It Is Official... Rad Davis Has Retired

[schaum]

 

[settersbrace]

I'm very happy for the man and wish him a happy retirement. That said it also saddens me as I've never had the pleasure of owning one of his creations. A Rad Davis pipe is IMO one of the finest American artisan pipes out there. I have a small number of others with similar stature on my wish list and this sudden news may push me to get ahold of one or more of these carvers before they decide to shut it down.
Again I wish all the best to Rad and perhaps someday I can capture an estate piece made by him but I find it unlikely.

 

[okiescout]

Wow, Peck! :worship:

Sorry he will not be doing anymore of these but he obviously deserves to spend sometime just relaxing and making some smoke!

 

[crazypipe]

What a great pipe maker, sure will miss him, I have 3 of his pipes ::

 

[mso489]

Those have to be some of the major zulus ever made, as all the pipes shine in their respective shapes. Hope his retirement is wonderful for him.

 

[antbauers]

Harris, you couldn't have said it better and I feel the same word for word. He'll always be #1 for all those things said in the OP.
Rad, I wish you a happy retirement. It is well deserved to say the least.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

Great pics, everyone. There are some pretty rad Rads out there.

 

[dulgunz]

Who is Rad Davis?? Seriously, that does indeed suck, but good luck to him and happy retirement.

 

[pipebow88]

Wow, this is really disappointing. I wish I had spent the money now to have one. Him and Michael Parks were my top two wants on a commission. The Parks is out of my reach or some time, but I should have stretched to get the Rad. It's probably best for Rad, and I hope him a happy retirement.

B

 

[misterlowercase]

I'm so sad I never got myself one...
...I always wanted one of his Radesians!
Will find one someday I hope.
Rad Davis will be sorely missed!

 

[kcghost]

Old CArvers never retire they just whittle away.

 

[jbbaldwin]

Like the rest of you, I'm happy for him but sad for the rest of us. I consider myself fortunate to have one of his pipes and think he's a great fellow and carver.

 

[pipestud]

Old CArvers never retire they just whittle away.

LOL! - Good one!

 

[rigmedic1]

Damn! I wanted one of his pipes more than anything, but was always a day late or a dollar short. A great American Master.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

An interesting question will be what happens with the prices on Rad Davis estates. Sometimes when well-known pipesmokers retire or are otherwise no longer producing, they cease to be a hot commodity and their estate prices go down as demand slips. However, if the carver has a sufficiently iconic stature then we can see a boost in estate prices. It will be interesting to see what happens with Rad's pipes.

 

[lonestar]

He has always been underpriced. I'll bet a nickle prices for estate pipes stay about what he charged new.

 

[gloucesterman]

My guess, they'll escalate and quickly. There are a lot of people out there who would like to have an example of his work in their collections. The fact they can no longer get a new piece is likely to drive up the estate market. I'll bet a Rad pipe proves to be a very good investment indeed. Harris is setting pretty!!!

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Harris only has 19. I have him beat, lol!

 

[delkhouri]

I just checked ebay and there are only two Rad Davis pipes and the prices seem to be higher than normal.

 

[seacaptain]

Looks like recent sold auction on ebay are in the $200-$300 range.
I like his dublin/zulu pipes.