On having killed the white whale

[tslex]

He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me.

One of the perennial discussion topics here is hunting the white whale – seeking that one particular pipe that is the object of your greatest briar desire. We’ve talked in the past about how each person’s particular Moby Dick is self-assigned: For some guys it’s that make and model pipe their grandpa used to smoke. For some guys it is the one shape that is missing from their near-complete collection of GBDs or Doc Grabows. For a lot of fellows, it’s a birth-year pipe from a certain maker, often Dunhill.
(Now there’s a whole other discussion to be had about WHY we engage in this particular brand of semiotics in the first place. Why do we ascribe value, meaning to any object, let alone to a particular object? It’s not money – or just money – or we would all be hunting the same Sixten Ivaarsen, just because we know we can sell it for $10,000. No, this is personal – even primal – stuff. I think it has to do with our inherent nature as hunters (seriously) and the need for a pursuit, a quest. But like I say, that’s another discussion and it maybe too silly to bother with.)
No, what I want to discuss is what happens when you’ve actually caught that whale.
Here’s what I mean: For my birthday this year, my wife presented me with my white whale: A birth-year Dunhill bulldog. I have longed for and looked for that pipe for 30 years (long before the internet, of course), knowing each year that passed it would be harder to find. Now and then I’d find a 1960 Dunhill. More often I’d find an estate Dunhill dog. But never a 1960 bulldog.
It turns out my lovely bride had done a little research, connected with a couple of sellers of estate pipes, and set out a couple of bear traps (may I mix my animal metaphors?) and just after Christmas got the call, made the purchase – then held onto the thing for nearly three months until my birthday. (Who knew the minx could keep a secret so well?) While I had always anticipated the pleasure of succeeding in my quest, I’d never imagined how gratifying it would be – to be a little sentimental, how loved it would make me feel – to have my lovely bride come through like this. Wonderful stuff. [And, not for nothing, the pipe is just great – a beauty and a really fine smoker.]
So now. . . . I’m good. I still browse the emails from SPC and P&C, and I guess it’s likely I’ll buy another pipe some day or another. But with that one pipe, I have this sense that I also might not. Ever.
But what about you guys who REALLY collect? (I think of Neill Archer Rowan and his museum-worthy Comoys Bleu Riband collection, or some of the guys here with their own amazing collections.) Once you acquire THE pipe, do you wait, listening to your still, small voice to see if another white whale whispers to you? ["He tasks me, Mr. Starbuck. The whale TASKS me."] Do you quietly enjoy the contentment of not having a white whale? Do you NEED that one desired-but-not-attained thing to put the point on your pipe life?
It is maybe the ultimate example of “first world problems.” I get that we are discussing all of this within the parameters of the wholly unnecessary. But then, this entire forum is about a luxury.
So discuss: Have you slain your white whale? Do you wish you hadn’t?

 

[clickklick]

I don't think I really have a white whale, now that I really think about it.

 

[dmcmtk]

Sounds like your wife bought you a great pipe, congratulations! My White Whale is a Larsen Copenhagen shape 72. I really like the shapes Sven Knudsen did for Larsen. I haven't even seen one offered in a while. According to Former, it was the most difficult of the W.O. Larsen catalog shapes to make. Someday...

 

[gloucesterman]

I cannot speak for others but for me, it's about the quest not the realization. To imagine, to diligently pursue and to enjoy the momentary satisfaction of achievement but then, all to soon, to once again feel the need to find another objective, a new white whale as it were.
"I think it has to do with our inherent nature as hunters (seriously) and the need for a pursuit, a quest."
That hits the nail on he head for me.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I've had two white whales, both achieved, and my next is a box of great estates from great Brit carvers of 70-100 years ago. For $25, or some other improbable low price.
The first was a 1960 (!) Dunny billiard which replaced, somewhat, the first one ever owned, gifted to me by a second cousin in 1964. I damaged it by losing it in a leaf pile, and finding it only after it had been run over. Then I lost it entirely or someone threw it out.
The second was a birth year (1944) Dunny, found through the grace of a fellow member.
Until that box at a barn sale comes up, I like to buy pipes when I visit a major city that has or had real pipe making concerns. Montreal, London, Edinburgh are the most recent. Couldn't find anything I liked in Paris, but will search again.

 

[tbradsim1]

I found mine. :laughat: Seriously it was a 1943. ODA Dunhill at SPC.

