My Two New Lee Pipes

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telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
I love that you jumped into the Lee pool. The entire chain of events is entertaining to watch and see pics of.
I have always had a fondness for unusual items that spilled out from the world of Americana. I certainly didn't need a Pipe by Lee, but, I didn't need all the Petersons, Savinelli pipes, Dunhills, Charatans, etc, but here they sit, in my pipe cabinet.IMG_4535.JPGIMG_4534.JPG

Pipe Cabinet, NOT by Lee.
 

Ahi Ka

Lurker
Feb 25, 2020
6,520
31,473
Aotearoa (New Zealand)

OzPiper

Lifer
Nov 30, 2020
5,761
30,592
71
Sydney, Australia
I'm sure people question my allegiance and passion for GBD's, so guess I'm just like old Billy Joe.
Thanks for the stinger pictures, interesting to contast to a Kaywoodie system.
It's documented that Kaywoodies in the 1930's, sold at a higher price than a Dunhill. American pipe smokers in the 30's to 60's seemed to care little for Dunhill pipes.
Parochialism ???
 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,765
13,789
Humansville Missouri
I was obsessed with Kaywoodie, before I was obsessed with Lee.

A Kaywoodie is the ONLY truly collectible American production pipe. The others really don’t count, which is why Lees, Marxmans, Webers, Mastercrafts, abd Custombuilts are cheap. Kaywoodie was the ONLY American Dunhill.

KB&B’s Kaywoodies from the late 1930s are masterpieces of the pipe making art, because of briar quality, not construction.

The Drinkless ball stinger came first, then the Synchro Stem.

What Lee did, was slightly improve both.
 
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Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,765
13,789
Humansville Missouri
The pipe has three gold star stamps that have been rubbed nearly off over time. This is a phase three pipe and they were using cheaper stamps for the stars at that time.

My question for the pipe makers here,,,is how did Lee inlay such beautiful gold stamps in the early seven and five point production?

He just must have had to have made a little machine. They are always perfect.

4D57EFAA-C1A7-45C6-BCB7-68CCA1BC85D1.jpegThen they were stamped and the gold leaf rubbed out.

11EE1F43-00F6-439C-9233-7136AA6E30CC.jpeg
 
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sasquatch

Lifer
Jul 16, 2012
1,683
2,862
Drill a hole. Glue a metal star into it with something black. Sand it down when dry. Which is why if you look close you can see a perfect circle faintly outlined around the stars. All these old pipe logos are dead simple, mechanically. The Comoy "C" was drilled, filled, drilled, filled, drilled and filled again, white, black, black, to make a "C". Lucky they brand name wasn't Gomoy's cuz a G would have been harder.
 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,765
13,789
Humansville Missouri
Drill a hole. Glue a metal star into it with something black. Sand it down when dry. Which is why if you look close you can see a perfect circle faintly outlined around the stars. All these old pipe logos are dead simple, mechanically. The Comoy "C" was drilled, filled, drilled, filled, drilled and filled again, white, black, black, to make a "C". Lucky they brand name wasn't Gomoy's cuz a G would have been harder.
Thank you, and this explains something else.

This particular Lee Three Star spent over 70 years with that black glue darkening the sides of the stars. I thought that black glue was tarnish. You can still see a little dark on the front two stars.

1B4365CE-90B8-4BB2-86ED-7B352FF92AC0.jpegAnother thing is, Lee viewed 5 pointed stars as improvements. The five points are of higher karat gold, and there’s no difference how they were inlaid.

767E6387-D884-4484-9C40-A3F93DA1C29F.jpegFive pointed star Lees are scarcer than earlier and later stamped star pipes.

They are also much higher polished, and I think briar quality is better.

They should be, because every pipe except the $25 Five Star had a $5 increase.
 
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Jan 30, 2020
1,850
6,091
New Jersey
I like the rustication on that. There’s something about those craggy rustications that are appealing. I don’t particularly like real chunky bowls, but that style on a standard bowl is great. I have a Bertram billiard carved similar that’s just very appealing.
 
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Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,765
13,789
Humansville Missouri
I like the rustication on that. There’s something about those craggy rustications that are appealing. I don’t particularly like real chunky bowls, but that style on a standard bowl is great. I have a Bertram billiard carved similar that’s just very appealing.
Lee pipes have no shape numbers and each reads A Limited Edition.

I’ve never seen a true sandblast Lee.

I’ve seen a few, but don’t own a rusticated Lee.

Lee pipes are generally on the small side, usually smooth, in standard shapes. The Lee customer wanted a higher class Kaywoodie, it seems to me.

That Lee produced and there sits on a bench a big fat jumbo sitter that’s a 5 point Two Star that cost $10 new, is some evidence all Lee pipes were special editions.

It’s beautiful and well made alternative to a 1950s Custombuilt or Marxman Jumbo.

Not all Lee pipes were available from Two through Five Star grade. The quality of the grain of the briar is what usually caused a pipe to be a three instead of two star grade.

I wonder if every rusticated Lee is a Two Star?

It’s fascinating that any exist, at least to me.