I buy quite a few restored pipes that I then restore. I expect it. Standards vary. People learn stuff and improve . I’d like to have another go at some of my early efforts.
Interesting Completed Ebay Auctions - British Pipes
- Thread starter ssjones
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Funny, sometimes I pull out a pipe to sell, that I restored several years ago. I was so careful back then that the pipe often looks like nothing was done to it.
I have to finish any stem I buy, estates and new pipes, it's expected.
Beautiful pipes combined with research and a @misterlowercase tie-in - be still my nerdish heart!Although there is an earlier thread about the "Hands" pipes [LINK] the photos are missing. The pipe that first got me interested in "Hands" pipes is this one (below). I could barely make out any markings but I knew from the make that it was something special. These are the "mystery pipes" I referred to in the post above [LINK].
Pipe #1 - OLD BRIAR / HANDS / LONDON MADE (opposite side) HANDS (straight) / MADE IN ENGLAND (curved upward) (Shape #1)
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I searched high and low for who (or what) "Hands" might be. As if Hands isn't a common enough word, suffice it to say I turned up a handful of "Hands" tobacconists in the UK, but nothing definitive. After several months, as luck would have it I saw this pipe at an old antique shop south of town:
Pipe #2 - "HANDS" / LONDON MADE / PAT.№210973/23 (opposite) 304 (shape) (open palm hand logo on stem)
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This information matched misterlowercase's earlier post, and, as he indicated, the patent number was registered to Joel Sasieni in 1924 and was for a little metal condenser "cuff" (a short inner-tube, frankly). I still don't know who or what "Hands" is, but the condenser patent was used on an early Sasieni Windsor, a Stamford (perhaps a sub-line before the name was used on Four Dots), and a Londonaire. Now, Londonaire is interesting to me because it was a brand of the House of Crane (Indianapolis; below) which means it was likely made by Sasieni for the House of Crane for sale in the USA. All three* "Hands" pipes that have turned up have appeared in the USA, so it's possible they were made for a firm in the United States.
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*Which brings me to..
Pipe #3 - "HANDS" / SASIENI MADE / PAT.№210973/23 (opposite) MADE IN ENGLAND (football shape)
Sasieni London Made HANDS #306 England Briar Pipe Plastic Stem | eBay
Very nice condition. 1 small blemish on the bowl about halfway down front left edge of bowl. Bowl is clean and burn free around edges. Pipe stem mouthpiece portion shows no bite marks. Bowl height is 1-3/4" Stem is 1-1/2" Overall length from Bowl to tip is 5-1/4" See pics for makers marks.www.ebay.com
It looks to me like this would have been a later pipe (in fact, I think I've posted them in what I assume is ascending order from oldest to most recent), as it looks like Sasieni wasn't stamping these pipes with "Sasieni" until later, and the button and stem are arguably more modern, as is the "Made in England" football shaped stamp. I think it was a bit pricey but it rounded out the set of three with something approximating an arc of production, and the other two I managed to get for a song. Perhaps since these were likely for sale predominantly (or exclusively) in the USA, I'll be able to turn up some information by way of advertising or catalogs.
Now, if you could only figure out the maker on this one. I don’t think it is an Orlik-made pipe. There is a shape number, but no helpful patent number.
Stunning pot shape! Just to be sure, it says "English Make" and 991 on the shank, right?
This is a BIN, the seller has been selling numerous pipes from the "Laxey Collection".
1893 Barling pipe. New Bulldog Nosewarmer. Sterling. Amber. Laxey collection. | eBay
New, never smoked 1893 Barling. From Laxey collection. Pipe does not have Barling stamp on the bowl - only EB WB on the silverwork. One of the earliest Barling briar pipes. Hallmarked sterling band.
www.ebay.com
We were discussing this a few weeks ago .. from his listings it looks like he got the lion's share of the Laxey auction Barlings, and judging by the hammer price plus VAT plus shipping, it's quite the investment. I'm not sure if listing so many at once is helping his sales.
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Good attitude. There is a guy who announces in his listings that the pipe has been "professionally restored". Looking at the remains, I asked him who the "Professional" was. It was himself, of course. He sells the pipe, so I guess technically he is a professional.
