I just purchased a round 12 pipe rack with glass humidor made by Decatur. I have found little information on this company and when they made these pipe racks and if they still do. Also I would like to find out when my pipe rack was made. Is anyone familiar with this company and their pipe racks? Does anyone know how to find out when your pipe rack was made by Decatur?
Decatur Pipe Racks
- Thread starter jerrys12
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I have a Decatur pipe ashtray that was my grandfathers. He had it ever since I can remember. Its possibly from the 50's or 60's. Its a wooden ashtray with a pipe rest on the side, amber glass with a cork pipeknocker.
Here's some info suggesting they closed and items auctioned off in 2009:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.smokers.pipes/QOkLbsr-n30
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.smokers.pipes/QOkLbsr-n30
I have two Decatur pipe racks, one of which I had to refinish due to water damage on the finish. I like them both. One is a square shaped six hole rack that luckily fits most bent stems, which is all I use it for now. The other is a 12 hole spinning rack -damn, I was happy to finally snag one- but it only accepts straight or smaller bent pipes.
Both have jars on them. On the rack that was damaged I refinished the lid with decoupage mosaic of drug store blend pouches. The other I deposit my cigar bands in to.
Both have jars on them. On the rack that was damaged I refinished the lid with decoupage mosaic of drug store blend pouches. The other I deposit my cigar bands in to.
Mo pics right now but I have three Decatur racks that look like they're from the '60s or '70s from eBay; two hold 6 pipes, the other one is a two level rack for 12. I imagine since they were built in a time when free hands were taking off, they are spacious, andw hold my larger pipes very well, and are worth looking out for, since a lot of racks seem to be designed for smaller straight billiards.
At least in the shops I frequented, Decatur pipe furniture was standard issue in the 90's and early 2000's. I know they were around much earlier too, but that was before my time. But everybody sold their stuff. It wasn't especially stylish or innovative, but it was reasonably priced and got the job done. I'd think they were too prolific and pedestrian for their pieces to be easily dated - there were just a ton of Decatur items out there at shops, eBay, estate sales, you name it. But you never know what research some industrious piper has done.
I always thought their racks were fine, though they often didn't accommodate large or oddly shaped pipes very well. The pieces with jars were always a little annoying because (as noted above) the jars were really huge, much too large for storing a typical tin. They were clearly aimed at the classic codgers that smoked nothing but Half-and-Half or the like and just refilled the jar with a new tub whenever they were running low.
I always thought their racks were fine, though they often didn't accommodate large or oddly shaped pipes very well. The pieces with jars were always a little annoying because (as noted above) the jars were really huge, much too large for storing a typical tin. They were clearly aimed at the classic codgers that smoked nothing but Half-and-Half or the like and just refilled the jar with a new tub whenever they were running low.
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