On the guy in the pic, definitely George C. Marshall. Quite a guy; very few more highly respected in the dot-mil community.
appeal to you more financial or nostalgic/romantic
Both. (And you thought you wouldn't get a straight answer out of me!) Tschiraldi's got it right on quality too, esp. when it comes to GBDs/Comoys. BITD pre-Cadogan other than those two there were no finer British pipes other than BBB & Barling. (And yes, I *deliberately* EXclude D*nh*ll, even though I had one.) But back to the query...
A lot I buy for bang for the buck, but some I definitely do for nostalgia. In particular there was a Hilson Unicorn I couldn't believe my luck on. It just popped up when I was hunting for something else, & is EXACTLY like one I had when I worked for Tinder Box in the '70s. I had to bid to $75 but it was worth every cent to me to get the thing "back."
I'd given the old one to a new smoker in the 80s & regretted it ever since. It was & IS one of my most favorite smokes.
And a double-plus on what pappy said re Preben Holms & PH-era Ben Wades. Yeah, everybody knows about my thing for PHs, but I've got 3 of his & counting, *plus* 5-6 Ben Wades I could never have afforded back then. Living in the past? You bet, & lovin' every rising-smoke minute of it! :nana: