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RookieGuy80

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 6, 2023
734
2,710
Maryland, United States
Recommendations to have in my pipe collection? I have several pipes and would like to start a collection. What are the must haves in a man's pipe collection?
Ask 10 different pipe smokers this and you'll get 14 different answers. And here's mine.

Some people love collecting brands, they'll have racks and racks filled with a single brand or carver. Others love a certain shape, you'll see 85 princes from 53 different brands. Maybe you want a rack filled with nothing but Peterson POTY going back as far as budget allows.
It's your collection, it's your racks, you are the one smoking from them. No matter what or why, you should be happy with them. Your collection should be made up of pipes you want to smoke.

All that said, you really should have a Missouri Meerschaum in your collection somewhere.
 

daveinlax

Charter Member
May 5, 2009
2,092
3,036
WISCONSIN
Definitely collect something in budget. I’ve been through a few phases over the years and my short high grade danish phase was way over my budget but it was also the only collection I sold off that I made money on. I’ve found having a brand/shape focus is very satisfying.
 

Sig

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 18, 2023
514
2,414
Western NY
I'm mainly into older estate pipes. I just smoked out of a bent 1980 Ben wade Christmas pipe. Anything that's quality and will smoke cool and smooth. I have a Dunhill 519 and it's okay but I really like the Peterson system pipes as well. I'm located in Oklahoma. I really enjoy restoring old pipes and getting into it pretty heavy.
In that case, look into pre 1970s GBD, Comoys, Dr Grabow, Barling, Kaywoodie, Sassini, Medico, Yorkshire........the list is nearly endless.
Many older briar pipes will smoke great.
 
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FLDRD

Lifer
Oct 13, 2021
2,227
9,034
Arkansas
I'm mainly into older estate pipes. I just smoked out of a bent 1980 Ben wade Christmas pipe. Anything that's quality and will smoke cool and smooth. I have a Dunhill 519 and it's okay but I really like the Peterson system pipes as well. I'm located in Oklahoma. I really enjoy restoring old pipes and getting into it pretty heavy.
Lots of Peterson estates on Ebay, some for actually reasonable prices at the moment...
 
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Tigergrad03

Lurker
Jun 6, 2024
35
43
39
Tulsa Oklahoma
Please note - my tongue is planted firmly in my cheek .....

What you NEED for a pipe collection is as follows;

Dunhill - birth year
Barling - pre transition
Peterson - Supreme - gold spigot
Comoy's - Blue Ribband

Castello - shape 55
Ser Jacopo - Gem Line
Savinelli - Autograph

Ivarsson - one from each, Sixten, Lars, and Nanna
Nielsen - one from each, Tonni, Kai, Viggo, Former
Peter Heeschen
Peter Hedegaard
Chonowistch - one of each , Jess and Emil
Knudsen - one of each, Teddy his brother .... name escapes me
Tao

Kaywoodie - one of each, 3 hole and 4 hole stinger
Cutombilt
Micoli
Tinsky - one of each, Mark and Glenn ....
Corn Cob

I think you get the idea........ hahahahaha

Seriously .... love one women and many pipes, but love then sincerely. A collection, of anything, can be as little as one, or as many as the budget allows. The one caveat I suggest is .... buy quality over quantity. The goal is to create a collection of "things" that you enjoy, not what may or may not impress others.
Love this, thanks a lot. I definitely agree with quality over quantity for sure. Thanks for the list getting some great ideas for sure. Today is my anniversary 18th actually with the only woman I have ever loved. I guess I'm doing it correctly. Thank you gentlemen
 
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Tigergrad03

Lurker
Jun 6, 2024
35
43
39
Tulsa Oklahoma
No way I'm going to answer this without the OP telling us what he has and what he is looking for.
Okay, I'll get a list of what I have together. I have a whole hodge podge of different pipes. I'm new to Seoul's smoking pipes and trying to figure out what I like the most. So far it's the Peterson system pipes.
 

Tigergrad03

Lurker
Jun 6, 2024
35
43
39
Tulsa Oklahoma
Ask 10 different pipe smokers this and you'll get 14 different answers. And here's mine.

Some people love collecting brands, they'll have racks and racks filled with a single brand or carver. Others love a certain shape, you'll see 85 princes from 53 different brands. Maybe you want a rack filled with nothing but Peterson POTY going back as far as budget allows.
It's your collection, it's your racks, you are the one smoking from them. No matter what or why, you should be happy with them. Your collection should be made up of pipes you want to smoke.

