Cracked Estate Pipes

[hoppes]

I have been collecting/refurbishing old pipes---just for the hobby and working with beautiful wood. Also to pick up a great smoker or two. I have noticed that there seem to be more old Dunhill pipes for sale that are cracked or over smoked/burned etc. Recently there have been a number of Dunhill Sandblast/rusticated being sold that are in terrible condition. Anyone else have that experience or am I just not seeing the whole picture. Is it because people just don't take care of their Dunhills, are there more older Dunhills in the world so they are used much longer, does the way Dunhill process their briars make them more susceptible to cracking and burnout ? I collect many makes and grades of pipes and don't seem to see the same problem. What am I missing?? Thanks, Hoppes

 

[Civil War]

That's a great question.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I've asked myself that same question. I've restored a few Dunhill pipes that were in just horrible condition, but seldom seem to find other makes in such condition. So what's up with these Dunhill smokers?

 

[Civil War]

Maybe for some of them "I only want the best" but actually have no clue about pipes or how to smoke a pipe. Note, I don't think this applies to most Dunhill smokers (I have a few myself), but I think Dunhill may attract the other type due its status as a "status symbol"

 

[snagstangl]

There are plenty of crapped out estates. The main difference I see on ebay is that people aren't trying to sell the brand on a cracked up piece of junk. I think Kaywoodie and Dr. Grabow put out way more pipes than Dunhill could have dreamed. I think it is just a continuation of the Dunhill marketing. 50 to 100 bucks for a cracked pipe, that will catch your attention.

 

[mso489]

The positive side of this is that apparently the original Dunhill buyers thought enough of their pipes to smoke them until they were damaged. In some cases this reflects badly on the pipe, but perhaps in most cases it means the owner smoked them hard and didn't maintain them or store them well. The negative side may be that other brands don't turn up destroyed by smoking as often. The neutral side is that the used ("estate") pipe market has developed to the point where many old pipes, and any Dunhill, is seen has having some residual value. Pipes that would be casually tossed in the trash are snapped up and resold at often pretty good prices. Dunhill pricing is a marketing phenomenon and a bit of a public hypnosis, and so is this. More credit to Dunhill for pulling it off.

 

[Chasing Embers]

At one point in time, Kaywoodies were more expensive than Dunhill, and a pipe was just a pipe. Smoke it to death and throw it away. My experience with Dunhill pipes has been less than satisfactory, and have downgraded them to glove box and work pipes at best. Years ago, there weren't many collectors, and Dunhills were just another pipe.

 

[georged]

They're listed by those antique resellers who know nothing about pipes EXCEPT that the magic white dot = $, so they try a Hail Mary listing with them, while significantly damaged non-white-dot ones just get tossed.
It's skewed data, in other words.

 

[Chasing Embers]

And new buyers will take the bait.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Years ago, there weren't many collectors, and Dunhills were just another pipe.

That was not the case in some locales 50 years ago. Even non smokers recognized the Dunhill white spot and name on pipes as a bit special.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I have two from '74 that are no more impressive than the Linkmans in my collection.

 

[tuold]

Probably not a Dunhill, but an Ebay seller suggested this would be a great Father's Day present.

 

[jonasclark]

Tuold, I'd hazard a guess that said seller has so little experience with pipes that they don't realize those cracks aren't a normal part of an old pipe.

 

[jpmcwjr]

How in the world could a pipe get damaged that extensively? Put the stummel in a 500º kiln for a day?

 

[joeman]

Dave G shot me a heads-up on an eBay listing about 2 weeks ago; it was a Dunhill with a bowl just as cracked up as this one...and it ended up selling for over $50. I would echo the comments here regarding Dunhills; I've done my share of refurbishing and selling estates. I've had a number of Dunhills, and in all honesty, the Dunhills I've smoked would not likely 'crack' my top 10 smokers.

 

[mso489]

Tuold, perhaps that pipe would be a good Father's Day gift if that was the gift-giver's opinion of his father. Sort of like Santa leaving a lump of coal.

 

[joeman]

that pipe would be a good Father's Day gift if that was the gift-giver's opinion of his father.

Great point. If my adult son gave this to me...I'd think it was a joke. If we weren't as close as we are, I'd think he was trying to send me a message.