Oldest Pipe You Smoke

[iamn8]

You'll likely go your entire life not seeing another. Epic score! Congrats! I used to have a '44 Dunhill, my fathers birth year. Sold it to a forum member who's birthyear was '44 also. I've never seen another '44 and never ever seen a '43.

 

[pitchfork]

Al, how does that old GBD smoke for you? And would you say that there's much difference in quality between older ones and newer ones (up to c. 1980 anyways), or are they pretty consistent across the board? I've only seen older ones, and if the newer ones are similar in quality then they're a very good deal indeed at today's prices.

 

[dmcmtk]

1943,ODA DUNHILL A ROOT BRIAR BILLARD,my Birth Year.

Brad, congratulations on finding that!

 

[lawdawg]

I took my lunch break in my office today and found myself browsing eBay for antique pipes. I better watch my growing PAD!

 

[fishfly]

This is the oldest pipe I own:

It was either my grandfather's or my great-grandfather'. I can't smoke it right now as it needs a new stem. I've been told it dates from the turn of the last century.
This is the oldest one I actually smoke:

That's a Dr. Grabow Rivera that my other grandfather smoked all while I was growing up. I don't really like the way it smokes, but I load it up with Prince Albert every once in a while just for nostalgia. I've seen pictures of him smoking it in the late thirties or early forties. (At least I think it's that pipe).
This one actually gets smoked fairly frequently:

It's a Medico Seafoam I received as a High School graduation present in 1965.

 

[shutterbugg]

A meer bulldog. In the early 1940's my dad developed a stomach ulcer and the doctor told him to eat baby food and switch from cigarettes to a pipe. Before I was born he went back to cigarettes (he quit when I was a child) so I never saw him smoke it, but it was laying around in a drawer in its silk-lined leather case for my entire youth. When I took up the pipe in college I remembered it, but by that time the amber stem had seen better days and it cracked in half, so I took it to the campus tobacconist and had it replaced (amber was no longer being used because of cost and flammability, so they used acrylic). Still one of the best smoking pipes I've got.

 

[fishnbanjo]

Well they weren't pipes all that time but my Morta pipes go back 3500-10,000 years, peace.

banjo

 

[condorlover1]

All my pipes are ancient here is a selection of my regular monthly rotation with an average age of 100+ years old!

 

[dkaye201]

That's pretty impressive!

 

[ashdigger]

I smoke a couple of Meers from the early 1900's but my go to pipes in my office are these Kaywoodies, Peerless and Drinkless Premier pipes. Three of my Kaywoodies have Gold Clovers. These pipes all date from 1919-1928

 

[ssjones]

@pitchfork - the '37 GBD smokes as well as my other GBD's from pre-81, not any better or worse.

 

[sablebrush52]

Thank for your kind comments about the 1882 Barling. I got lucky with that one. Often, these really old briars haven't been well maintained and aren't really in condition to be smoked.
Lots of great pipes in this thread so far! Tim, that rack of vintage Kaywoodies is jaw dropping!
Simon has weighed in with a truly historic collection of fine meers.
Pitch, those pipes are elegant!
fishfly's paneled meer is gorgeous, and I hope that it gets repaired so that it can continue to be enjoyed.

 

[dmcmtk]

Well they weren't pipes all that time but my Morta pipes go back 3500-10,000 years, peace.

banjo

banjo, good answer!
ashdigger, great collection of Kaywoodie's!
condor, neat to see all of those venerable old pipes in one picture!

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Some gorgeous old briar on this thread.
dmcmtk - that Peterson is especially stunning.

 

[bentmike]

^^^ Agree with Peck!
My oldest is a 1962 Dunhill Shell lovat.

 

[doctorbob]

The 1923 Dunhill 151, I gotta build up the cake, right?! I have a 1921 FLC that gets an occasional.
Doc

 

[rigmedic1]

CPF pipe, I believe it is an Oxblood stained meerschaum.

 

[mackeson]

Grandpa's Amphora pipe. I don't know the year, but I'm assuming it's the oldest.
@Condorlover1 - WOW! What a collection

 

[alexnc]

oldest I smoke occasionally is a KB&B, must be close to 1920
oldest I smoke regularly is a Dunhill 1971 shell I got a few weeks ago - love it!

 

[willc]

Not sure exactly but I have a couple Kaywoodies and KBB Yello Boles that date from the mid thirties.

They cleaned up well and smoke great.

The majority of my briars are from the 40's to the 60's and some of these old pipes are fantastic smokers.
I like to think that any well engineered pipe that is cleaned regularly should only improve with age.