 

[tslex]

Hmm. Something occurs.
A shop called
White Whale Pipes
And the logo is a line drawing of a sperm whale (like Queequeg's signature) with smoke billowing from his blowhole.

 

[katarn07]

Do pipes have years stamped into them usually? The few pipes I've handled don't. How does one know the exact year of its creation? Or is that a Dunhill thing?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

...but how many of them BullDunnies can you collect? There's no such thing as just one white whale. Get out there and get them ALL!!! Muah ha ha!!

 

[dmcmtk]

Do pipes have years stamped into them usually? The few pipes I've handled don't. How does one know the exact year of its creation? Or is that a Dunhill thing?

Short answer is yes, Dunhill was the only British maker to specifically date their pipes, the reason being they had a one year guarantee. That being said, the other markings on other British pipes can give a rough idea of the dating, and of course Steling hallmarks. The same can be said more generally for pipes made elsewhere. Recently, quite a few artisan makers date their pipes.

 

[mso489]

I avoid white whales because I don't want to break the bank every few years. I really love this story, this love story as it is. If you can give buying pipes a rest, that's good. You'll probably find something else you want, eventually.

 

[markus]

My white whales aren't nearly as extravagant or hard to find, just whatever takes my fancy at the moment. Recently it was a Peterson Dracula XL02 (achieved), then I moved on to a Savinelli Canadian Roma Lucite (achieved), then it was a Savinelli 320 (achieved), and now it's a poker that may or may not be a Savinelli. I'm not really sure these even qualify as white whales, maybe it's just plain old evil PAD.

 

[stvalentine]

For me it´s not exactly a white whale but more like a pod of dolphins.... :roll:

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I don't have a white whale. I found a birth year Dunhill and thought it was my white whale, but I didn't enjoy it and had to throw it back into the ocean. I've since continued buying pipes and will for some time to come on some level or another.

 

[buddy]

I don't have a white whale. I found a birth year Dunhill and thought it was my white whale, but I didn't enjoy it and had to throw it back into the ocean. I've since continued buying pipes and will for some time to come on some level or another.

I found mine in a birth year Dunhill about ten years ago (1957 shell). Smokes very well, but its wall thickness at the bottom of the bowl was minimal. I had Mark Tinsky "glass" it immediately, Love it and smoke it at least once a month.
Everyone needs a birth year pipe. I've already purchased a birth year pipe for my grandson - a Sav pipe of the year for 2009.
Buddy

 

[mso489]

This is my windmill to tilt at (Don Quixote reference) but this is why it would be so good if pipe stamping was upgraded to include at least the year of every pipe, along with brand and city/town and nation of manufacture. Everyone who would like a birth year pipe may not want it to be a Dunhill, and the information would enhance collecting of pipes, so people don't have to do a search every time they buy an estate pipe or even buy a new less known or undated pipe. I'm an old parrot and will probably say that every time there is an opportunity. mso want a cracker.

 

[misterlowercase]

I don't have a White Whale in the over-obsessive Ahab sense, but more like the pod of dolphins that StValentine spoke of...
...I mean I'd love a Geiger bullmoose,

like this but blasted:

...but really it's a complete fantasy on my part and I know I'd never be able to afford such a pipe.
I do have a chance of finding an old English allbriar though, and that's the closest to my true WW I'd reckon,

something like this Loewe:

...I did actually find a French-made version and it was exhilarating and very satisfying to finally find a really old specimen:

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/the-fabulous-french-all-briar-has-arrived
...but I still desire a Loewe or BBB version too!
Otherwise,

my main focus is hunting for interwar years Britbriar blasts, which are a little more difficult than you'd think to come across, but I've been lucky and have found some pretty obscure examples, it's always a big thrill when I score one of those!
:!: :!:

::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtlr_zRnJc

 

[tslex]

Loving these thoughtful responses, gang. Keep them coming

 

[johnbarleycorn]

Maybe I am missing the point but I don't think so. I am more impressed with your wife than the pipe. That is one fine woman you have there to care that much about your pleasure. So I say identify your next white whale and keep hunting. And as someone else said I don't think I have a white whale yet. But you have certainly piqued my interest.

 

[tslex]

JBC, on that we agree. I married way out of my league. The thoughtfulness and care that went into that gift are exactly the kind of outstanding woman she is. 25 years and I'm still starstruck. And bless her full heart and round bottom, it's the only secret she's ever managed to keep from me. . . . I think.