I Think I've Finally Hit Bottom

[greysmoke]

Over decades of pipe accumulation, building a collection that at one time numbered somewhere between 200 and 300 pipes, I've just completed a years long series of purges. Now, for the first time in -- I don't know how long -- I own just 30 pipes. Still far too many by any rational standard, but after numerous sweeps through the collection, at least for now, I don't think I can get it down any farther.

Some of the "survivors" are custom commissions. Others have a sentimental connection in the form of a life event, friendships, or family (my late Dad's Dr. Grabow Viscount Canadian). One is my birth year Dunhill. Still others are just pipes I truly admire and enjoy, either for their artistry (Ser Jacopo Domina '98) or their sheer smoking perfection (Upshall bent Dublin), or some other quality real or imagined.

If you, too, have hit bottom... what do you have left?

 

[georged]

Your pipes look like cardboard boxes.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I could probably sell 40 and not miss them. I don't want to go through the hassle of cleaning them, taking photos and measurements, posting them and then shipping them.

 

[romaso]

I've been meaning to do this and thin the collection also. I'll be keeping the acrylic stems as I have far too many vulcanite stems to keep up on, though some of the vulcanite ones will be staying. I know by now which ones I reach for and which ones I don't, and a few with a meaningful connection I'll keep regardless.

I'd appreciate the benefit of your experience on the best way to move them. Did you send them to Smokingpipes or Pipestud? Like Hoosier, I'm not going to be selling them individually. Besides the smoked ones, I also have about a dozen, mostly Petersons, still new in their boxes.

 

[Elric]

I was up around 60 at one point but I also purged half so I am also ensconced at 30. I don't see my collection growing much. If a pipe does catch my eye, I will cull the herd to keep the number constant. I feel 30 is a good number, based on several pipes per tobacco genre, kept in two locations. Easy to put hands on a pipe regardless of what I feel like smoking.

 

[greysmoke]

I'd appreciate the benefit of your experience on the best way to move them. Did you send them to Smokingpipes or Pipestud? Like Hoosier, I'm not going to be selling them individually. Besides the smoked ones, I also have about a dozen, mostly Petersons, still new in their boxes.

I certainly appreciate your and Hoosier's points of view on packing and selling individually, but that's the way I did it.

I put a system in place for each pipe: photos from every angle, close ups, and descriptions written offline. Then I posted them in batches. As the auctions were running, I bought appropriate sized cartons and packing materials. When they closed, I generated shipping labels and packing lists from the auction site, and packed them up one by one.

My last batch was 16 pipes. It may have taken me 90 minutes to post them and 90 minutes to pack them. But on most of those pipes, I got my original money back or better -- and I turned quite a profit on a couple.

FWIW.

 

[AJL67]

Your pipes look like cardboard boxes.

But when you get them burning there are no relights.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I came in expecting to see a pic of a new cob!

KIDDING! Just picking off the low hanging fruit.

 

[verporchting]

I just purged nine that I just don’t smoke anymore; nothing wrong with any of them but they were gathering dust. I’m contemplating another 6-8 that don’t smoke the way I want or have annoying little details (button too thick or too narrow, etc.) and a handful that I just can’t decide whether to invest in new stems or not (these are good smokers and well loved but are getting a bit tatty). I suspect it would be worth the money but considering how many pipes I’ve got, it makes me wonder if I should add that many additional pipes back into the regular rotation or just leave them be or maybe move them on….

I’m nowhere near rock bottom I guess, lol.

 

[Singularis]

Over decades of pipe accumulation, building a collection that at one time numbered somewhere between 200 and 300 pipes, I've just completed a years long series of purges. Now, for the first time in -- I don't know how long -- I own just 30 pipes. Still far too many by any rational standard, but after numerous sweeps through the collection, at least for now, I don't think I can get it down any farther.

Some of the "survivors" are custom commissions. Others have a sentimental connection in the form of a life event, friendships, or family (my late Dad's Dr. Grabow Viscount Canadian). One is my birth year Dunhill. Still others are just pipes I truly admire and enjoy, either for their artistry (Ser Jacopo Domina '98) or their sheer smoking perfection (Upshall bent Dublin), or some other quality real or imagined.

