Well this seems an excellent time to pop back in. I read the long screed by gmpipes who has appeared to have no other purpose than to offer a spirited defense of dishonesty coupled with an attack on me. Even though his one post and no further involvement leaves him coming across like a troll, I'll presume that gmpipes is legit. Let's discuss.
To me it's admirable the way some of these pipes come out specially when you consider that they are but a piece of wood that we set fire to, chew on and handle with dirty hands.
Agreed. I stated, repeatedly, that I have no issue with "restoration", only with misrepresentation. Try reading more carefully.
I specially don't understand those comments made by sablebrush52 about the various ebay sellers he approves and disapproves of. I don't understand why a decision cannot be made as to if they are " approved" or not because we cannot be in a game playing for both teams.
So if you disagree with me then do your own thing. You are under no obligation to follow my lead anymore than anyone else here. I don't own eBay. What I think isn't law and doesn't carry the weight of holy writ. What we do here is share our observations. You are free to share yours as I am free to share mine. By the way, the phrase "playing for both teams" makes no sense here.
We buy pipes from these sellers but we also complain of extensive facelifts but those extensive facelifts mean a pipe restoration where the cake has been cut, pipe cleaned, sanitized, polished and waxed. That's what a restoration is supposed to be as far as my knowledge goes, I could be wrong but I'm not.
Your knowledge doesn't go very far. And yes, you're wrong. When you make declarations of condition that you do not know to be true, or which you know to be false, you are stepping beyond the mechanics of "restoration". In the former case, one might say that it's only a matter of "selling" the product, and in the latter it's deliberate deception. Moreover, restoration is more than cosmetics. It's also structural. Is a suspension bridge "restored" when it gets a new coat of paint? In your world, a car is restored because the chrome gleams, even though it has a bent frame, a cracked block, weak seals, and thin rotors. I hope that no kids are being ferried around in any of your "restorations".
In the area of rare and collectible pipes condition matters. And condition is more than a buff on a wheel. Claims that: "Somehow this extremely rare gold-banded Barling from 1923 has survived in like new condition, probably seldom smoked." when it has been polished out to look like that a week or so before, is clear deception. The pipe did not somehow survive in the condition in which it is presented.
That to me is a great businessman that knows exactly what he's doing. That is called an opportunity which no one else took but he did and he made the most of it.
A lot of people agree with you. I read about them in the newspaper when they get sentenced for securities fraud, like Bernie Madoff.
What was also interesting about that thread was who else chimed in, namely Neill Archer Roan, one of the most respected collectors of historic and collectible pipes in the field. He was quite clear on it:
To withhold that information because it might affect a sales price is, in my opinion, unethical at the least and outright fraud at extremes. Given the prices that some pipes command these days among collectors, this is not an insignificant issue that may be excused or explained away.
Evidently his definition of "ethics" differs from yours. I'll take his.
Again, I didn't object to a restoration being done. I objected to deliberate deception. If that makes me "unethical" then I'm happy to be unethical.
Also, I don't agree with your characterization of this auction as being a shining example of great business. If you look at the metrics of the bidding, it's clear that it was a lucky (for the seller) auction. The usual collectors stayed away. I know some of them and correspond with them outside of this forum. There were exactly 3 bids on it. Two newbies and a guy who buys lighters. The two high bids were snipers colliding in the stratosphere at the last moment. It's a stupid bidding practice that happens a lot. I've seen insane prices, as high as 400% above market from practices like that. Great business? Baloney. I've paid considerably less for NOS unsmoked Barlings.
Unless the use of the english language has changed the word res·to·ra·tion means - repair, repairing, fixing, mending, refurbishment, reconditioning, rehabilitation, rebuilding, reconstruction, overhaul, redevelopment, renovation.
And again, it's more than cosmetics. We use the work "restoration" a bit loosely when it comes to cleaning up pipes. But again, we're referring to a specific part of the market, collectible pipes. Condition matters. Condition also includes the structural integrity of the pipe. If a pipe has been heavily smoked, dropped, dinged, banged against a fireplace, beaten, kicked, punched, and/or strangled, sawing off the burn marks and slapping on some wax doesn't address these issues. Overheated wood, wood with spidering, weak spots, burnouts, etc aren't made whole with a sop of pipe mud. And from a collectible standpoint, the structural condition is an integral part of it's market value, not just whether it has been botoxed.
Once upon a time, sellers aid things like, "I believe the stem to be original or at least factory made" as opposed to "with original stem", which is a claim that can't be substantiated.
Time to stop beating this dead horse.
In any event, thank you for your post. I didn't realize that I was so important that my "approval" or lack thereof meant diddly squat. As far as I know, everyone here makes up his or her own mind.
And if my comments, opinions, or observations bother you, that your issue.
