GBD's, Pros and Cons

[ChuckMijo]

I own quite a few, from the 20s to the 90s. I don’t smoke all of them. Most are just collectors pieces, some unsmoked. I do smoke these 2. The Dublin actually it’s quite a rare pipe. It’s from the 50s. And a super Q from the 90s. Both smoke well. I enjoy collecting them.

 

[newbroom]

I love the idea or awareness that there are so many old pipe companies, each with competing lines of product and that their individual BRAND is kept alive by collectors and pipe smoking enthusiasts.
I started with a cob, and had an awareness of other brands of pipes I'd seen over the years, which was the ads you skimmed in Playboy or the display cards on the candy counter, basically.
Now? I know the names of individual pipe makers, some of the history of the pipe and of pipe brands, and the materials used to make them. It's all so much fun!
I have yet to acquire a GBD or a Sasieni, or a Charatan, but I know little details about their provenance,
Most of my collection is a random gathering of various mass producers I've won for cheap at auction but they include the likes of Ascorti, Dunhill, Brebbia, Comoy's, and Barling's. Here's an old pic of some of my pipes.
I have hung another 36 in 2 rows below. They're all stem down/bowl up and crying to be smoked.

 

[mso489]

Interesting about Oppenheimer buying up brands as diverse as BBB, Ropp, and Medico, not to mention GBD. It sounds like the deep pockets buying up stagnant or fading brands, maybe. The idea that they do emphasize pipes is encouraging.

 

[OzPiper]

Interesting about Oppenheimer buying up brands as diverse as BBB, Ropp, and Medico, not to mention GBD. It sounds like the deep pockets buying up stagnant or fading brands, maybe. The idea that they do emphasize pipes is encouraging.

More to do with buying up and controlling the oppositon. At that time it was all about consolidation and being bigger (nothing seems to have changed much in the corporate universe) with the Brits pitched against Yank tobacco interests

 

[Fumatore]

Just noticed this old thread and had to comment.
From the late 60’s to late 70’s I purchased around 30 GBDs bought from the old “Smokers Haven”. I worked in Downtown Columbus and could hardly get out of that store without buying a pipe (usually went there to buy tobacco, mostly "Krumble Kake").
Those GBD’s were good but not great briar. I really liked the “Prestige” line as it was just below the “Virgin” and the briar was unfinished.
I have given away or sold on eBay all but one of my GBDs, as once I discovered Italian Briar and their incredible smoking qualities, I became a collector of Italian pipes.
I kept the one pictured (GBD Century) as straight-grain GBDs is/were very rare.

 

[mso489]

I have often looked at those GBD's on Iwan Ries, 50% off. They are the newer less desirable editions, and probably not my first choice in finish and design, but I do consider them from time to time. There are a few other pipes higher on my temptation list. I do have a gracious plenty in the stable.

 

[marlow-se]

I only recently got my first (and second and third) GBD and my impression so far is that at least the older ones are high quality pipes. Mine are all light for their size. They seem to be great value pipes on the estate market in my opinion. All of mine have the inlay logo on the stem.

 

[SBC]

I've owned 6 or 7 estate GBDs over the years. All have been good smokers, all have been attractive me, and all have left me with an especially solid/substantial impression (although I'm not sure that I could explain more precisely what I mean by that).
A couple of them, I sort of regret re-homing.
One that remains in my personal rotation is a meer-lined, chunky/oversized billiard in dark sandblast, which was thrown in as an extra in a trade with @Ahi Ka. I wasn't expecting to love it, but sometimes a pipe just works for you on a level you can't explain, and you wind up reaching for it more than others -- this turned out to be one of those, for me.

 

[camaguey]

Beware of pipes made after the 70's. I had a "transition" pipe still with metal logo on stem that had two big fills. Maybe for smoking the difference is not to much if any but for other collecting purposes it has lost my interest. I just keep four , all oldies , no fills and great smokers.