I think I know this guy’s work—it looks like he did his “restoration” with a miter saw. I wish more sellers on eBay would just sell pipes “as is” instead of getting buffer happy and obliterating history. There’s a seller on eBay that buffed a rare Brebbia stamp off of a stem from the ’50s that broke my heart. He even posted a pic with the stamp intact before he “restored” the pipe.
I have to agree Dunhill group 3 is one of my very favorite ,multipurpose size, I like smoking Ready Rubbed blends in these, whereas for Ribbon and shagh cuts I'd take group 4 pipe instead
I've asked sellers who seem to find a lot of great old Peterson lots to figure out their 'restored' prices, and offer such pipes to me for that price, before they touch it. It's difficult to phrase such offers in an inoffensive way ... I always failed to do so
Did anyone take a chance on this GBD (shows burnout)
ANTIQUE GBD XTRA 9 CARAT GOLD MOUNTED BRIAR & AMBER ESTATE PIPE London 1921 | eBay
Marks: The gold mount is marked GBD, AO and full London 9ct hallmarks. The briar is marked GBD XTRA. Period: 1921. The rim of the bowl is very slightly burned down on the front edge.
www.ebay.com
I took a look at the completed and sold Barling listings on eBay and they are all selling. He's not getting his full price, but I know the seller and if he's giving a discount, it's not a huge one. These are rarities with a known provenance, rarer than hen's teeth. With what he's getting, he's already well into profit and he's got a lot more to sell.
This is a beautiful pipe! The owner is faced with the decision to free the tenon and reglue it to the stem, or leave it alone, stuck in the mortise.Did anyone take a chance on this GBD (shows burnout)
ANTIQUE GBD XTRA 9 CARAT GOLD MOUNTED BRIAR & AMBER ESTATE PIPE London 1921 | eBay
Marks: The gold mount is marked GBD, AO and full London 9ct hallmarks. The briar is marked GBD XTRA. Period: 1921. The rim of the bowl is very slightly burned down on the front edge.www.ebay.com
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Thought about it but wasn't a fan of the band.Did anyone take a chance on this GBD (shows burnout)
ANTIQUE GBD XTRA 9 CARAT GOLD MOUNTED BRIAR & AMBER ESTATE PIPE London 1921 | eBay
Marks: The gold mount is marked GBD, AO and full London 9ct hallmarks. The briar is marked GBD XTRA. Period: 1921. The rim of the bowl is very slightly burned down on the front edge.www.ebay.com
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I'm very fond of Barlings as many here know. And I am very very fond of Barling Quaints, those one-of-a-kind custom carved pipes that Barling made.
There is some lore regarding these, which I can't verify, but supposedly an otherwise high grade stummel that had a flaw which would preclude it ever being a smooth, would instead be turned over to one of Barling's master carvers (no, they weren't all carved by Horry Jameson) to be turned into a unique design, paneled, carved into various geometric shapes, fluted, cut with "tribal" slices and/or rusticated with what Tad Gage refers to as "chicken scratchings".
There is a huge variety of treatments and most of them are, at least to me, quite beautiful and interesting. I just won another of these earlier today. It didn't come cheap, but it's one of the more unusual stylings I've seen in quite a while and I really liked it. It's going to need a bit of work to get it ready for prime time, but that's part of the fun.
Thank goodness no one took a buffer to it, so everything is still crisp. Here's the "before". I'll post an "after" once it's been cleaned. Here's hoping that there are no unpleasant surprises.
There is some lore regarding these, which I can't verify, but supposedly an otherwise high grade stummel that had a flaw which would preclude it ever being a smooth, would instead be turned over to one of Barling's master carvers (no, they weren't all carved by Horry Jameson) to be turned into a unique design, paneled, carved into various geometric shapes, fluted, cut with "tribal" slices and/or rusticated with what Tad Gage refers to as "chicken scratchings".
There is a huge variety of treatments and most of them are, at least to me, quite beautiful and interesting. I just won another of these earlier today. It didn't come cheap, but it's one of the more unusual stylings I've seen in quite a while and I really liked it. It's going to need a bit of work to get it ready for prime time, but that's part of the fun.
Thank goodness no one took a buffer to it, so everything is still crisp. Here's the "before". I'll post an "after" once it's been cleaned. Here's hoping that there are no unpleasant surprises.
