Hey folks, a reminder, this section is for British pipes. Unless the Disney pipes have the proper UK COM, lets post them in the another section.
I thought I knew what you meant by “generalist,” but budget-blasting auctions like this one had me scratching my head. Now I get what you mean. It still boggles a bit that someone would collect in this way. Of course, I live in a different financial reality than someone who can spend that on one pipe (or, for that matter, any single item that is not at least a major appliance/large piece of furniture).Over the years I've identified a number of different species of bidders on eBay, and each species displays certain common behaviors. The type I refer to as a "generalist" buys only the finest examples of vintage items of a wide variety of types, paying absolute top dollar to make sure that they win. They're literally building complete environments to fine detail with items that are period related. An item like this one really brings them out.
The bidder who raised the price from $412 to $899 is a different type, one I refer to as a "gamester". He bids things up to reveal another's maximum bid, then bails. You can recognize them by the number of bid cancellations in their history. This one had 128 cancelled bids. I've seen them with more than 200 cancelled bids.
There are other interesting species on eBay. Keeps things amusing.
I went $350 on these. I only wanted one of them and felt I couldn't bid any higher. Oh well...This Ben Wade Leeds make trio make me glad I have been able to snag a couple that escaped wider notice.
I would love to have that sitter and bent in my collection, but the faded nomenclature and possible replacement stem (on the sitter) put them past what I would pay.
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Interesting bid history. This one had a "creeper" on it for a while. A creeper is another species of eBay bidder who makes tiny incremental bids, one after the other, until they come out on top. Then someone bids over them and they start creeping again.I went $350 on these. I only wanted one of them and felt I couldn't bid any higher. Oh well...
I would say you were wise to bow out at that point. You might have been able to sell the others later, but I think these benefitted from a Pipestud Premium, plus the creeper @sablebrush52 noted.I went $350 on these. I only wanted one of them and felt I couldn't bid any higher. Oh well...
Congrats, very nice pipeI would say you were wise to bow out at that point. You might have been able to sell the others later, but I think these benefitted from a Pipestud Premium, plus the creeper @sablebrush52 noted.
These old Ben Wade pipes are genuinely rare, but patient looking is rewarded, at least in my experience.
This Loewe Oom Paul nearly escaped my notice. It also escaped me in the auction. A lot of the real, old Ben Wade pipes are similarly poorly listed.
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Thank you for providing insight into the retailer. Unfortunately, I won neither pipe. I did, however, save a tidy sum by losing.Congrats, very nice pipe
Retailer was tobacconist Colin Lunn, who sold luxury goods, tobacco and pipes from his shops in Cambridge and Oxford.
He was known for offering his own brand pipes , amongst them the famous Brasenose ones. I own a few; they're neat. Not sure they were house-made though.
You sure saved substantial coin, but I would have happily added them to my collection.Thank you for providing insight into the retailer. Unfortunately, I won neither pipe. I did, however, save a tidy sum by losing.
I’m right with you on that.You sure saved substantial coin, but I would have happily added them to my collection.
I couldn't agree more . This little Wade is arguably more rare (I've never seen another like it) and I was lucky to snap it up at a very, very reasonable price. It was back in April though the eBay listing seems to have disappeared.I would say you were wise to bow out at that point. You might have been able to sell the others later, but I think these benefitted from a Pipestud Premium, plus the creeper @sablebrush52 noted.
These old Ben Wade pipes are genuinely rare, but patient looking is rewarded, at least in my experience.
Well done! Geez! I wish my BW author was that cherry.I couldn't agree more . This little Wade is arguably more rare (I've never seen another like it) and I was lucky to snap it up at a very, very reasonable price. It was back in April though the eBay listing seems to have disappeared.
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Now THAT is a conspiration theoryI had a funny thought—what if the Disney Company itself is buying these up at whatever price is necessary to remove any traces of their involvement with tobacco as some sort of revisionist history effort (that is probably tax deductible)?
What a texture!Too esoteric for anyone other than a severe Pete Geek to appreciate, this is a 1940's-50's 'Made in London'. I've only seen one other Peterson from this period with a similar rustication. Kind of a white whale for me, I passed on the other and regretted it.
Peterson 313
I love this pipe - looking forward to cleaning and giving it a smoke.What a texture!
Btw, great job on your recent submission to Peterson Pipe notes on the Irish Bog pipes.
419. Irish Bog Oak Carved Pipes
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS We’ll be taking taking orders all week for Larry Gosser’s “To the Victor Goes—the Pipe” the 10th Anniversary Pete Geek T Shirt—available in Kelly Green (the Peterson co…petersonpipenotes.org