Without doubt, Smokingpipes.com is the premier online American pipeshop, for a variety of reasons: as mentioned above- the up-to-the-minute stock status is rocksolid in accuracy; they actively engage & build relationships with producers which allow "top choice" stuff to get on the shelf; their commitment to customer satisfaction is unparalleled; they carry some exclusive stuff that can't be found elsewhere (like the tsuge Mizki pipes which seem to be selling like hotcakes, totally affordable --- as well as little things like the Gloredo pipecleaners which are like a Cadillac & come with a nifty ball-tipped shank cleaning brush!); their selection of books is wider than most; the actual website design is easily navigable & painless to browse; their blog offers not only new product updates but also insider industry info along with invaluable smoking tips...& many other aspects all contribute to the fact of their unrivalled excellence.
And they are also a major sponsor of this very site!
I, for one, am very glad about the google cached memory because it has allowed me to build a quite massive image library for reference purposes, many of the pictures come from Smokingpipes.com. I do agree though, it can be painful to see those great pipes that were available at one time but not now --- which reinforces the necessity for perseverance required to score your sought-after pipe, SPC updates every Mon. & Thurs. roundabout 4-5 EST & it's become a ritual of mine to check it as soon as possible because the good stuff goes quick!
Just today they had up a lovely Stanwell 124 Revival which is difficult to find Stateside, it was sold in about an hour I suppose, it ain't there now & goes to show ya gotta get it while the gettin's good!
To this day I still regret passing up this 20M, which was actually up for a while & the Stanwell military-mounts are my realm of collecting, but it was early in my pipesmoking phase & I had no idea how rare it was to find! I was actually put off by the obvious fill, but have since come to terms with the facts that most vintage Stannies have a fill somewhere --- it was a different world back then concerning such things.
the 20M
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=92049
And look at this small sampling of unbelievable estate pipes that've been up for grabs:
...rarities like this Jorgen L. design:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=42082
...extra-fine example of classics:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=17025
...totally unique & highly sought after:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=82274
...the otherworldly astropipe:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=34729
...the unheard of:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/italy/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=10755
...the odd:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/denmark/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=60132
...alternative materials:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/italy/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=91920
...the totally incredible:
http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/estate/japan/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=78055
LONG LIVE SMOKINGPIPES!!!