All that said, you really should have a Missouri Meerschaum in your collection somewhere.
This is exactly why I posted the question. I want 100 different answers from 50 that all changed their minds once lol. I have already had suggestions that I myself wouldn't have thought of. I want a solid collection of very quality pipes that all smoke very well. I will be smoking most of them and maybe a few that are just beautiful works of craftsmanship that will remain unsmoked.
 

jagsdriver

Lurker
Jun 13, 2024
33
105
Vancouver Island BC
Recommendations to have in my pipe collection? I have several pipes and would like to start a collection. What are the must haves in a man's pipe collection?
As a decades old pipester, a few comments.

When I first started out and I am sure most of us do this, it goes in stages

1) get a pipe
2) get a lot of pipes
3) get quality pipes

Here's the deal. After decades, I have a couple of hundred pipes. I am now in the process of divesting them...a lot of work. I have never smoked probably 75% of them. A good friend, very well known in pipedom once said that he kept his collection to about a dozen pipes. All were well known to him . If another came along that was more worthy, it became part of his collection and one had to go. I wish I had listened to him.
Do your research and pipe trials to formulate the direction of your pipe collection but don't get carried away.
 

BrightDarkEyes

Can't Leave
Mar 16, 2024
477
6,774
Shuswap, British Columbia
As a decades old pipester, a few comments.

When I first started out and I am sure most of us do this, it goes in stages

1) get a pipe
2) get a lot of pipes
3) get quality pipes

Here's the deal. After decades, I have a couple of hundred pipes. I am now in the process of divesting them...a lot of work. I have never smoked probably 75% of them. A good friend, very well known in pipedom once said that he kept his collection to about a dozen pipes. All were well known to him . If another came along that was more worthy, it became part of his collection and one had to go. I wish I had listened to him.
Do your research and pipe trials to formulate the direction of your pipe collection but don't get carried away.
Words of wisdom here. I arrived at the phase of getting quality pipes this week. I never owned an artisan briar pipe until Monday.

WOW! That's all I can say. I have experienced a world of difference in my first smoke with that artisan pipe and it hasn't even been broken in yet.
 
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mpjetset

Starting to Get Obsessed
Recommendations <SNIP>? I have several pipes and would like to start a collection. What are the must haves in a man's pipe collection?
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Cobbs, clays, or meerschaum, all having places among your briars.

For no more than $10 a humble cobb is a necessity for the glove and tackle boxes, or pocket, and there are some VAs that must be sampled in a cobb. Smoke them in the pool, lake, river, ocean, or tub without a care, and they do well back-to-back while traveling. They last, but you'll lose them in the water or maybe fish slime, and who cares?

A clay (with experience) is nice for a short experiment doing your own mixing or for occasional fun (woo-hoo lol).

Non-vintage meerschaum depending on the porosity gives you the opportunity to caramelize it yourself and is a great travel pipe since it does well with immediate back-to-back bowls. Vintage bowls can be gorgeous.
 

Tigergrad03

Lurker
Jun 6, 2024
35
43
39
Tulsa Oklahoma
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Cobbs, clays, or meerschaum, all having places among your briars.

For no more than $10 a humble cobb is a necessity for the glove and tackle boxes, or pocket, and there are some VAs that must be sampled in a cobb. Smoke them in the pool, lake, river, ocean, or tub without a care, and they do well back-to-back while traveling. They last, but you'll lose them in the water or maybe fish slime, and who cares?

A clay (with experience) is nice for a short experiment doing your own mixing or for occasional fun (woo-hoo lol).

Non-vintage meerschaum depending on the porosity gives you the opportunity to caramelize it yourself and is a great travel pipe since it does well with immediate back-to-back bowls. Vintage bowls can be gorgeous.
I have a nice honey pot from MO meerschaum. It smokes a local aromatic very well. I have really enjoyed it so far. I have a meerschaum face pipe that's some Roman God of wine that looks really cool but I have refrained from smoking it after I found out it was a face of a pagan God. I'm a Christian man and just need to replace it.
 

Tigergrad03

Lurker
Jun 6, 2024
35
43
39
Tulsa Oklahoma
I just acquired this (haven't even got it in the mail yet). From what I can find the "Frank" logo is a S.M. Frank logo. I know Frank invested in KBB. I'm guess it's before that era. Is it meerschaum? I can find little to nothing about this pipe. Can y'all help me out with a little history and possibly a value. ThanksIMG_1420.jpeg
 
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