I've been looking at estate pipes on Blue Room Briars. There are some ones that I really like. What are some other sites that you've found nice estate pipes on? Thanks in advance for the replies!
Estate Pipes
- Thread starter rsshreck32
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If you know your stuff or even kind of know your stuff, ebay or dealing with the owner directly is the ticket. I have always gotten the best deals, the most variety, etc., this way. The vendors take the risk out of it for you as you get a decent idea of what you are buying most times. You pay more for that.
That is how I look at the estate market.
That is how I look at the estate market.
Buy from one of the site sponsors if you want an estate in an already cleaned condition
Also members put up pipes for sale regularly
EBay and Etsy can be a crap shoot. Some vendors do a great job of cleaning. Most do not.
I've received pipes that look great on the outside but the airways were absolutely filthy.
It takes me a lot more time and effort getting the airways clean. The chambers are the easy part.
There are a heap of threads/posts/advice on cleaning estate pipes and getting rid of ghosts
Just use the search function on the right of the toolbar at the top of the page.
Rebornpipes also has lots of advice, accompanied with before and after pics if you really want to get into cleaning up estates.
Pulver's Prior Briar - Marty Pulver is one of the treasures of this little corner of the world.
mbsdpipes.com is also a good one
Check out PKPIPES on eBay!
www.ebay.com
This is a good seller, I purchased a couple of pipes from him a while back so I have his store in my watch list. He just reduced prices on all of his listings significantly. Not affiliated and not vouching, just sharing info.
Check out PKPIPES on eBay!
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This is a good seller, I purchased a couple of pipes from him a while back so I have his store in my watch list. He just reduced prices on all of his listings significantly. Not affiliated and not vouching, just sharing info.
I'll second Marty Pulvers who succinctly tells you what you need to know about in the pipe. And no funny stuff.
I was curious, so I clicked on the link and saw an "early Dunhill" calabash listed at $4670 and change and looked at the makers mark. It's not a Dunhill stamp. It's an AD inside a lozenge shape. Dunhill is an AD inside a diamond shape. Also, the city hallmark is for Birmingham while the Dunhill city hallmark for pipes is for London.mbsdpipes.com is also a good one
Check out PKPIPES on eBay!
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This is a good seller, I purchased a couple of pipes from him a while back so I have his store in my watch list. He just reduced prices on all of his listings significantly. Not affiliated and not vouching, just sharing info.
Doing some more diligence I found one makers mark listing does show some Dunhill product with a Birmingham stamp, not for pipes but for other items, like cigarette cases, letter openers, and other accoutrements which they may have had made for them. I would be cautious about his attributions.
Today I bought two used pipes that I’ll clean up ten minutes after they arrive.
$16 delivered Marxman
$18 delivered Marxman
When I’m through they’ll look like these, and be a source of pride for anyone to own and enjoy.
The first thing I’ll do the same as I did all the other large Marxman pipes I own is get out a bottle of Everclear (vodka also works, as does drugstore rubbing alcohol) and clean them up inside and outside. I use all the pipe cleaners it takes (sometimes a bunch) soaked in Everclear to clean the airway until they come out white. If the bore hole won’t pass a doubled pipe cleaner I drill it out. If there’s varnish (which is an abomination on any briar pipe) I take it all off using 4/0 steel wool. If the stem is oxidized I use Everclear and steel wool until it’s black again. If there’s lava on the bowl rim use steel wool until there’s bare briar.
Clean them up, first!
Then take a sharp pocket knife, and soak the bowl in Everclear. Take 100% of all the old carbon off, leaving bare briar. This can take several tries, but don’t stop until it’s gone!
Just a drop, not too much, of grapeseed oil on a paper towel will make any pipe glow for a few months. It’s temporary. You can’t hurt briar with grapeseed oil. Any excess towels off.
Use Obsidian oil on the clean rubber stem. It’s miraculous, but doesn’t last forever.
Now, after it’s all nice and pretty, if there’s a ghost Five Brothers, Kendall #7, or Brown Bogie or other industrial strength straight tobacco will chase away most ghosts. Maybe I’ll use cotton bolls soaked in Everclear overnight for several days to help evict the ghost. Most pipes are not badly ghosted anyway.
This Super Giant 12” WDC Wellington was varnished and caked up and looked like the devil had smoked it a hundred years in hell when I bought it.
It’s among my prettiest and best smokers now.
No matter the brand stamped on a pipe it’s a hunk of briar and a black rubber stem.
