth year pipe. I'm sure this varies from person to person. My biggest question is how do you find a pipe for that specific year; are there sites that let you filter out by year? If you have one, was it enough to simply have a pipe from that year or did it have to be a specific maker?

I think Dunhills tend to be singled out because their stamping is so detailed; once you understand the codes and the styles that were used, you can date a Dunhill without much trouble. I don’t know that that can be said for any other major brand.

My birth-year Dunhill is still on my bucket list, but I’ve accidentally come kind of close. Turns out that one of my eBay Dunhill purchases was from 1964…and I was born in 1961. (Someday I’d like to be able to afford a birth-year Stratocaster too…)

 

[ashdigger]

Since I’m technically a vampire my birth year of 1884 was a snap to find.

 

[Piping Abe]

I don’t get the obsession with birth year stuff. But thats just me.

 

[danish]

I don’t get the obsession with birth year stuff. But thats just me.

Agree. It just drives up prices on old Dunhills, so that we who appreciate such old britwood, but care more about the pipes themselves, than about the exact years they were made, suffer

 

[mso489]

Even with Dunhill/White Spot you have to have a reference book to discern the year the pipe was made. With most brands, it is more involved than that, if not impossible. I've always thought pipe makers should add the year of manufacture or artisan crafting to the stamp, but I've never gotten any traction with other pipe smokers on this.

There are a few pipe makers who do this, or have done this. The Italian pipe maker Luciano does that, or did it; I'm not sure if they are still in business, but they made fine pipes. The Colfax North Carolina pipe carver Jerry Perry etches the year he makes each pipe on the shank. He is the only pipe maker I know who uses Mountain Laurel for some of his pipes, along with briar and one or two other woods.

Since I'm not a White Spot guy, I've abandoned the idea of owning a birth year pipe, but I have pipes marking various other occasions and events.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

The flip side is that a lot of things sucked for those of us born in 1980 -- cars, guitars, amps, appliances, etc. Tail end of the malaise era.

True story, I'm 1982. I've only ever seen one pipe made in 1982 that I liked, @georged has a 1982 Dunhill LB thats pretty outstanding. But other than that one all the 80's pipes tend to be unattractive to me. Guitars and amps from the 80s are truly dreadful, with the exception of the Fender Rivera amps.

 

[midwestpipesmoker70]

I would love to have a birth year Dunhill...1970! Maybe someday.

 

[tbradsim1]

Yep, got my 1943 root briar a Dunhill, big boy.

 

[mikeysmokes]

My only requirement was it be a pipe from my birth year, a lot of ppl it seems look for Dunhills as their pipe, different strokes for different folks. I found my birth year Dunhill on eBay after months of searching. I now have 3 in 3 classic shapes.

How did you search? Just putting in the year and tobacco pipe? Or by specific make?

 

[mikeysmokes]

I don’t get the obsession with birth year stuff. But thats just me.

It's not a need and not something I'm going to hunt the ends of the earth for. I do think it's kind of intriguing and charming and kind of endears you to the hobby even more, personally. Even to that end, I would think anything over $200 would be excessive. Only thing I would even remotely consider going over that price point for would be anything crafted in Calabria, Italy AND my birth year. That's where my father's family is from.

 

[mikeysmokes]

Have you guys had better luck through the bigger sites for estates, EBay or more so on auction sites?