Call it blind luck, but I stumbled upon the buy of my life. I was visiting my favorite estate pipe dealer and he pulled out a bag of pipes he had kept in his back office for 10 years. In it were 2 massive 1983 Ashton panel sandblast pipes. I have never seen any 1983 Ashtons in person, so I bought them on the spot (and got a great deal on the pair). For those who are not familiar with Ashton history, Bill Taylor made only 31 pipes in 1983, so they are exceedingly rare. I cleaned them up (the vulcanite was badly oxidized), photographed them and put them on Pipedia (here is a picture http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=File:FirstYearAshtonPanels.jpg). The sandblasting on these is phenomenal.
Then came the smoking test. They are both amazing smokers, with the rich, nutty flavor Ashtons are known for. They smoke cool and dry, and are amazingly lightweight for their size. I am currently smoking my Dunhill 1966 shape 6120 bent pipes, and both of the Ashtons smoke better.
Needless to say, I am thrilled with the purchase.
[Edit: Image downloaded, re-sized, uploaded, fixed by Kevin]
Then came the smoking test. They are both amazing smokers, with the rich, nutty flavor Ashtons are known for. They smoke cool and dry, and are amazingly lightweight for their size. I am currently smoking my Dunhill 1966 shape 6120 bent pipes, and both of the Ashtons smoke better.
Needless to say, I am thrilled with the purchase.
[Edit: Image downloaded, re-sized, uploaded, fixed by Kevin]
