Collecting Ethos

[PipeMarc]

I can’t exactly remember who and which Pipes Magazine show I heard it on, but a conversation came up that most pipe smokers don’t have a collection, they have an allocation or rather an assortment of pipes. Not a collection. This had me pondering the validity of the statement made and if that rang true in my own pipe smoking journey. I began to conceptualize as to what I have in mind for my long term “collecting” goals. Do I just buy every piece I come across that gives me that PAD tingle, and eventually sit back one day and call the mass assortment of pipes I acquired my collection? Do you methodically plan and stick to an ethos of a collection? What is your current pipe collecting ethos? Do you have one at all? Is this a stupid question and thought experiment I came up with after to many whiskys? Probably. Nonetheless I’m curious what some of the collectors on here have to say regarding their collecting pursuits.

 

[kcghost]

No, I didn't plan anything. Just selected what I liked and that was that. My pipes do have a theme in that three-fourths of them are bent to some degree. The bend cane range from maybe a sixteenth to a full bent,

 

[Douglas]

I’m definitely in the assortment camp. I buy based on what I like, what appeals to me. I see collecting more along the lines of selecting pipes that have certain aspects that make them unique, rare, valuable, etc. It would make a great pursuit and I may one day take it up. I can definitely find ‘assortment’ pipes that are affordable. I suspect that the things that make a pipe collectible would also drive their cost up.

 

[Manawydan]

I have an assortment that leans toward bulldogs and bents, but isn't exclusive to them. I like a fairly wide variety of pipe styles and enjoy getting interesting examples from different makes.

 

[RookieGuy80]

I'm definitely an assortment guy. I buy pipes based on "Hey! That looks cool!" I can see one day narrowing, or more properly further defining, my assortment into a collection. But to be perfectly and intellectually honest, I'm still having fun in the "Hey, that looks cool" phase.

 

[fireground_piper]

I have 4 pipes that I've purchased (My first pipe - A Savinelli, a Bertram estate that I like the look and historical context of, a Savinelli 2020 Christmas pipe and a 1983 Dunhill Christmas pipe). Outside of that, I've made my other pipes due to my specific wants.

I don't anticipate I'd expand much of my purchase collection with the exception of a 1982 Dunhill Christmas pipe. I stumbled across the 1983 on this board and bought it. If a 1982 crossed my path one day, I'd also buy it and that's my foreseeable ethos on pipes I would procure.

 

[PipeMarc]

My current mindset towards buying and collecting is to continue buying an assortment and eventually let that ethos appear rather than set out on a certain collecting path from the beginning. Almost like the ethos of a collection finds you, not the other way around.

 

[xrundog]

If you have 20 pipes of varying makes and origins it’s okay to call it a collection. But it’s really an assortment. If you have a larger number of pipes many of which are in specific categories of brand, type or era, then that’s a collection comprised of smaller discrete collections. My Dunhill collection, my antique collection, etc..

 

[Alejo R.]

It doesn't have an Ethos, but it is a collection. For me, the difference between accumulation and collection is not because there is a common theme, but rather because of the knowledge of the pieces one has. With the exception of a few unidentified pieces, I have a basic knowledge of each of the pipes. Forget about pipes, let's think about vinyl records, the fact that a collection is of many genres, from different periods and from many places does not make it any less a collection than if it were about a single genre or a single artist. As long as the owner can take any record and say a particularity and a reason for having it, to me it's a collection.

Nor does the quantity make the collection. For example, I have four pipes from Walt Disney World, they are not many, they are not very special in themselves, but for me those four pieces are a collection in themselves.

 

[khiddy]

I wouldn't consider myself a collector of pipes, though I do have about 20 or so. As my little assortment has grown, I've discovered that pipes I bought at the start no longer appeal to me, now that I've learned more about smoking and can see the shortcomings of my collection. For example, I have concluded that I don't like stingers due to the difficulty of cleaning them. Several of my early pipes have stingers (they were given to me), so I plan to give them away or sell as a lot – someday.

I have discovered that I prefer army mount stems, and like the looks of slightly bent pipes. I like slightly larger bowls. I like clays for their pure smoking characteristics. I have and like Falcons, bought originally as that was a cheap way to acquire a meerschaum bowl to try.

So I don't have a plan for my collection, but I have preferences. If a pipe (usually an estate pipe) catches my eye, I'll give it a second look and see how it accords with my preferences. But I'm not just going to buy any old pipe I see and bring it home. Anymore. For now.

 

[AroEnglish]

I am actively trying to avoid being a collector. I think something in me naturally likes collecting but I am also fickle and my tastes change with the wind. Plus I don't have as much disposable income as my PAD says I do. So I'm trying to take the advice of others and only keeping the ones that smoke well, are aesthetically pleasing, and ones that get smoked regularly. All my pipes hit one or two of those criteria but not all three. I'm in the process of finding which ones hit all three then plan to move on the rest.

 

[AreBee]

I think I'm becoming an accumulator more than a collector. I've only been smoking about five months but I've accumulated seven pipes, which is probably not be a lot to most of you, but to me (and my wife), seven is a lot!

My first pipe, a blocky Meer, was a gift. When I thought I should add a pipe or two to the rotation, I went after those that "spoke" to me. I didn't notice that three of the first four pipes that I bought were Bulldogs.

In the last month or two, I found myself saying, "I don't have a Churchwarden" or "I think I need a Peterson System pipe and maybe a Spigot" or "Oom Pauls are really cool." I think that may be a collector's mentality.

Whatever it is, I bought five more pipes this morning.