I think ancient Algerian briar like all the above pipes are fashioned from is best, but there never has been any bad Mediterranean briar, it was all good.
My last advice is try and buy the largest used pipes on the market.
Until about fifty or sixty years ago the standard sized American pipes could be bought for fifty cents or a dollar. Those got rode hard and put away wet, and most have been tossed.
Really large pipes always cost ten times, or twenty times, or more what the cheapest cost. They likely smoked better when new, because the makers used their best briar, and the odds of them being carefully smoked and not abused are higher as we find them today.
And have fun.
The $34 I spent today on used pipes would not buy the cheapest new name brand pipe for sale, and when my trophies at last I lay down my kids can surely get $25 each for em’ if they advertise them on the forum.
$16 delivered Marxman
$18 delivered Marxman
When I’m through they’ll look like these, and be a source of pride for anyone to own and enjoy.
The first thing I’ll do the same as I did all the other large Marxman pipes I own is get out a bottle of Everclear (vodka also works, as does drugstore rubbing alcohol) and clean them up inside and outside. I use all the pipe cleaners it takes (sometimes a bunch) soaked in Everclear to clean the airway until they come out white. If the bore hole won’t pass a doubled pipe cleaner I drill it out. If there’s varnish (which is an abomination on any briar pipe) I take it all off using 4/0 steel wool. If the stem is oxidized I use Everclear and steel wool until it’s black again. If there’s lava on the bowl rim use steel wool until there’s bare briar.
Clean them up, first!
Then take a sharp pocket knife, and soak the bowl in Everclear. Take 100% of all the old carbon off, leaving bare briar. This can take several tries, but don’t stop until it’s gone!
Just a drop, not too much, of grapeseed oil on a paper towel will make any pipe glow for a few months. It’s temporary. You can’t hurt briar with grapeseed oil. Any excess towels off.
Use Obsidian oil on the clean rubber stem. It’s miraculous, but doesn’t last forever.
Now, after it’s all nice and pretty, if there’s a ghost Five Brothers, Kendall #7, or Brown Bogie or other industrial strength straight tobacco will chase away most ghosts. Maybe I’ll use cotton bolls soaked in Everclear overnight for several days to help evict the ghost. Most pipes are not badly ghosted anyway.
This Super Giant 12” WDC Wellington was varnished and caked up and looked like the devil had smoked it a hundred years in hell when I bought it.
It’s among my prettiest and best smokers now.
No matter the brand stamped on a pipe it’s a hunk of briar and a black rubber stem.
I think ancient Algerian briar like all the above pipes are fashioned from is best, but there never has been any bad Mediterranean briar, it was all good.
My last advice is try and buy the largest used pipes on the market.
Until about fifty or sixty years ago the standard sized American pipes could be bought for fifty cents or a dollar. Those got rode hard and put away wet, and most have been tossed.
Really large pipes always cost ten times, or twenty times, or more what the cheapest cost. They likely smoked better when new, because the makers used their best briar, and the odds of them being carefully smoked and not abused are higher as we find them today.
And have fun.
The $34 I spent today on used pipes would not buy the cheapest new name brand pipe for sale, and when my trophies at last I lay down my kids can surely get $25 each for em’ if they advertise them on the forum.
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I’ve bought most of my estate pipes on eBay but it really is a crapshoot unless you buy from the best of the best sellers, in which case prices are much higher. I recently bought a beautiful Savinelli Autograph on eBay for about $100 less than I would have paid from a more professional pipe seller. However, it has terrible Lakeland ghosting that I’ve spent countless hours trying to get rid of. I’ve told myself “never again” will I buy on eBay. But it depends how risk adverse you are.
Next time I’ll buy from Mkelaw from whom I’ve gotten great pipes at reasonable prices.
Next time I’ll buy from Mkelaw from whom I’ve gotten great pipes at reasonable prices.
Most of my estate pipes came from brick and mortar antique or thrift stores. I don't know enough about pipes to trust my viewing pictures online. But at the store I can pick it up and touch it. I can see the condition and whether I feel is worth the efforts to bring up to smoking condition.
Also, you have one heck of a resource here with us. Keep a eye on the Pipes for Sale section. Maybe put a WTB ad out (if you meet the requirements) if you know what you want?
Also, you have one heck of a resource here with us. Keep a eye on the Pipes for Sale section. Maybe put a WTB ad out (if you meet the requirements) if you know what you want?
With sources like eBay, you don't.
1Q ghosting is common.
With sellers such as SmokingPipes, BlueRoom, PipeStud, you can always ask and a real, live person will answer.