Let's Discuss Birth Year Pipes. Photos Appreciated.

[scloyd]

I did a forum search with no luck in finding a thread strictly about birth year pipes. My birth year is 1959 and I've been searching for a BY pipe...nothing yet.

Do you have a birth year pipe? How did you acquire it? What kind of condition was it in? Will you post a photo?

Let's discuss birth year pipes.

 

[tbradsim1]

 

[tbradsim1]

1943 Dunhill my birth year, rare war year pipe.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Dunhill is the common pipe to look for with birth year pipes, as all of their pipes are stamped with year codes.

For me it's 1983. Not the BEST year for Dunhill, but im always looking. I had one once but hated the stem so I eventually sold it.

 

[Frozenoak]

It's on my to-do list.

 

[mso489]

This is a "windmill" I tilt at. I wish many pipes had year of manufacture stamped on them, and not just a code to be decoded. Offhand, the only ones I can verify are the artisan pipe carver in Colfax, N.C., Jerry Perry, who etches the year of completion on each pipe. The one factory pipe I know of is the Italian brand Luciano where the year is stamped clearly on each pipe. Neither of these go back far enough to have done a birth year pipe for me, but I admire their forthrightness. Wouldn't it be nice if Savinelli, which goes back to 1857, had year stamps. Dunhill birth year pipes are great, but their pricing really limits the pleasure of birth year pipes. 'Tis shame.

 

[wordheavy]

Thanks alot, I'll start looking ASAP. I didn't know of such a thing but it seems completely necessary .

 

[mtwaller]

I’ve contemplated getting one. I’m a relative baby (b. 1989), and a Dunhill Cumberland would fit the bill nicely. Or better yet, an ‘89 Ashton would be a sweet find. If I see one I’m obsessed with I’d be all over it, but as of yet it’s not something I actively hunt for.

@tbradsim1 is that a root briar? The grain is quite lovely, that sort of pipe is right up my alley. Very nice, indeed.

 

[tbradsim1]

Yes it is, it came up one day on SPC, my heart nearly stopped, couldn’t buy it fast enough.

 

[scloyd]

Yes it is, it came up one day on SPC, my heart nearly stopped, couldn’t buy it fast enough.

I believe I'll feel the same way if a 1959 pops up. Nice pipe!

 

[npod]

it came up one day on SPC, my heart nearly stopped, couldn’t buy it fast enough.

Same thing happened to me. I had given up on chasing a birth year Pipe (1973). Then one day on SmokingPipes an unsmoked birth year Dunhill showed up (unsmoked!). I think it took me less than 30 seconds to order it. It is now one of my most cherished pipes in the collection. I may (or may not) smoke it eventually.

 

[kcghost]

47 for me so not much luck on the birth year pipe.

 

[mso489]

npod, unsmoked! You had no choice. Fate decreed you buy that pipe. Better smoke it.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Used to have two '74 Dunhill Shell Briars.

 

[lightmybriar]

I’ve got four birthyear pipes. My first and favorite was the Cumberland, which I acquired without even knowing that it was unsmoked. That was a thrill!

 

[sisyphus]

1966 Dunhill oval shanked billiard. Rare enough, and my birth year, and never been smoked. Haven't been able to get myself to burn a bowl in it. This may be the one pipe I own that I will never smoke.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I'd get one if I could find the right pipe. The easiest ones to date and acquire seem to be Dunhills, but I just don't like Dunhills enough to seek out an 86.


Haven't really done much research on other makers and their quality/availability for that time period. I might at some point.

 

[jpmcwjr]

My birth year Dunny is similar to the one above. I got it through Nate, a former member here.

 

[tnfan]

Birth year 1946 Dunhill. Took several years searching before I found this one.

 

[mikethompson]

Brigham pipes are notoriously difficult to date to a specific year, but 'early 80s' is close enough to 1981 for me.

I got it in a lot of estates and just loved the shape, stain, and rustication on it.