Dr Grabow meaning of colored spades?

[danielplainview]

I've been building a nice collection of older Dr Grabow pipes. As you know, most of the spades on the pipes are white, but I have more than a few with different colored spades. Blue, black, orange, and yellow. Does anyone know the meaning of the different colors? Are they to indicate dates, quality, ect. ? Maybe it's just for looks.

 

[stosho]

This link will be helpful. I broke the mold and painted the spade on my green Color Duke to match the pipe itself. Seemed as logical as the original design.

http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-drgrabow.html

 

[tuold]

I had read on the Dr Grabow forums some time ago that the push stem pipes had the blue spade until the mid'90s. All the "adjustomatics" had white spades. Does that fit with your collection? I'd sure like to know more myself.

 

[ejames]

IIRC, blue spades indicated a push stem FILTER pipe, yellow was for push stem STINGER equipped pipes, Orange was for Westbrook only which has the stinger equipped Ajustomatic stem.Black spades are actually painted over white spades and were on pipes sold as seconds or rejects at discounted prices. Don't see many of those. Seems like the white spade was originally for Ajustomatic pipes but eventually came to be used on all Grabows.
Edit- I forgot the silver colored spades. These are very rare and have been seen only in Berwycks which were a filtered Ajustomatic pipe. The Berwyck was an RJR coupon pipe like the Westbrook.

 

[tuold]

Thanks ejames. I knew you would come through!

 

[webbb01]

Does anyone know what this color "spade" indicates?

 

[ejames]

Does anyone know what this color "spade" indicates?

Nothing. I'd say that some one has either painted or otherwise colored the spade or the spade may have been missing and replaced with an inlay made from from a epoxy mixed with a dye or stain or the hole where the spade should be was filled with paint. I've seen that done many times,although usually with a color that Grabow used. The spade sometimes will fall out. Grabow never used that color on any pipe. Can you post a larger close up shot of the spade.

 

[aldecaker]

The only non-white spade I have is yellow. It is on a push-stem, 6mm filter Savoy I purchased new in either 1990 or 1991. Transition period, extra yellow stock on hand, a one-off? I simply don't know.

 

[anchovyd]

Racist topic.

 

[aldecaker]

@anchovyd- What part of the argument are you losing?

 

[brewshooter]

Racist topic.

That's good right there!! :clap:

 

[danielplainview]

I've learned a lot from everyone on forums since originally posting this. I was on my own as a pipe smoker for 20 years before joining Pipes Mag. What a fantastic community. I've learned more on the forum, than the previous decade. I've made some great friends, and acquired PAD and TAD.
Cheers to the brothers of briar.

 

[ejames]

The only non-white spade I have is yellow. It is on a push-stem, 6mm filter Savoy I purchased new in either 1990 or 1991. Transition period, extra yellow stock on hand, a one-off? I simply don't know.

There are exceptions or maybe I should say oddball out there. The mid 50's up Authors-shape 81- was never made with a saddle bit stem,but every now and then one will pop up. None of the Sparta shape charts show an Oom Paul, but I have one, a Commodore. After 1991, when Lane Limited took over the company, all kinds of weird shit was made. Sandblasted Grand Dukes etc. If it has an ABS stem and doesn't look right,then it was probably "Lane Era" made.

 

[12pups]

ejames, you rock. You are the Grabow encyclopedia.
I appreciate that -- and probably other Grabow fans -- more than you can know. It's because my best-smoking pipes (I don't have the big names, Dunhilll for instance, but I do have Stanwells and Savinellis) are *still* my Grabows.
And I like that they are American.
AND I like that there is this nice, long, running history, this Grabow evolution, that you know so much about.
Good on ya.
Joe Pups