I do agree. But the problem we have as pipe buyers is that it's one thing to know what we'd be comfortable paying for a pipe; it's something else entirely to have a strong sense of what a given pipe is actually worth. Many other collectibles have price guides that give you a good general sense of current value. (I've bought a number of guitars on eBay and relied heavily on such a guide to make sure I wasn't doing something stupid.) I have never seen such a thing where pipes are concerned, so it feels like more of a shot in the dark. Yes, you can look at other recent sales of similar items. But that's not foolproof. On eBay, I've sold a 2oz. tin of Raven's Wing for $26.00 one week (far below what most Pease Syrian blends are going for), only to sell another one for $70 two weeks later.
Knowing a pipe's true worth -- regardless of whether anyone is willing to pay that or not -- requires a deep knowledge of the maker, an appreciation of at least the recent history of pipe smoking, and I'm guessing a range of other information as well. Here's an example: You might see an Italian pipe marked "Sergio" and think, "Well, that's a nice pipe. I'd probably pay $60 for that." To you, it's worth $60, based on what you know. But what if you knew that the "Sergio" brand was used for only three months in 1980, on pipes made in Guiseppe Ascorti's factory by craftsmen trained in the Caminetto factory? Knowing how rare the craftsmanship and how few the number, that pipe might actually be worth $600 to you now.
It isn't hard to do such research or gain the knowledge required. But it does take a lot of time and effort.
Bob
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