Interesting Completed Ebay Auctions - British Pipes

[sablebrush52]

Deadman’s pipes always has the best on the bay, IMO. What I like about this pipe is that it is not restored to mint at all costs but was left original in every way which meant that the dings and dents of time and slight rim darkening, although restored to a wonderful condition, were left instead of sanding and refinishing and destroying the integrity of a 100 year old pipe like so many others may do to try and get more money which rarely works out anyways.

SASIENI 1920's PATENT 150221/20 ONE DOT SWAN NECK BILLIARD SHAPE 590 ESTATE PIPE | eBay

Where do I begin on this one! Sasieni One Dots are already scarce, but a shape 590?. I have only seen one other ever many many years ago and it's in my humble opinion one of the finest shapes they ever made.

www.ebay.com

The bidding history on this one is interesting in the the winner so obviously wanted it that he upped his maximum bid amount about 5 time at the end, after being outbid a few times, just to nail it down. The pipe went for a goodly amount.

 

[Papamique]

I beg to differ.
I find his offerings overly shiny and over-buffed, with evidence of some being topped.
But his offerings consistently bring high prices.
So there must be a lot out there who like his work and prepared to shell out for them
So who am I to criticise

Yup. No problem. You can differ even if you’re wrong. ?

I have never got a pipe from him and thought “damn this thing is too shiny”. It may just be reflections or maybe difference in opinion. Either way the shine is gone off ALL my pipes in a week or so.

I agree that his pipes command some of the highest prices as he does have some true collectors with deeper pockets than me not only bidding but buying repeatedly from him.

I think that speaks volumes but again, you are always welcome to a different opinion.

Full disclosure: I didn’t win this pipe but congratulations to whomever did.

 

[OzPiper]

Yup. No problem. You can differ even if you’re wrong. ?

You just echoed my wife's comment last night when I opined on a piece of music we were listening to

 

[sablebrush52]

I think that Todd just does a very careful polishing job to get that wet look. I can get that same look without a buffer, just by using a microcrystaline carnuba based wax and hand rubbing it. The rest is lighting and maybe a bit of a contrast boost to the images. After a couple of bowls the shine will lose a little of its gloss.

 

[Rpink53]

I've bought a pipe from Deadmans and look forward to his postings each week. Best offerings around. Look at this Peterson wow:

PETERSON 1900 PATENT MAGNUM 3 CLOVER P-LIP BENT BILLIARD ESTATE PIPE W/STERLING | eBay

No other word besides magnificent can sum up this remarkable Patent pipe from Peterson and hard to believe it is 122 years old! It is graded the old way with 3 clovers, does not get more Irish! It is also representative of Charles Peterson's ingenious engineering with its system like set up...

www.ebay.com

 

[AJL67]

Deadman’s pipes always has the best on the bay, IMO. What I like about this pipe is that it is not restored to mint at all costs but was left original in every way which meant that the dings and dents of time and slight rim darkening, although restored to a wonderful condition, were left instead of sanding and refinishing and destroying the integrity of a 100 year old pipe like so many others may do to try and get more money which rarely works out anyways.

SASIENI 1920's PATENT 150221/20 ONE DOT SWAN NECK BILLIARD SHAPE 590 ESTATE PIPE | eBay

Where do I begin on this one! Sasieni One Dots are already scarce, but a shape 590?. I have only seen one other ever many many years ago and it's in my humble opinion one of the finest shapes they ever made.

www.ebay.com

I'll be honest it looks "wet", it reminds me of a caramel apple, like it would be sticky to touch.

 

[ashdigger]

Yup. No problem. You can differ even if you’re wrong. ?

I have never got a pipe from him and thought “damn this thing is too shiny”. It may just be reflections or maybe difference in opinion. Either way the shine is gone off ALL my pipes in a week or so.

I agree that his pipes command some of the highest prices as he does have some true collectors with deeper pockets than me not only bidding but buying repeatedly from him.

I think that speaks volumes but again, you are always welcome to a different opinion.

Full disclosure: I didn’t win this pipe but congratulations to whomever did.

I have and I’ve had his dating be an issue.

But as far as eBay, he’s top notch.

 

[Puffaluffaguss]

I bought this family Era Ses 8 dot from him for around 300$ not overly shiny but just right. Somebody carved a 2 in to the stem. He doesn't know who did it but i wanted it so i bought it.

 

[Honkytonk Man]

I beg to differ.
I find his offerings overly shiny and over-buffed, with evidence of some being topped.
But his offerings consistently bring high prices.
So there must be a lot out there who like his work and prepared to shell out for them
So who am I to criticise

Actually, when I was watching & bidding on the Dunhill LC, I did think that the bowl, in spite of being Shell Briar, was very shiny. At the time I just thought it was lighting, etc. but thinking on what you said and re-looking at it, you could be right.
BTW what do you mean by "topping"?

