Kaywoodie/KBB/Yello Bole Collectors Thread

[ssjones]

That is a oddly shaped button, I'm not familiar with this grade.

 

[docwatson]

Most of you guys know that I am a serious collector of Kaywoodie pipes but don't consider myself an expert. Yes, there are some of us that have paid in excess of $500. for a single Kaywoodie pipe but they are usually the antique, cased, extra large handmade pipes from the 1920's and 1930's or earlier.
As for Al's photo of the above mentioned Kaywoodie. It would date to the 1930's or late 1920's. I have enclosed a couple photos of some experimental Kaywoodie's that I have in my collection, one of which has the identical stem/button as the one shown. This stem was purely experimental and I never have known it to be put into production. A pretty rare piece IMO and some lucky collector should be pleased to own.
Here are the photos of 2 different experimental stems. One is a very early push tenon, the other with a screw tenon.

Sorry, Photobucket seems to be down, can't get the photos uploaded???
The stem on the pipe in above photo is called "Experimental Kaywoodie Right Hand Bit".

 

[ssjones]

Thanks for the insights Andy. That explains why I've never encountered a stem like that previously.

Now that $86 winning bid looks like it was a steal.

 

[buroak]

docwatson, Thanks for ending our collective head-scratching over this pipe. By itself the fact that the pipe has a push tenon with the Drinkless fitment more than justifies the sale price. The addition of the less-than-common shape and an experimental stem makes the pipe a bargain.

 

[docwatson]

Glad I could be of help with the experimental stemmed pipe. Sometimes these anomalies come out of the woodwork so to speak and while they may look like someone has played around with them or altered the pipe, at times like this one, it is original. Thanks for the kind comments. Now to see what's going on with Photobucket and my issue uploading photos. Grrrrr.

Andy

 

[docwatson]

Here are the photos;

 

[docwatson]

I have never encountered one of the Easy Grip Bit Kaywoodie pipes for sale, whether at a pipe show or on eBay. I believe that it was probably too much work to produce and therefore never put into production. My one remark would be "Is this the FIRST Double Comfort Bit ever made??" Maybe Charatan later improved/improvised on this and changed the name to Double Comfort.

Andy C.

 

[peteguy]

ssjones and others:
Just a note that the collectors weekly list doesn't include everything. I am not sure how they do it or how it works but I have had many pipes I am watching not show up on that list. Just keep that in mind if you are using it in place of searching on ebay.
Great pics doc!

 

[ssjones]

@docwatson: Those are terrific picture. I also immediately thought "Double-Comfort". The Charatan stem was thought to be introduced in the late 50's or early 60's, so that Kaywoodie was the egg in the equation. I wonder if it had any influence on Lane?
@peteguy: I'm not exactly sure how that list functions or how positions are determined. Some times pipes show up that only have 4-5 watchers (the recent Sasieni 7-day set had around 120 from memory!). So, while it's not all-inclusive, its just one more tool to help separate cash from your account.
All subscribed members: Does anyone have a problem if I change the name of this thread to "The Classic Kaywoodie Thread", "The Kaywoodie Collector Thread" or similar? (open to suggestions!)

 

[lifeon2]

The best price I have seen in recent memory was a Kaywoodie meerschaum figural that went for 700 I'll have to dig around and see if I can find the old auction info.

 

[theediabeticman]

I love searching for these pipes on Ebay

I've actually been looking for more NEW shellcraft pipes...but i love seeing kaywoodies especially when the LOT is HUGE

I don't enjoy the stinger, but really wish i did b/c some of those old pipes are magnificent

 

[buroak]

I am grateful for the name change, though it did throw me when I went looking for the thread.

 

[pipebaum81]

Al strikes gold again with a good bit of moderating! I have been ghosting this thread for a while and went looking for it and *poof* it was gone. It's really turned into a wealth of knowledge on a fine brand. Thanks gents!

 

[sablebrush52]

Speaking of the double comfort bit, there's a familiar name on the patent and it isn't Charatan. It's Williamson Barling.

 

[ssjones]

That's very curious Jesse!
http://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pages/USD203573.png

 

[misterlowercase]

Great thread here gents!
Never have I seen the experimental stems, many thanks for the info and photos.

I think it was a cool concept!

"Is that bejeweled Kaywoodie even a real thing?"

Here's an interesting blog post, complete with a pamphlet from the Lady Briar Department...

http://briarfiles.blogspot.com/2008/03/kaywoodie-lady-briar.html
As far as reamers go,

the Kaywoodie Reamatic looks pretty damn cool!

"The last time I saw a pipe with rare packaging and papers was a WWII Super Grain with push tenon and a pamphlet explaining the push tenon as a way to save metal for the war effort."

I remember that pipe.

I didn't bid, but it was so unusual that I saved a couple of pix...

 

[ssjones]

Those Kaywoodie reamers look like they would be very effective and more useful than a Senor style. They don't go cheap.

 

[xrundog]

Nice! I missed that push tenon brochure. I have it saved now. Thanks.

 

[jguss]

That's very curious Jesse!

Actually the link is pretty straightforward, if not generally known. William Alan Williamson married Beryl Marjorie Barling, one of Montague's two daughters, in 1944. Thereafter he frequently went by the name "William Alan Williamson-Barling"; it shows up on patents, in trade articles, and in contemporary personal correspondence. For what it's worth I'm not sure he bothered to change his name legally. Certainly he continues to show up in London's electoral registers under the surname Williamson, as does his wife.
In any event, after the Barling family departed from the company he was out of a job. Unlike his father-in-law, Williamson-Barling was too young to want to retire. Enter David Morris, famed for both his leadership of A Lewis & Co (Westminster) and his involvement in building Falcon's European business. Presumably Morris met Williamson-Barling during the time Barling was a JV partner in the Irish plant. At any rate Morris interceded with Herman Lane, who had recently acquired Charatan from Reuben's widow and shortly thereafter bought Ben Wade from its founding family. The upshot is that Williamson-Barling got a job running both businesses for Lane; that explains the curious circumstance where a Barling (albeit by marriage) had his name on a patent owned by Charatan.

 

[buroak]

Once again, misterlowercase, I owe you for saving a bit of ephemera I had not thought to save. Thanks!
Reamatics are lookers, but not all that effective because they fit a narrow range of bowls. In fact, my Reamatic fits only a few of my Kaywoodies.