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
- Start date
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!
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.
Last edited:
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
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.
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.
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
View attachment 406076
Crisp indeed, enjoy working on that one and making it your own. Great bones for sure!
The full monty Jesse
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 .