Joy Of Knowing The Prior Owner Of Your Estate Pipe

[npod]

A little random post.

I recently acquired an estate pipe that belonged to Ray Lamontagne. Although I was superficially aware of his music, I had not downloaded any of his work until I found out that he was the previous owner of my the estate pipe. Since then I have become a big fan.

Also, I saw one of my prior pipes on a web post and contacted the new owner to let him know the history. He was thrilled to learn the information. We are now friends and chat often.

Anyone else know the previous owner of an estate pipe or have a pipe from someone known to history?

Also, FYI,

From Pipes Magazine Radio Show (Brian played a Lamontagne tune) Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 373 - https://pipesmagazine.com/blog/radio-talk-show/pipes-magazine-radio-show-episode-373/

21 Things You Didn’t Know About Ray LaMontagne - https://blog.napster.com/2016/03/09/21-things-didnt-know-ray-lamontagne/ (see #9)

Ray of Light - https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/ray-of-light-1.1192522 ;

 

[lightmybriar]

I had no idea Ray was a pipesmoker! How cool! Great post!

 

[spartacus]

Anyone else know the previous owner of an estate pipe or have a pipe from someone known to history?

Not until I buy one of your pipes!

 

[npod]

Not until I buy one of your pipes!

 

[alaskanpiper]

Lots of Sante's Pipes (RIP) are showing up in forum member's hands, which is very cool, and I can't help but believe exactly what he would want.

 

[npod]

I had no idea Ray was a pipesmoker!

Same here. It was a surprise. But I have since learned that he is quite passionate about the pipe. Small world.

 

[npod]

Lots of Sante's Pipes (RIP) are showing up in forum member's hands, which is very cool, and I can't help but believe exactly what he would want.

That is a great example for sure!

 

[litup]

I've told this story elsewhere on this forum but I think it fits here. I bought a Castello Le Catene with a white stem off of Briar Blues a couple years ago that I was just thrilled with. And because I was proud of it, I took it to the next pipe club meeting to show it off. As soon as I pulled it out of the bag, one of the other members of the club said, "let me see that." He looked it over for about two seconds before he concluded "that used to be my pipe!"

Turns out, he had sold the pipe to one of the other guys in the club a few years earlier before I had joined the club. That guy liked the pipe well enough to buy it but after smoking it a few times he decided he didn't like having to work extra hard to keep the white stem looking good. So he traded it off but couldn't remember to whom. By that time he had moved to Texas. From there, the provenance of the pipe is unknown until it was sold through Briar Blues to me.

From Italy to California, to Texas briefly, to Canada, and finally back to the same small pipe club in California again. So I have the distinct pleasure of being friends with two of the pipe's former owners.

I also got to sit next to Mike Glukler at the banquet in Vegas this year and tell him this story so even though I don't know him well enough to call him a friend, I can claim to have spoken with three previous caretakers of this pipe.

 

[npod]

That is so damn cool! What a great story. It makes the pipe have more meaning.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have a meerschaum that once belonged to Julius Caesar. It has an irrefutable orange stain on it, from his favorite drink.

 

[cshubhra]

Some of my pipes were bought from forum member @ashdigger . That way, I sort of know the previous owner of some of my pipes.
In general if it is a member to member transaction, it will hold true

 

[sablebrush52]

I had two Charatan pipes that belonged to William Conrad, which I gifted to jiminks, and still have one Dunhill that belonged to Alfred Hitchcock.

 

[lightmybriar]

I've told this story elsewhere on this forum but I think it fits here. I bought a Castello Le Catene with a white stem off of Briar Blues a couple years ago that I was just thrilled with. And because I was proud of it, I took it to the next pipe club meeting to show it off. As soon as I pulled it out of the bag, one of the other members of the club said, "let me see that." He looked it over for about two seconds before he concluded "that used to be my pipe!"

Turns out, he had sold the pipe to one of the other guys in the club a few years earlier before I had joined the club. That guy liked the pipe well enough to buy it but after smoking it a few times he decided he didn't like having to work extra hard to keep the white stem looking good. So he traded it off but couldn't remember to whom. By that time he had moved to Texas. From there, the provenance of the pipe is unknown until it was sold through Briar Blues to me.

From Italy to California, to Texas briefly, to Canada, and finally back to the same small pipe club in California again. So I have the distinct pleasure of being friends with two of the pipe's former owners.

I also got to sit next to Mike Glukler at the banquet in Vegas this year and tell him this story so even though I don't know him well enough to call him a friend, I can claim to have spoken with three previous caretakers of this pipe.
View attachment 15182

That is a beautiful pipe!

 

[npod]

I had two Charatan pipes that belonged to William Conrad, which I gifted to jiminks, and still have one Dunhill that belonged to Alfred Hitchcock.

Very Cool, Jesse.

 

[seldom]

npod, Inquiring minds want to know! What is the Ray Lamontagne pipe?

 

[npod]

npod, Inquiring minds want to know! What is the Ray Lamontagne pipe?

Ah, the astute question. I purposely left that out of the discussion. I'm not trying to be obtuse, but I did promise the seller I would not discuss the specifics.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I had two Charatan pipes that belonged to William Conrad, which I gifted to jiminks, and still have one Dunhill that belonged to Alfred Hitchcock.

That is just goddamn awesome.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

I believe it would add some personal value for me to know the history of the pipe that I am smoking. I look at pipes as a little snapshot in time. As I'm smoking the pipe, I like to think about who may have owned it and how many hours of comfort and relaxation they may have received from it. How many difficult decisions were pondered and how many issues were resolved while gently puffing away on the pipe? I hope someday when I'm gone, others will be able to enjoy my pipes and receive some of the joy that I did whilst smoking them.

 

[davidintexas]

I have a Big Ben Barbados nosewarmer that I bought off of Troy (Misterlowercase) as many of you will remember. He told me that he smoked Condor out of it, and sent a little packet of Condor with the pipe. Although early on I tried a few different blends in it, it is now used only to smoke Condor, and I think of him every time I use it.

 

[hauntedmyst]

The only former owner of a pipe I'd care to have knowledge of would be someone like Arthur Conan Doyle, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien. Beyond that, I don't see much of the appeal. Alfred Hitchcock qualifies too.