Interesting Completed Ebay Auctions - British Pipes

[sablebrush52]

Still I find trouble in purchasing unsmoked high end pipes for collectable reasons only.
Somewhere last year I "won" two unsmoked 1967 Dunhill tanshell billiards on Feebay.
The first "winner " unfortunately did not pay. It worked out in my favour, I purchased them for half of the original
amount, so $175,00 each. Absolutely unsullied, untouched, unpolished. So pristine, as new with jet black stems . No dust, right out of the box.
I cannot find it in my heart to light them and will probably resell .

I'm primarily a smoker of pipes, not a collector of them. But I have to admit, owning an absolutely pristine unsmoked Barling Companion Set is a great pleasure for me. I have no desire to smoke them, none whatsoever. I have plenty of great old pipes that I do smoke. So I generally do not bid on unsmoked vintage pipes because I know that I'll pay through the nose for them and that I won't smoke them. But having several unsmoked Barlings is kind of nice, and it also gives me a base for judging condition.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Hats off to you Jesse, could not agree more .

But I could not let these two chubby beauties slip through my fingers

Good frame of reference indeed !

 

[dmcmtk]

I watched that bulldog from day one, and my spidey sense never stopped tingling.

Not at the unsmoked condition, but at the pipe's lines. Especially the stem. There are many things about it that look like a much later period.

Hm.

I can prove absolutely nothing, and am claiming absolutely nothing, but I will say if a Magic Wand of Truth was waved and the needle on the shenanigans meter twitched, I wouldn't be surprised.

I think I see what your are saying George. I would not bid on a pipe like that without seeing the bottom of the stem. Reg, mark? Yes? No? Show me the slot/button.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence .
Admitted; this sellers pictures are often very poor.

 

[georged]

I think I see what your are saying George. I would not bid on a pipe like that without seeing the bottom of the stem. Reg, mark? Yes? No? Show me the slot/button.

Exactly.

Again, I'm NOT saying there's definitely something deceptive/nefarious/etc. going on, just that the angularity---the "look and feel"---of the overall cut is not consistent with the period. And I've seen and handled a lot of 'em.

There could be a perfectly legitimate explanation for it, such as the pipe was the output of a new shop worker who was not quite up to speed on the house style. But I'd definitely want to eyeball it in hand before dropping $1.6K.

I've long said that the whole counterfeit "model" isn't a significant concern with pipes because anyone skilled enough to make a legit-looking copy would do wonderfully well as a carver making their own stuff without legal risk.

There were (and still are, I suppose) some obvious BS basket pipes coming out of China stamped "Dunhill" that follow the Nigerian Scam model, where ignorant wishful thinkers are the target. HOWEVER.... we have yet to see the same approach taken where legit Dunhills, Barlings, and etc. from a later period are refinished and re-stamped as early ones.

Quite easy to do provided you had the stamps.

IF---I repeat IF---that's what's in play here, it would explain everything that looks "off."

It would also fit with China's approach to counterfeiting as a cultural thing. While not exactly "honorable" in the Western sense, fooling people is definitely considered a legitimate way to make a living.

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[dmcmtk]

@georged

The top "line" of the stem just looks a little off; could just be the pictures...

 

[donjgiles]

I was watching this one, very cool pipe!
Selling price with shipping... almost $700.00!

MINT! PRE LANE ERA CHARATAN EXTRA LONG CUTTY CHURCHWARDEN English Estate Pipe | eBay

CHARATAN'S MAKE. CUTTY CHURCHWARDEN SHAPED estate pipe . It has a crisp, clean rim with crisp inner and outer edges, and a perfect original stem that shines like glass! The chamber looks and feels new!You are going to like when this highly collectible, very rare piece shows up at your door!

www.ebay.com

 

[dmcmtk]

Yeah, I saw that one also Don. I bought a Charatan recently, a Special shape 86. Paid considerably less.

 

[donjgiles]

Yeah, I saw that one also Don. I bought a Charatan recently, a Special shape 86. Paid considerably less. View attachment 41011View attachment 41012

Nice!
Looks to have a bit of a cant to it, I am a sucker for a canted pipe!

 

[orlandofurioso]

Congrats Gentlemen,

So many good pipes here, I'm a sucker for canted Charatan's .

 

[sablebrush52]

I was watching this one, very cool pipe!
Selling price with shipping... almost $700.00!

