Comprehensive Ashton History

[georged]

I was searching for something and came across this by chance. Good read. (Bob Hamlin has been out of the PipeWorld for a good while, but he was quite serious at one time)
http://www.pipes.org/BURST/FORMATTED/187.025.html

 

[mso489]

I'll see if I can get my gimpy search engine to open this. I've looked at Ashton pipes. They seem to get mixed reviews, maybe based on the various periods of manufacture. Attractive pipes. I'm just never sure, at the price. Link opened -- good piece.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I know Ive read that before but you always catch bits you miss on the first read.

I wonder if Bills son Spence is still involved. Anyone know?
And speaking of Ashton... Seems to me in the last 3 or 4 weeks when SP.com gets a "Fresh" shipment of Ashtons in they sell super fast. Multiple times it has said for example, " 8 Fresh Ashton Pipes", but when I click on the category just 2 or maybe 3 are shown. This indicates a few sold immediately. Anyone else notice this?

 

[tfdickson]

Great read, thanks for posting it. I bought my first high grade pipe, an unsmoked Upshall, from Bob Hamlin around 20 years ago and I fell hard for his PCCA blends (made by McC) soon after. He also introduced me to World Tobac Ltd. #341, an incredible oriental blend he though enough of to have McC tin up 100lb for him (it was a non-McC bulk blend).
Here’s another take on the early Ashton days by R.D. Field:
http://rdfield.com/previously-published-articl/the-ashton-pipe-story.html
Lots more historical info and eye-candy here, click the link at the bottom of the page to go to the next page/decade:
http://www.rdfield.com/Ashton/the_ashton_collection.htm