Hello folks,
I was perusing the big Athens fleamarket for pipes yesterday. So far I've always been disappointed, crazy asking prices for basically trashed pipes. So I'm looking along in a basket of pipes, the seller told me they call came from the same house after their owner passed away and their kids wanted to get rid of them.
They were overall not bad, considering other crap I've seen over the years. A lot of bulldogs, most of them Dr Grabow, a couple of Greek brands. most smoked to hell and back, and caked to the point a pencil would struggle to fit in the chamber - why/how do people smoke their pipes like that?! One had a hole in the heel you could see through.
Anyway, one catches my eye - the large red one, essentially unsmoked, so I put that one to the side and continue looking. The issue was that while the bulldogs looked promising, they were all too small for me. Until in the bottom of the pile I spot this leather-wrapped pipe, pull it out and start having a look. Smoked to oblivion, caked to oblivion, with decades' worth of grime on it. Though I suddenly spied "GRAND PRIX" pressed on the leather, and "SAVI...." above it. It hit me it is a Savinelli, in actually not a terrible condition. More dirty than anything. A quick google on my phone suggested this Savinelli line is from the 1960s. The stem was green/yellow, stained, stuck, but otherwise structurally fine. The chamber too, caked to hell but without obvious issues. I haggled a bit and bought them both, figuring I'm getting an essentially barely smoked large billiard, and a nice old Savinelli to clean. So I did a first pass. The Sav had untold gunk inside it, was barely able to blow air through it, several alcohol soaked pipe cleaners it is nice, actually even wide draw.
Will be smoking later today.
I was perusing the big Athens fleamarket for pipes yesterday. So far I've always been disappointed, crazy asking prices for basically trashed pipes. So I'm looking along in a basket of pipes, the seller told me they call came from the same house after their owner passed away and their kids wanted to get rid of them.
They were overall not bad, considering other crap I've seen over the years. A lot of bulldogs, most of them Dr Grabow, a couple of Greek brands. most smoked to hell and back, and caked to the point a pencil would struggle to fit in the chamber - why/how do people smoke their pipes like that?! One had a hole in the heel you could see through.
Anyway, one catches my eye - the large red one, essentially unsmoked, so I put that one to the side and continue looking. The issue was that while the bulldogs looked promising, they were all too small for me. Until in the bottom of the pile I spot this leather-wrapped pipe, pull it out and start having a look. Smoked to oblivion, caked to oblivion, with decades' worth of grime on it. Though I suddenly spied "GRAND PRIX" pressed on the leather, and "SAVI...." above it. It hit me it is a Savinelli, in actually not a terrible condition. More dirty than anything. A quick google on my phone suggested this Savinelli line is from the 1960s. The stem was green/yellow, stained, stuck, but otherwise structurally fine. The chamber too, caked to hell but without obvious issues. I haggled a bit and bought them both, figuring I'm getting an essentially barely smoked large billiard, and a nice old Savinelli to clean. So I did a first pass. The Sav had untold gunk inside it, was barely able to blow air through it, several alcohol soaked pipe cleaners it is nice, actually even wide draw.
Will be smoking later today.
