Leave it in the Case or in the Rack?

[warren]

I don't have problem with casing a pipe. I was just wondering what you are protecting them from. It dawned me that I don't have a kid under foot any longer. Everything had to be protected from her wee inquisitive fingers. So, there was a time when everything was "out of reach" or otherwise protected.

 

[sablebrush52]

Some of my pipes are getting on in years. This one,

is 145 years old. Trust me, it wouldn't be in this kind of condition if it hadn't been cased. My vintage pipes are to be enjoyed and with a few exceptions like this unsmoked set from 1907,

I smoke them all.
I want them to be in good condition. My less vintage pipes are cased when not in rotation so that they don't suffer from the effects of light and oxygen. We all have different types of collections and different attitudes regarding what we own.

 

[cigrmaster]

I own two meers and they stay in their cases. I never smoke them as the stems are god awful. I bought them in my first year of pipe smoking and had no idea that a comfortable stem was an important aspect of pipe smoking. My kids loved looking at them so I kept them. One has never been smoked, it is the face of that guy Baccus (sp?).

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Wow Jesse, that square shanked one with the band is gorgeous!!

 

[skaukatt]

In my case I would be protecting the pipe from being knocked over by the cat, the dog, anything that could cause it to suffer some unfortunate fate. I no longer have young children and I suppose when the time time comes that I live alone, which is eminent, then that would eliminate any worries, as presumably, the pipe would stay where I left it. I guess I've seen too many "accidents" over the years having three children. In my case, if it could happen, it did! For me, if it came with a case I keep it in the case.
Also, my most treasured meers are intricately carved figurals with small details that could easily break off if the pipe should somehow fall from a rack. It is just safer to keep them in the case, for me.
I agree with Sable's approach that those pipes would never, ever, look as beautiful if they were not cased over their lifetime. And, also agree with what he says about our collections and attitudes towards them.

 

[piffyr]

I've had many old pipes in my hands and I can tell you from experience that case kept pipes are the best kept pipes.

 

[jpmcwjr]

For the less than 1% of us who have real collectibles, the above applies- I am not in that number- for the rest of us: any place safe and out of sunlight with plenty of air is fine.

 

[sablebrush52]

If your pipes are tools for delivering nicotine and nothing more, keep them however you want. If condition means nothing to you, keep them however you want.
Some years back I was invited to the home of one of the foremost collectors of Britwood on the planet. I was looking to buy a Barling companion set and had been introduced to him through Tad Gage. This fellow's collection is legendary among collectors. Chicago has devoted an entire display case to just some of the crown jewels of his collection. He had spent much of his life chasing down rarities with cost being no object. The fun was in the globe hopping chase and the capture.

As I sat in the living room of his house I noticed that there was not a single pipe in sight. He went over to a cabinet and began to produce one astonishing piece after another. These weren't pipes for sale. These were just one collector enjoying the pleasure of sharing with another. Every piece was not only rare and quite beautiful, but all were in mint condition. It was almost like a magic act. These wondrous objects appearing seemingly out of thin air. All of his pipes are treated with the utmost respect, whether he smokes them or not. Everything is put away when not in use. None of them are racked. Nobody enjoys their pipes more than does this guy. That's the other end of the storage spectrum.

 

[warren]

Absolutely! If I collected pipes I would indeed treat my "finds" with a certain reverence. If I still had a kid in the house they would not lay around in an ashtray. I do not mean to reflect an attitude of total nonchalance to the state of my pipes though. They are well cared for, properly cleaned and, save the MMs, reasonably secure from harm.
It's perspective, I suppose. For me, they are tools, beautiful tool for the most part and I do take good care of them. And, I will admit to having to revise (read: elevate) my pipe storage when the new puppy came home 18 months ago. So ... I am not totally a cretin when it comes to caring for my pipes.

 

[claude47]

I keep it in the cases. When smoked one day in the rack and than back in the case.