MINT! PRE LANE ERA CHARATAN EXTRA LONG CUTTY CHURCHWARDEN English Estate Pipe | eBay

CHARATAN'S MAKE. CUTTY CHURCHWARDEN SHAPED estate pipe . It has a crisp, clean rim with crisp inner and outer edges, and a perfect original stem that shines like glass! The chamber looks and feels new!You are going to like when this highly collectible, very rare piece shows up at your door!

www.ebay.com

I'm not surprised at the price. It's the whole package. The pipe's in mint condition. It's complete with its original box, papers, and even the original pipe cleaners. This is not simply a Charatan pipe, it's a collectible Charatan package, rare as rare can be.
And it a Pre-Lane, which also has a cachet for collectors.
I'm also not surprised to find that the winning bidder isn't just a pipe collector, but more of a generalist who collects other vintage items. Over the years I've seen collectors of this type pay $$$$$$$$ for a rarity.

 

[jguss]

I was watching this one, very cool pipe!
Selling price with shipping... almost $700.00!

MINT! PRE LANE ERA CHARATAN EXTRA LONG CUTTY CHURCHWARDEN English Estate Pipe | eBay

CHARATAN'S MAKE. CUTTY CHURCHWARDEN SHAPED estate pipe . It has a crisp, clean rim with crisp inner and outer edges, and a perfect original stem that shines like glass! The chamber looks and feels new!You are going to like when this highly collectible, very rare piece shows up at your door!

www.ebay.com

I wish he’d posted better pictures of the box, inside & out.

 

[georged]

As a prime condition rarity & etc, I get it.

Personally? That CW did nothing for me.

"If a little is good a lot must be better" is one of the reliable-as-gravity flaws in the human condition, I think.

 

[donjgiles]

I am not a churchwarden kinda guy either, but it is a very cool package deal. Kudos to whomever bought it!

 

[guylesss]

I'm also not surprised to find that the winning bidder isn't just a pipe collector, but more of a generalist who collects other vintage items. Over the years I've seen collectors of this type pay $$$$$$$$ for a rarity.

I am guessing Jesse that you've not actually discovered some secret hack to reveal the actual identities of bidders (how I miss the old days).

And are instead reasoning from "O***o's "60 (presumably last second snipes) in auctions by ten different sellers--these concentrated on pipes, but also including "collectible" WWII collectibles, bar tools, and fraternal organization memorabilia.

I will admit that I have on a few past occasions attempted to identify a rival's concealed identity using his number of past eBay transactions--but that is extraordinarily tedious (maybe excessively obsessive), and unlike the old days, not really much help in, say, trying to make a half-educated guess about how insane a jump in price might be during the final seconds' of auction action.

 

[dmcmtk]

Nice!
Looks to have a bit of a cant to it, I am a sucker for a canted pipe!

Yes, it's a Cutty. Should be here today or tomorrow. $40.

 

[sablebrush52]

I am guessing Jesse that you've not actually discovered some secret hack to reveal the actual identities of bidders (how I miss the old days).

And are instead reasoning from "O***o's "60 (presumably last second snipes) in auctions by ten different sellers--these concentrated on pipes, but also including "collectible" WWII collectibles, bar tools, and fraternal organization memorabilia.

I will admit that I have on a few past occasions attempted to identify a rival's concealed identity using his number of past eBay transactions--but that is extraordinarily tedious (maybe excessively obsessive), and unlike the old days, not really much help in, say, trying to make a half-educated guess about how insane a jump in price might be during the final seconds' of auction action.

I've been analyzing bidding patterns in eBay auctions for about 14 years now, which also included some of the period when much more information about competitors was readily available. Generalists tend to ignore specific market prices in the pursuit of adding something they consider special to their period collections. This particlar bidder is also a pipe collector, but I've seen generalists make really high bids on rare pipes who spend even more time on vintage clothing, vintage photography, vintage advertising, antique lighting, WW1 and 2 memorabilia, vintage wallpaper, antique radios, antique phones, 78 RPM records, and a lot of other completely unrelated period items. It's like they're constructing complete period environments, down to the smallest detail.

 

[jguss]

It's like they're constructing complete period environments, down to the smallest detail.

I have antimacassars, a gasogene, and a genuine Benjamin Barling sterling drool cup. I’m still haunting eBay for a pap boat and a Bowen device.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Do you have the Macassar to go with?

You don't seem like a guy who uses a lot of oil in his hair!

 

[jguss]

I wish he’d posted better pictures of the box, inside & out.

I shot Chance an email just in case he hadn't shipped the pipe yet, asking for better pics of the box both inside and out. I'll let you guys know what I hear back.