Counterfeit Big Ben?

[animusfurandi]

I recently purchased what claimed to be a Big Ben pipe on eBay, and I'm having some real difficulty verifying its authenticity. A lot of my skepticism has to do with the fact that I can't seem to find any record of this particular line of pipes having been produced. I also purchased this from a seller that has garnered a terrible reputation for herself by selling Chinese knockoff pipes (benandci, who seems to enjoy all the popularity of the bowl cut hairstyle). These things, coupled with the Chinese characters on the SKU sticker on the back of the box, and the Chinese newspaper it came packed in, raised some red flags. I hate to ask for a favor so soon after joining up, but I was wondering if any of you would be willing to lend your expertise, as I've gotten some pretty sage advice from browsing these forums before.

Here's what's really bugging me. If you look closely, you can see the stylized Big Ben logo stamp, with the word "ART" stamped beneath it. I've put hours into searching, and I'm unable to find anything that indicates that Gubbels ever manufactured a line of "ART" pipes for Big Ben. Stamped on the other side of the shank are the numbers "033" over the words "MADE IN HOLLAND." This seems to check out, as I've looked at photos from reputable dealers and the font and placement of the "033" and "MADE IN HOLLAND" stamps appear identical.

Here's a better view of the entire pipe. The bowl shape is identical to other pipes made by Gubbels that also have the 033 bowl shape. The stem also bears the silver-colored, stylized "B," and rubbing it with my fingernail, nothing flaked off. I've compared the stem to photos of other Big Ben pipes from reputable dealers, and they appear to be of identical shape and quality. Comparing with photos of the inside of the bowl on similar pipes, the draft hole is also bored right where it should be.

Here's another thing that bugs me. This thing came in this thin cardboard box. Big Ben's aren't known for being expensive luxury items, but this strikes me as a pretty crappy box. The logos on the box are all embossed into the paper, though, which seems to me a step that a counterfeiter wouldn't take.
I'm having trouble getting over the warning signs, but overall, I can't help but be left with the impression that if this is a fake, it's a good one. It seems unlikely to me that a Chinese counterfeiter would go to the trouble to stamp this thing so well, especially considering the relatively low cost of Big Bens. Any thoughts?

 

[misterlowercase]

I think it's real.
No problem.
Boxes have gotten flimsier all around,

Stanwell used to have a nice thick sturdy box but now is the thin cheaper kind.
You gotta look at the Euro shops, that is probably a Continental market pipe...
http://www.haddockspipeshop.com/en/product/pipe-big-ben-experiment-blackwhite/

I wouldn't worry about it,

all the pipe makers are in China,

it's a huge market!

This looks like the style you got:

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Big-ben-40-77-art-402-series-meerschaum-smoking-pipe-8/715269_693560444.html
:

 

[papipeguy]

Big Ben is made in the Netherlands. Here's the current web site.
http://gubbelspipes.com/en/brands/big-ben

 

[animusfurandi]

Heard back from the manufacturer today and it's real. Produced back in 2002.

 

[phil67]

Just somewhat of an obvious question here if I may.

If the seller has garnered such a terrible reputation then why did you purchase something from her?

I occasionally purchase things on eBay and the FIRST thing I look at is the sellers rating/reputation.

 

[kanaka95]

Man that would have sucked if it was a fakie.Good thing it wasn't.Enjoy the pipe bro.

 

[animusfurandi]

Just somewhat of an obvious question here if I may.

If the seller has garnered such a terrible reputation then why did you purchase something from her?

I occasionally purchase things on eBay and the FIRST thing I look at is the sellers rating/reputation.

Lack of due diligence, plain and simple. Although I can only be faulted so much, since she has tremendous feedback on eBay(I believe it's 100% positive). The name gets around occasionally on pipesmoking forums as someone that's sold some knockoffs in spite of this, though. I wasn't aware of her bad reputation until I received the item and started getting suspicious. It was then that I Googled the seller's username and came up with several forum postings about her dubious goods.
That said, she sold me a genuine article, so if that clears her name a little more, it deserves to be out there.

 

[rmbittner]

Animus:
Off-topic favor: Any chance you'd be willing to change your avatar photo? It's hard to respond positively to someone who is perpetually telling me to "F-off" every time he posts something.
EDIT: Thank you!!
Bob

 

[mso489]

If I were a hot shot trying to make a buck off the pipe market (which sounds somewhat like an oxymoron to me,

but whatever ...) I think I'd go with some sort of jazzy original brand and not try to knock off the old standards,

of which Big Ben of The Netherlands is one. In the chatty world of the internet, these illusions last about 18

hours. I'm glad this is a Big Ben. Mostly, I think those are good pipes. The Dutch are sticklers for precision

and craftsmanship.

 

[phil24]

Haha. I guess you were the one who outbid me.