Have you ever wanted a pipe but let it slip through your fingers (or wallet) only to find and buy it at a future date?
About 10 years ago I was new to pipe smoking and was much less disciplined with PAD (the discipline has gotten better but the PAD feelings have not). There was dozens of pipes that I would see that I coveted from a Dunhill shell briar billiard to a plain Savinelli 614 and many others.
While I felt the disappointment of not being able to own these pipes; I knew that eventually I could find them again since they are factory pipes. There was one pipe that I saw that I stumbled on an an artisan's website and I knew I just had to have it. He was an "beginner" pipe carver at the time so his prices were very reasonable for his skill and I thought I could swing this. The pipe in question wasn't in the for sale section so I sent a note and inquired about the pipe. He promptly got back to me and said that he had unfortunately sold the pipe a little while ago though he could make me something similar. I don't remember why butI didn't take him up on that offer; I think I was just dead set on getting that exact pipe.
I scoured the internet hoping that the person who bought this pipe and eventually found them on a forum. I reached out and was not surprised that the owner was not interested in selling. I knew that this was likely what I’d encounter so I wasn't too disappointed. I simply asked that if they were ever selling the pipe that they reach out to me and give me the first chance to buy it.
Fast-forward several months (maybe even a year) later and I get a message in my inbox. Long story short, they were thinning out their collection and wanted to sell me the pipe. I was amazed by my good fortune and was thankful for the opportunity. The pipe had only been smoked a few times and was in like new condition.
This is still my favorite pipe and the one I’ll never get rid of even though it’s not the first pipe I reach for, primarily because I still like to baby it.
About 10 years ago I was new to pipe smoking and was much less disciplined with PAD (the discipline has gotten better but the PAD feelings have not). There was dozens of pipes that I would see that I coveted from a Dunhill shell briar billiard to a plain Savinelli 614 and many others.
While I felt the disappointment of not being able to own these pipes; I knew that eventually I could find them again since they are factory pipes. There was one pipe that I saw that I stumbled on an an artisan's website and I knew I just had to have it. He was an "beginner" pipe carver at the time so his prices were very reasonable for his skill and I thought I could swing this. The pipe in question wasn't in the for sale section so I sent a note and inquired about the pipe. He promptly got back to me and said that he had unfortunately sold the pipe a little while ago though he could make me something similar. I don't remember why butI didn't take him up on that offer; I think I was just dead set on getting that exact pipe.
I scoured the internet hoping that the person who bought this pipe and eventually found them on a forum. I reached out and was not surprised that the owner was not interested in selling. I knew that this was likely what I’d encounter so I wasn't too disappointed. I simply asked that if they were ever selling the pipe that they reach out to me and give me the first chance to buy it.
Fast-forward several months (maybe even a year) later and I get a message in my inbox. Long story short, they were thinning out their collection and wanted to sell me the pipe. I was amazed by my good fortune and was thankful for the opportunity. The pipe had only been smoked a few times and was in like new condition.
This is still my favorite pipe and the one I’ll never get rid of even though it’s not the first pipe I reach for, primarily because I still like to baby it.
