How Come We Don't See Counterfeit Pipes?
- Thread starter mikethompson
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Thank you, just joined the other day. I’ve been a pipe smoker for 25 years now. Started lurking on the forums lately because I don’t know any other pipe smoke anymore. It’s nice to have other like minded people to share with. As far as the pipe in question here’s the ebay link. It’s a known type of counterfeit from years ago. A smooth pipe stamped shell with patent numbers from the 30’s.
Vintage DUNHILL SHELL, Apple Shaped Briar Pipe, England | eBay
The pipe is stamped Dunhill Shell, Made in England, Pat. No. 417574 and a small 17 with a line under it. The top of the bowl shows at little wear and front shows a little dark area from getting the bowl to hot or a cigarette burn but inside of bowl is solid with no sign of burnout.
www.ebay.com
Thank you, just joined the other day. I’ve been a pipe smoker for 25 years now. Started lurking on the forums lately because I don’t know any other pipe smoke anymore. It’s nice to have other like minded people to share with. As far as the pipe in question here’s the ebay link. It’s a known type of counterfeit from years ago. A smooth pipe stamped shell with patent numbers from the 30’s.
Vintage DUNHILL SHELL, Apple Shaped Briar Pipe, England | eBay
The pipe is stamped Dunhill Shell, Made in England, Pat. No. 417574 and a small 17 with a line under it. The top of the bowl shows at little wear and front shows a little dark area from getting the bowl to hot or a cigarette burn but inside of bowl is solid with no sign of burnout.www.ebay.com
Very weird listing.
Anyone intent on counterfeiting would have to get a stamp made by a third party specialist (they can't be made at home, and aren't cheap), and know how to apply it (doing so is much more difficult to get right than anyone who hasn't tried it would imagine), but NOT encounter the "Shell means sandblast" connection along the way... OR that Dunhill's smooth models were stamped on both sides of the shank, not the bottom, AND more information was included.
The only explanation I can come up with is it's a practice piece by whoever worked the stamping station in the Dunhill shop (it takes a lot of practice, and the testers end up somewhere), or a gag or joke by the same guy, who took his friend's pipe to work one day on a dare, or similar.
Everything you mention would make sense. In this case there are a number of well known counterfeits made in the 80’s and 90’s that match this particular one. Mostly a short apple shape, stamped on the bottom like a Shell would be but with a smooth finish, and with 1930’s date codes.
I saw one exactly like this one in person. It had fills, no catalog shape, a large painted white spot on the stem, no chamfer on the tenon.
A perfectly usable pipe but a counterfeit.
I bought a Dunhill cob off of eBay once. It’s stamped ‘Dunhill Husk’. Pretty sure it’s legit.
Sounding more and more like someone made off with the bushel basket of practice pipes that every new worker assigned to the stamping station creates on his first day.
I like this story more than someone nefariously stamping pipes.
These Swatch Omega Speedmaster Moonswatches were around $300 and available in a very limited supply.
I picked up this knock off for $50. It came with full Swatch packaging, including a pink "Swatch" store bag.
It is surprising that the tooling necessary would pay off on a item selling for $50.
I picked up this knock off for $50. It came with full Swatch packaging, including a pink "Swatch" store bag.
It is surprising that the tooling necessary would pay off on a item selling for $50.
If there's enough money in it, people will produce counterfeit pipes. Case in point:
pipedia.org
The 1980s Fake Dunhill - Pipedia
Kurwiawan was recently released from gaol, after serving his term.The relatively recent fake wine scandal was a fascinating read. Here is one article about it:
Wine fraud Rudy Kurniawan’s rise, fall, and plans for the future
Normally, when ICE sends a deportee back to their home country, the US government picks up the tab for the plane ticket. Rudy Kurniawan, however, isn’t interested in a freebee. “They’ll give him th…nypost.com
He was not the 1st - just the latest of a line of scammers
Probably the most notorious wine fraudster in recent times was Hardy Rodenstock and his hoard of "Thomas Jefferson" bottles.
He was outed by billionaire wine collector, Bill Koch who reputedly spent $35M to verify the authenticity of 4 bottles which cost him $400,000.
Rodenstock fooled a lot of wine experts as well as auction house Christies
Proving something to be fake may end up costing A LOT MORE than the price of the fake
If there's enough money in it, people will produce counterfeit pipes. Case in point:
The 1980s Fake Dunhill - Pipedia
Can't believe I've never come across this write-up. Thanks! You can see that the exact same 1937 stamping tool was used on one of their cited examples too. Very interesting...
Yeah, seen a few of these over the years.Thank you, just joined the other day. I’ve been a pipe smoker for 25 years now. Started lurking on the forums lately because I don’t know any other pipe smoke anymore. It’s nice to have other like minded people to share with. As far as the pipe in question here’s the ebay link. It’s a known type of counterfeit from years ago. A smooth pipe stamped shell with patent numbers from the 30’s.
Vintage DUNHILL SHELL, Apple Shaped Briar Pipe, England | eBay
The pipe is stamped Dunhill Shell, Made in England, Pat. No. 417574 and a small 17 with a line under it. The top of the bowl shows at little wear and front shows a little dark area from getting the bowl to hot or a cigarette burn but inside of bowl is solid with no sign of burnout.www.ebay.com
The backstory is much less sinister and mysterious than the writer of that article took such delight in suggesting.
A labor dispute at the Dunhill shop resulted in some of the workers making pipes after hours that they pocketed and sold on the side.
Meaning the materials are authentic, the stamps are authentic, and the makers themselves are authentic. The are counterfeits by technical definition only. A more accurate description is "unauthorized production."
It may very well be. Some folks here are given to such sport or "mischief" if you will.
It would have been so much more believable if he had used clear tape for the "logo". The white b/g was a giveaway, and maybe even the location of the "stamp" was suspicious.
It would have been so much more believable if he had used clear tape for the "logo". The white b/g was a giveaway, and maybe even the location of the "stamp" was suspicious.
I certainly prefer your theories, George. I wonder if someone at the Dunhill factory archives can check if the '37 die stamper is still there in their collection. It seems that could provide some clarity on the mystery. Then again, perhaps they wouldn't necessarily want that information known.
This is why people end up arguing with me so much on here. Dan obviously is making a joke. I mean, how can you really think that Dunhill would label a pipe like that. Ha ha.This has to be a joke!
See, I make a joke about aro smokers having vaginas and six guys come on and ask, "Are you for real? Do I have a vagina?" the reactions are funnier than the joke to me.