 

[Honkytonk Man]

I think that Todd just does a very careful polishing job to get that wet look. I can get that same look without a buffer, just by using a microcrystaline carnuba based wax and hand rubbing it. The rest is lighting and maybe a bit of a contrast boost to the images. After a couple of bowls the shine will lose a little of its gloss.

But in reply to my previous post, what Sablebrush says also rings true.

 

[OzPiper]

BTW what do you mean by "topping"?

As in removing/sanding a bit off the rim of the bowl to remove or minimise dings, burn/scorch marks or unevenness

A difference in staining between the bowl and rim or a perfectly smooth or flat rim in an otherwise "old" OR sandblast/rusticated stummel (some sandblasted or rusticated bowls can have smooth rims) are giveaway signs

 

[Honkytonk Man]

As in removing/sanding a bit off the rim of the bowl to remove or minimise dings, burn/scorch marks or unevenness

A difference in staining between the bowl and rim or a perfectly smooth or flat rim in an otherwise "old" OR sandblast/rusticated stummel (some sandblasted or rusticated bowls can have smooth rims) are giveaway signs

Appreciate it, bud! ?

 

[OzPiper]

I think that Todd just does a very careful polishing job to get that wet look. I can get that same look without a buffer, just by using a microcrystaline carnuba based wax and hand rubbing it. The rest is lighting and maybe a bit of a contrast boost to the images. After a couple of bowls the shine will lose a little of its gloss.

Nice to know that use and time ameliorates that excessive shine.

Perhaps its just an excessive reaction to having to "spit&polish" my school shoes all those years ago until they achieved a mirror shine (or be docked my pocket money) - an almost impossible task for most teenagers where scuffed footwear are the norm

 

[sablebrush52]

There are a few eBay sellers who do Botox and surgery on their products and I would be hesitant to buy their little beauties, but I don't get that impression with Todd's stuff. With the exception of the high gloss look I've seen little evidence of major reconstruction.

I've also seen a number of his "befores" when he's contacted me for information. He's choosy about the condition of what he buys to sell.

Topping can be an issue, especially if it's badly done, which is any topping that you can tell is a topping. I have no objection to it if it's done discreetly to improve the looks and functionality of a pipe, and I've had it done to a couple of my pipes that could benefit from it. But it was done so that the topping looked consistent with the general level of wear of the rest of the pipe. It's invisible.

 

[jguss]

I think that Todd just does a very careful polishing job to get that wet look. I can get that same look without a buffer, just by using a microcrystaline carnuba based wax and hand rubbing it. The rest is lighting and maybe a bit of a contrast boost to the images. After a couple of bowls the shine will lose a little of its gloss.

I’ve only bought a couple of pipes from Todd but Jesse’s post exactly reflects my experience. The pipe in person was much less “wet” than it appeared in the photos, and usage (ie warmth from burning tobacco and the palm of the hand) took care of most of the rest. Todd has great inventory and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from him again if he had something I wanted. Having said that like many people here I already have a superfluity of pipes.

 

[peregrinus]

Despite any rarity the final price seems astronomical considering the condition, which the seller fully disclosed.

Also, the stem fit to shank doesn’t look right to me.

Barling's Make Ye Olde Wood Special TVF (235) Bent Pot Family Era (Unsmoked!!)

 

[Toast]

I was keeping an eye on that as the shaping really appealed to me. I also thought the alignment looked off & wondered if it was because of the crack & could be fixed by banding. Thankfully it went for far more than my maximum, so no need to find out!

 

[Puffaluffaguss]

Despite any rarity the final price seems astronomical considering the condition, which the seller fully disclosed.
View attachment 161360
Also, the stem fit to shank doesn’t look right to me.
View attachment 161361
Barling's Make Ye Olde Wood Special TVF (235) Bent Pot Family Era (Unsmoked!!)

When I was watching this it kept going up and up I thought it was worth about 300 but daaaang I wouldn't of thought that much

 

[sablebrush52]

Wonder how I missed this one. The fit and the bend are off. I wonder if a previous owner tried to bend the stem and did it attached to the shank, which would certainly cause it to crack. Might have been from another pipe, hard to know. Something that far off in alignment wouldn't have made it out of the shop.

The price is very high, given condition. But, I've seen some very high prices paid, like over a grand for a 1962 unsmoked Barling that sold a week or two ago.

I'll have to consult my 150th Anniversary Catalog to see if there's a picture of this model.

 

[peregrinus]

“I wonder if a previous owner tried to bend the stem and did it attached to the shank, which would certainly cause it to crack. Might have been from another pipe…”

I was hoping you’d stop by. I was wondering the same things.

I’d be curious to know if this bowl/stem combo was a cataloged item.