Can a Pipe be Aged?

[lockdown199]

I've been looking at buying estate pipes and was wondering if a pipe can be aged as far as year it was made?

 

[kcvet67]

It depends a lot on the pipe. Most Dunhills have a date code. Many of the older brands can be narrowed to a date range by the nomenclature stamped on them (wording, font style, etc.). Some, such as Boswells, have the year on the pipe.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

Also if there's a silver band on the pipe there's usually a dating system by the manufacturer stamped on it. Peterson has a very extensive hallmarking list with their pipes that have silver bands.

 

[mso489]

Some pipe carvers add the date to their signature or stamp, and Luciano does that as well.

This doesn't help with the older pipes you are looking at, but it will help in the future.

It makes a lot of sense and I really appreciate it. (Jerry Perry, the N.C. pipe carver, signs

and dates most of his pipes).

 

[lockdown199]

I spent last night looking and found several sites that helped with aging, also found one for Peterson that was very useful.

 

[voorhees]

I have an 87 yr old Dunhill....how's that for "aged"?

 

[taerin]

I've heard that you can "age" a pipe with an oven at low temp in like 6 hours, supposedly gives you a more mellow smoke...

 

[salewis]

I don't think that you can age a briar pipe. Often when you buy an estate pipe you have older briar which usually is better than new briar for the same price of a pipe. Now if you want to get very good briar, and often old briar since they age the briar block for several years, you have to pay through the nose for a pipe from a named carver.

 

[locopony]

As a pipe is used tobacco oils and residue is absorbed into the wood while it builds up a nice cake. Im sure that stuff is absorbed by the cake and then even more into the wood. In much the same way a meer will change color with use a naked briar will darken as well.

So I am guessing that smoking one will be the best way to "age" one.