 

[xrundog]

I think I'm becoming an accumulator more than a collector. I've only been smoking about five months but I've accumulated seven pipes, which is probably not be a lot to most of you, but to me (and my wife), seven is a lot!

My first pipe, a blocky Meer, was a gift. When I thought I should add a pipe or two to the rotation, I went after those that "spoke" to me. I didn't notice that three of the first four pipes that I bought were Bulldogs.

In the last month or two, I found myself saying, "I don't have a Churchwarden" or "I think I need a Peterson System pipe and maybe a Spigot" or "Oom Pauls are really cool." I think that may be a collector's mentality.

Whatever it is, I bought five more pipes this morning.

That’s how it works in the beginning. If I had a billion dollars I’d probably have 1000 pipes in a special room in museum quality drawers or cases. I might have a guy on retainer to clean and maintain my pipes like Jay Leno does with his cars.
By economic necessity I’ve narrowed my acquisitions to pipes I really like. It’s still a tad scattershot, but what I have is thematic enough that the oddballs stand out.
And if you amass 50 or 100 pipes with no obvious connection, who cares? Knock yourself out! Enjoy it!

 

[sablebrush52]

Different strokes for different folks.

My journey with pipes has gone through several phases. I started out just buying what appealed to me. Then I got interested in particular makers. If having a number of pipes made by a particular maker is collecting, I certainly qualify.

Last time I counted there were over 100 Family Era Barlings as well as a few Corporate Era pieces. They range in age from 1882 to the early 1970's. And my interest in Barling didn't stop with pipes. There's the only known complete copy of Barling's prewar catalog, Barling boxes, a Barling display case, Barling pipe tools and a cutter top of Barling branded tobacco from the 1960's. I recently received the wonderful gift of a framed and mounted 1880's era letter from the head of B. Barling & Sons to the owner of the land on which their factory was built. Seems everyone bitches about the rent.

Early Kaywoodies were also an interest and I and collected those, though not to the extent that I collected Barlings. The Kaywoodies range from 1919 to the late 1930's.

There's also a nice grouping of prewar Sasieni 8 and 4 dots, as well as small groupings of Comoy and Ben Wade.

I have a thing for Britwood. They smoke wonderfully well, and fit in with my interest in the history of the pipe trade.

But I also like American artisan carvers whose work shows a distinct personal style, like Scottie Piersel, Lee Von Erck, Tony Fillenwarth, Trever Talbert, and Paul Tatum, who I interviewed and about whom I created a page on Pipedia.

Aside from those groupings there's a motley assortment of pipes I bought because I liked how they looked, or I was just curious about that maker.

All of this had to be done on a strict budget, so while I have some very fine and rare specimens in the Barling collection, there are a great many popular models that I don't have because I'm not going to compete with deep pocketed collectors.

It requires patience and in some cases luck to find primo examples for a fraction of the usual auction price.

I've also been the beneficiary of a few people in the piping community who have offered me great deals in thanks for research I've done for them or out of friendship.

I'm no longer buying because I don't need any more pipes and I'm more than satisfied with what I have. Yes, there are a few white whales out there, but they're safe from me, unless I can acquire them for a fraction of their market price.

These days I collect pictures for my Barling archive. From the standpoint of building a trail, they work just as well.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I have little interest in collections or assortments. I don’t like thinking about the pipe when I smoke. I want to be so accustomed to the pipe that it is practically invisible to me, so to speak. To achieve that, I keep the number of pipes I have and smoke to a minimum, and I don’t want any of them to be anything special.

 

[mpjetset]

Collections like variations of the same shape here, so I guess I have an assortment of collections.

 

[Duke of Erinmore]

I wouldn't call it an Ethos, but my collection interest is mainly German artisan pipes, including the early classics. There are a couple of classics, and I would really love to own one of each of them.

This ethos thing has a downside. I've parted with a couple of pipes after having discovered that I rarely smoke them. So I don't buy any more pipes just to have them, even if the maker in still missing in my collection.

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

I’ve 3 Peterson Briars, 4 MMs, & an IMP. My plan is to buy a new Meerschaum pipe each year around February for my birthday . If I stick to that it’s a good thing for sure & I should avoid acquiring pipes that I really don’t want or need.️

 

[greysmoke]

My collection was once pushing 300pipes. Now it’s about three dozen. All that collecting / culling has taken place over several decades.

Now, I hold onto certain pipes because:

• I commissioned it
• I have sentimental memories associated with it
• It’s in a shape I like, especially if it’s a hard to find shape (like my Upshall panel skater)
• It’s a damned good pipe

A given pipe may be more than one of the above.

Right now, there are plenty of pipes I’d like — but none I really think I need.

 

[BayouGhost]

I started off with one pipe, a bent billiard as a staring place and then as I did some research and reading, bought a pot shape solely to devote to Latakia blends and a bulldog that I use for Balkans and Orientals. Once that was done, I acquired a few more shapes over some time and devoted 2 of them to Virginias, 2 to Burley/Kentucky and added a couple that I could not resist including a handmade Danish pipe and just picked up one in person at the Savinelli flagship in Milan. I am at around 9 pipes at the moment. I have passed up a few lately that I thought were one of a kind but can't justify adding any more every time I see one that wows me. I sort of just ended up with the number that I have so I would call it an assortment, but I do really enjoy unique freehands shapes and custom-made pipes and will probably "collect" a few over the years. I did give away 2 pipes to a friend who was into the hobby, but who only had a cheap cob, and they were just sitting in the closet not being enjoyed. I guess that will happen as well over time, which will free up space for new additions.