I've admired this collection for some time now. Americaman's motor looks nice too. That motor is a beautiful design
One question I have is how these pipes are stored. Do you keep them out in a room so that you can look at them at a glance while passing through?
That 1882 Bent billiard with "Melbourne" top and black amber stem is stunning. It seems impossible to nail down a favourite.
What I never get tired of seeing is the cased set you bring out in the forum from time to time. There's just something about that set that is very appealing. I've read you said you'll not smoke them. I'm impressed with your willpower. That seems like a set that I would want to carry with me and use, but I'm uncouth in many ways.
Just an all around unique and amazing collection.
Americaman: You're off to a nice start. That sure is a beauty. I hope you enjoy it. Curious to know how well it smokes with the cap on.
Well, first off, my collection has a few nice pieces as well as a couple of rarities that few if any have, but tis barely a pimple on the butt of a major collection. Mine is a very small collection, done on a strict budget, and the bulk of it consists of well smoked beaters that wouldn't win a beauty show, but which provide me with great smokes. You'd be shocked at what's out there in private hands. High six figure collections are not unheard of. So Americaman may well climb past my modest efforts only to encounter the Himalayas. Better bring along that oxygen tank.
My pipes are stored in cases that have fittings to hold pipes, anywhere from 15 to 21 pipes per case. The individually cased pieces are stored in a special box. I don't leave anything out that isn't in current rotation.
I've seen a couple of extraordinary collections privately, and those are also stored in cases. Air and light are the enemies of preservation.
I like owning an unsmoked set. It's like having a time machine. There's no shortage of old pipes that have been smoked, and I have enough of those to know how the unsmoked set would perform. Also, there's the reality that a century old unsmoked pipe can crack on the first smoke. How do these ancient pipes smoke? Pretty much like newer pipes.
Can someone please explain how a Motor pipe works?
Or is it just an ornamental windcap?
Well, it's kind of both. The idea of the Motor was to avoid glowing cinders being carried onto the clothing or upholstery of the driver of a motor car of that era. Remember that most early cars were open air. It was also intended to keep ocean breezes from spoiling your yachting outfit. They were made in two styles, one with a fixed lid that opened in one direction and one with the lid affixed to a rotatable plate, allowing it to be rotated depending on the direction of the wind.
Basically one pops the lid to fill up the pipe and after lighting up, closes the lid to protect against winds carrying flaming cinders. These pipes look great, but don't really work very well. The lid can cause a lot of heat to build up in the chamber. The draw is perfectly fine, but I prefer to smoke mine with the lid hinged back. They ARE elegant.