Help identify/value this Bekler I Inherited?

[jlr76]

I Inherited this Meershaum Ismet Bekler from my father. I believe he bought it and smoked from it during the 1970s.
I know very little about pipes, but this new acquisition has piqued my interest.
I have found many Bekler pictures on ebay and online, but most have a fancy carving and none are the exact shape of this one.
Can anyone tell me what this shape is called, and how would I begin to put a value on it for an eBay auction or even a sale/trade among friends.
I'm just curious because it has sentimental value as well as being cool.

 

[jlr76]

I cannot get the Dropbox share links to work for the picture I'm trying to post,but I also cannot even figure out how to delete this post and start over.
I am having trouble because I'm on my phone, so I will try from a desktop later. Until then, I have uploaded pictures of this pipe to my album, so if anybody can see those, they're there.
Thank you.

 

[jlr76]

I am unable to figure out how to edit my OP, or my reply, so I am posting the links to the pics of my pipe in this comment.
These links are to photos in my public DropBox folder, so I'm hoping this works.
thank you
Bekler1
Bekler2
Bekler3
Bekler4
Bekler5

 

[mayfair70]

Very nice. You only get a short window to edit a post once you press the send post button, much to the dismay of many a hasty poster. If it is a public drop box, a pic should be above this text.

 

[jlr76]

Thank you! Yes I see it. The others are just different angles and the case, on which is a label that says, Exclusively by Golden Horn Genuine Bekler Beyond Imagination"
I am trying to figure out if there is a name for this specific shape of pipe, and considering it was manufactured in the 1970s,what kind of value estimate could I expect.
I realize from the little research I've done that value is difficult to determine and is subjective, so maybe a better question might be, what would a reasonable starting price for an auction be?

 

[retrogasm]

You're not going to make any real money off of it. Keep it as a memento of your father or put it up with a starting value of 30$ if you want to get rid of it.

 

[jlr76]

Thank you. That is what I wanted to know. It's sentimental because I remember watching him smoke it when I was a child, but it's not $500 sentimental. It is $30 sentimental.
I appreciate your reply.

 

[retrogasm]

Actually, that was a bit hasty of me. I went back a bit on some forums since I remembered reading something about Bekler and Golden Horn. Meer's generally don't have great resale value since most of the makers are anonymous enough that there's not much for a collector to grab on to and obsess about but the Golden Horns and Bekler have a history and provenance. I can't tell you the value and I doubt your pipe would break the 100$ mark but there's something to it at least.
Reddit thread
This forum
I still feel you'd get about what it's worth from a 30$ starting bid though.

 

[jlr76]

Cool thanks. I'll probably start it at $75 and if it doesn't sell, then no biggie.

 

[mso489]

I don't know how many items you have of your dad's, but my inclination would be to keep the pipe as a legacy. I inherited a nice walnut pipe rack with tobacco jar from my grandfather via my dad and it's far more valuable as a legacy than as a sale item. Whether you smoke much or not, it would be a fine commemorative ritual to have a smoke in honor of your dad on his birthday, for example.

 

[jlr76]

Yes, that sounds like a great idea in many contexts, likely even in the one encompassing my relationship to my father and to his leftover material goods.
However, the personal and unique nature of each father son relationship combined with the various considerations therein place those concerns, whether or not I choose to keep it and why (obviously determined by a variety of criteria) beyond the realm if this post.
I do appreciate your opinions on the subject regarding keeping it as a sentimental reminder of my father, sincerely I do.
But my primary reason for beginning this thread was to find out information related to the value of the pipe and the likelihood of my being able to sell it for $150-$200 minimum, and dreaming of much more haha!
I appreciate everyone who has responded thus far. Please don't let me dissuade any further opinions, about anything. But also please fill me in on any information related to my stated, primary inquiry about the sellability of the pipe.

 

[jlr76]

In hindsight, my nod to the sentimentality of the pipe to me was compelled only by my desire to avoid appearing in sensitive or heartless. Such a hedge is unnecessary when the particulars of my choice to care or not to care about the pipe are impossible for anyone to accurately infer.
Please continue with all opinions, especially regarding sellability and also what the shape of the pipe is called, if anything specific. Most of these pipes I've seen are complex and ornately carved.
I'm babbling. Sorry.

 

[daveinlax]

I'd put it up with an optimistic BIN with a make an offer set to auto decline the low balls and see what happens. There always seems like there is a quick bump on eBay after Xmas when guys have some holiday gift money to spend before the bills roll in.

IMO Beckler is one of if not the most collectable of the Turkish carvers. His later dealer Cano from CAO brought him to Chicago a few times and he would sit curled up in a chair carving pipes. Good Luck it's a nice looking piece! 8O

 

[jlr76]

Thank you, Dave!

 

[retrogasm]

what the shape of the pipe is called

It's a prow shaped sitter...although I don't feel great about writing your ebay ad copy for you =/

 

[jlr76]

I appreciate your answer. I have been trying to figure that out for days. Although, I am perfectly capable of writing my own Ebay ad copy, if it becomes my decision to do so.
What if I were to ask you who Ismet Bekler is, or what kind of tobacco should I smoke in the pipe, or what Beyond Imagination means? I did explicitly say I was considering selling the pipe.
TBH, I wasn't asking for the shape name for sale purposes. I've found no other pipe pictured online that looks like this one, to my untrained eye, so I was curious.
Regardless of all that, I can only assume that you either think telling me what the shape of my pipe is called deserves credit for my Ebay ad, or that you have a personal issue with selling pipes on Ebay at all. Either way, your perspective is confounding to me.
I am grateful for your answer. Thank you. Maybe you deserve a percentage of the sale. I'll consider it.

 

[ashdigger]

Jlr76, not a cool move bro. Good luck.

 

[jlr76]

I've read that reddit thread probably 10 times in the last 2 days. That's the best I can find, other than the one you posted from this forum. Thank you!

 

[jlr76]

What's not a cool move? Addressing a comment with the derisive implication (with emoji) that answering my question about the shape of my pipe is writing my ebay ad copy?
Please explain.

 

[retrogasm]

@jlr76: my impression is that your interest in this pipe, pipesmoking in general, and this forum starts and ends with facts and details that are relevant to the pricing of the pipe for its' imminent sale (with a side slice of hoping someone here wants to buy it from you). You're in and out, once the pipe is sold or thrown away we'll never hear from you again.
Now in principle there's nothing wrong with that, and I certainly have no issue with selling pipes on Ebay, but as was implied in my previous post I don't feel great about spending time supplying you with information solely intended as ad copy. That's my perogative.
As such, I feel you got what you came for, and I'm suiting my own needs in not spending any more time on this.