Vintage Barling's Make YOW "EL" T.V.F. Quaint Estate Pipe | eBay
this auction is for a vintage Barling's make YOW "el" t.v.f. quaint estate pipe. this appears to be a pre transition partially rusticated panel pipe. it has been smoked showing some wear to the stem. it comes with period correct box and pouch but unsure if original to the pipe. it measures...
www.ebay.com
I've known this seller for about 12 years and he told me that he bought around 40 of the Barlings at the auction.This is a BIN, the seller has been selling numerous pipes from the "Laxey Collection".
1893 Barling pipe. New Bulldog Nosewarmer. Sterling. Amber. Laxey collection. | eBay
New, never smoked 1893 Barling. From Laxey collection. Pipe does not have Barling stamp on the bowl - only EB WB on the silverwork. One of the earliest Barling briar pipes. Hallmarked sterling band.www.ebay.com
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Crisp indeed, enjoy working on that one and making it your own. Great bones for sure!I'm very fond of Barlings as many here know. And I am very very fond of Barling Quaints, those one-of-a-kind custom carved pipes that Barling made.
There is some lore regarding these, which I can't verify, but supposedly an otherwise high grade stummel that had a flaw which would preclude it ever being a smooth, would instead be turned over to one of Barling's master carvers (no, they weren't all carved by Horry Jameson) to be turned into a unique design, paneled, carved into various geometric shapes, fluted, cut with "tribal" slices and/or rusticated with what Tad Gage refers to as "chicken scratchings".
There is a huge variety of treatments and most of them are, at least to me, quite beautiful and interesting. I just won another of these earlier today. It didn't come cheap, but it's one of the more unusual stylings I've seen in quite a while and I really liked it. It's going to need a bit of work to get it ready for prime time, but that's part of the fun.
Thank goodness no one took a buffer to it, so everything is still crisp. Here's the "before". I'll post an "after" once it's been cleaned. Here's hoping that there are no unpleasant surprises.
View attachment 406761Vintage Barling's Make YOW "EL" T.V.F. Quaint Estate Pipe | eBay
this auction is for a vintage Barling's make YOW "el" t.v.f. quaint estate pipe. this appears to be a pre transition partially rusticated panel pipe. it has been smoked showing some wear to the stem. it comes with period correct box and pouch but unsure if original to the pipe. it measures...www.ebay.com
The full monty JesseI'm very fond of Barlings as many here know. And I am very very fond of Barling Quaints, those one-of-a-kind custom carved pipes that Barling made.
There is some lore regarding these, which I can't verify, but supposedly an otherwise high grade stummel that had a flaw which would preclude it ever being a smooth, would instead be turned over to one of Barling's master carvers (no, they weren't all carved by Horry Jameson) to be turned into a unique design, paneled, carved into various geometric shapes, fluted, cut with "tribal" slices and/or rusticated with what Tad Gage refers to as "chicken scratchings".
There is a huge variety of treatments and most of them are, at least to me, quite beautiful and interesting. I just won another of these earlier today. It didn't come cheap, but it's one of the more unusual stylings I've seen in quite a while and I really liked it. It's going to need a bit of work to get it ready for prime time, but that's part of the fun.
Thank goodness no one took a buffer to it, so everything is still crisp. Here's the "before". I'll post an "after" once it's been cleaned. Here's hoping that there are no unpleasant surprises.
View attachment 406761Vintage Barling's Make YOW "EL" T.V.F. Quaint Estate Pipe | eBay
this auction is for a vintage Barling's make YOW "el" t.v.f. quaint estate pipe. this appears to be a pre transition partially rusticated panel pipe. it has been smoked showing some wear to the stem. it comes with period correct box and pouch but unsure if original to the pipe. it measures...www.ebay.com
What a wonderful quaint and complete with all the package .
Stem logo in fine condition too, what 's more to want ?
Would much like to see her when cleaned up.
Yep, and I'm well and thoroughly chuffed. It's already on its way and will be here in a couple of days. Here's hoping that the seller knows how to package a pipe for shipping. Then comes the delicate task of cleaning it up.The full monty Jesse
What a wonderful quaint and complete with all the package .