Giddy as a Schoolboy!

[tuold]

I've been collecting estate LHS pipes for over a year now and have found something to like about everyone of them. They are good quality, solid pipes.
Tonight, while I was looking over my ebay feed of newly listed pipes, I saw an unsmoked LHS Sterncrest Sterling in the original box and sock. Usually these things are way over my price point, but this was a "buy now" for only forty bucks! This is essentially a brand new quality factory pipe at less than half the cost of what I'd normally be willing to pay. The fact that it was made (probably) sometime in the 1960's is gravy. Can't wait to get it!
Just thought I'd share my PAD joy. Here are two seller picks:

Trust me, this one will be smoked the day it arrives. It's been waiting for me for at least fifty years!

 

[lucky695]

Good one Tuold. Enjoy! That's a beauty!.

 

[papajoe]

Wow thats a nice one. Great looking pipe. Congrats. :clap:

 

[newbroom]

Within my very first acquisition of any type of briar pipes, was an LHS lovat with what looks like a wooden screw in stinger. It's one of my favorites so I looked and picked up another LHS, this one a "Purex Superfine" Prince style #45 and it's got a metal screw in tenon / ball ended 'stinger'...it smokes great!
LHS seems to have made some very nice smoking pipes. Congratulations!!

 

[dottiewarden]

Congratulations tuold! Scores like that make it all worthwhile. Puff on!

 

[tuold]

Here's my first LHS which might be a lot older than the Sterling and got me interested in collecting them. The marks on the silver band are anchor,lion and star. I suppose I can try and look that up....

 

[cortezattic]

Congrats on a wonderful score! :clap:
Oh yes, thanks for providing the pix! Nothin' like some genuine pipe porn to arouse the interest. :wink:

 

[huntertrw]

tuold:
Congratulations on the acquisition of a fine pipe! I have a Sterncrest billiard with a silver band (complete with pointing dog), and it IS a solid smoker. This brand is one which is too often overlooked, but that's good for us. May it give you many hours of enjoyment.
I appreciate the shout out to Mr. Dickens in your thread title, too.

 

[voorhees]

Awesome pick tuold. The wife got me this pipe about a year ago.
LHS Purex "Bavarian"

 

[sidious]

Great find! All that patience finally paid off. Congrats!

 

[petes03]

Great finds! Congrats!

 

[xrundog]

American pipes are not hallmarked. The word Sterling tells you that it is silver. The other marks are just there to give it an English look but don't mean anything. Older pipes with nickel bands often have the same marks. The Sterling band with the engraved dog is really cool! Nice pipes.

 

[agnosticpipe]

Man, what a great find! Congrats! I've got one LHS pipe, a lowly Filtermaster Deluxe, that was in rough shape, but cleaned up nicely. I was surprised to see how nice the briar was on it. I've been tempted to get rid of it on occasion, but I can never commit to doing it because it smokes so well. Hope you enjoy smoking that beauty!

 

[ejames]

Great score Tuold !

 

[tuold]

xrundog wrote:

American pipes are not hallmarked. The word Sterling tells you that it is silver. The other marks are just there to give it an English look but don't mean anything. Older pipes with nickel bands often have the same marks. The Sterling band with the engraved dog is really cool! Nice pipes.

Your post propelled me into digging a little deeper. Now I see that the band on that older pipe is not even silver at all but something called "new silver" which is a nickel-zinc alloy.

 

[mso489]

I can look it up on pipepedia, but it would be interesting to know a little about LHS; who made 'em, where and what years?

Very handsome. A lot of pride in production here. The fact that they have lasted so well and still smoke so well is quite

a tribute. If I spot one, I may go for it.

 

[danielplainview]

Nice score! That's a great looking pipe. I collect America pipes and have few LHS, but none are as pretty as that gem.

 

[shaintiques]

Wow that is great, I love finding stuff like that! Congrats!

 

[huntertrw]

"I can look it up on pipepedia, but it would be interesting to know a little about LHS; who made 'em, where and what years?"
According to Richard Carleton Hacker in his book titled "Rare Smoke" LHS was, "A popular and moderately price pipe made from 1896 through the 1960s by the L&H Stern Company of Brooklyn, New York. Many of their later Sterncrest pipes featured silver bands and some were made with 14kt. gold bands as well."

 

[xrundog]

I have quite a few pipes with nickel bands. I like 'em! Nickel shines up nice and doesn't oxidize much.