If you, too, have hit bottom... what do you have left?

View attachment 206046

I have about half that many pipes after "accumulating" them over the last 5 years.

(Not-so-)Serious question: is 15 enough? Do I need 30 to be truly happy?

But seriously though (actually seriously): 17 pipes (just counted them all) feels like more than enough.

I'm shocked that A) you had 300, and even more shocked that B) you managed to literally decimate your collection.

My wife would be proud.

 

[AJL67]

Anyone else think "i've hit bottom" was going to be a thread about crumbling up random leaves in the yard to smoke, i think hitting bottom has a different meaning for some of us.

 

[mso489]

Such a culling effort is commendable. I have not hit bottom, but I have somewhat held the line, though I do have about 90 pipes. I've culled several times. I sent a group of pipes to active duty service people through a chaplain who was a member here. I sent a group to a friend who wanted them for decor, though he had quit his long Lucky Strike cigarette habit, though people said he looked the the Marlboro Man.

Two or three times, I've gathered the pipes I least enjoyed smoking and shipped them off to SP for store credit I used toward pipes I really wanted, with good results.

Thirty pipes is plenty. i think my problem is that a number of my pipes are gifts, two of them were won in contests, and others have significant stories behind them. I admit, I enjoy shopping at home in my pipe shop, as it were. But if you can get it down to thirty, and keep it there, more power to you. Two or three hundred feels like too many to me, but some are comfortable with a sizable surplus.

 

[LeafErikson]

Wow that is a lot of pipes! Congrats on culling the herd. I have 13 pipes total (including 3 cobs) and it’s more than enough. If I smoked briar more often I’d likely want more pipes but I’m more of a meerschaum guy and I really only need a handful of those.

 

[woodsroad]

Truth is, there's less than six pipes that i smoke regularly.
I should shed the rest.
And sell off my entire tobacco books collection.

 

[bobpnm]

Over decades of pipe accumulation, building a collection that at one time numbered somewhere between 200 and 300 pipes, I've just completed a years long series of purges. Now, for the first time in -- I don't know how long -- I own just 30 pipes. Still far too many by any rational standard, but after numerous sweeps through the collection, at least for now, I don't think I can get it down any farther.

Some of the "survivors" are custom commissions. Others have a sentimental connection in the form of a life event, friendships, or family (my late Dad's Dr. Grabow Viscount Canadian). One is my birth year Dunhill. Still others are just pipes I truly admire and enjoy, either for their artistry (Ser Jacopo Domina '98) or their sheer smoking perfection (Upshall bent Dublin), or some other quality real or imagined.

If you, too, have hit bottom... what do you have left?

View attachment 206046

I did on a much smaller scale. When I began I thought I wanted the largest pipes I could find. Last year I realized I never smoked those huge pipes. I also realized I was reaching most for straight or slightly bent stem pipes. I gave 23 pipes away to friends. I’m glad I did. I have about 50 pipes now. I’m thinking It’s going to be a one in means one out kind of thing. Since retiring several years ago, I have been simplifying everything in my life. That includes people also!

 

[kcghost]

You have some nice pipes, if the names are to be believed.

 

[kcghost]

That came out snarkier than I meant it. Probably what I should have said was "It would have been nice if we could have seen them".

 

[ray47]

I considered trimming down a few years ago, both with my pipes and tobacco. My grandson asked me to leave him all my pipes, tobacco and any accessories when I leave this world. I'll do that and let him decide what to keep.

 

[Winnipeger]

I could probably sell 40 and not miss them. I don't want to go through the hassle of cleaning them, taking photos and measurements, posting them and then shipping them.

If you don't care about them anyway, you could NOT clean them and stick them in a box and send the to SP. You'll lose potential profit, but gain yourself time and store credit. Then you can buy yourself a couple nice new high end pipes.

 

[WVOldFart]

I have decided that "enough is enough" and put an end to purchasing. Well, we will see how long that lasts. I am hoping to send to SP about 6 to 10 pipes for store credit. I would like to get down to around a dozen, but I imagine that I will save around 50 to 60.