Pipes of Unknown Origin

[mso489]

Most of us have picked them out of a pipe shop basket or maybe bought them off ebay, pipes of unknown origin. No stamps, or stamps that give little information and that we don't necessarily believe. No-name pipes, some with no nation stamp, and almost never with a shape number, patent, or another clue. Most of my too-many pipes are somewhat known, and have at least some stamping, although I would always like another clue or two. What are your best and worst pipes of unknown origin, where did you get them, and how do you feel about them, how do they smoke, and do you make up notions of their past? My one unstamped pipe is pretty certain to be a Savenelli; I bought it as a basket pipe when they had a distribution hub not far from the regional airport near me. I bought it unfinished, and though it has no stamp, that as how Sav unloaded its seconds at the time. My only other mystery pipes are those from Puerto Rico and Haiti which are handmade souvenirs and probably not smokeable for more than a bowl or two. The unstamped Sav is, well, a Sav second, a few fills, a nice light weight straight taper-stem billiard and smokes like a champ, thirty years and counting.

 

[pagan]

I have a few no named pipes that are part of my rotation, all good smokers and that's all that matters

 

[mso489]

Oops, I realize I have another no-name pipe, a Group 5 or 6 glossy smooth finish billiard bought as a Iwan Ries house pipe but not stamped Iwan Ries or anything else. At the time, I had the idea that IR was sourcing from Savenelli, but this has no Sav traits, not their style, not their shape, not their approach. Otherwise, it has only an Italy stamp on the stem. I think it could be from some other Italian brand, Gianni or someone else. I need to smoke it more. 'Told you I had too many pipes.

 

[tuold]

I join in praise of the nameless ones! I have many like the one in the picture that are merely stamped, "Imported Briar".

 

[mso489]

Nice pipe. For thems who don't know, I think "Imported Briar" is a solid tipoff that a pipe was made in the U.S., since that was a stamp used after World War II to advertise that a pipe was actually made of briar instead of substitutes used when briar wasn't available from war torn areas. Europe and other places had the same problem but didn't use that particular language related to it.

 

[thomasw]

I have one unnamed pipe, a billiard that I bought a few years ago from smokingpipes. It is a fine smoker! They thought it was of French origin, even though the stamp on it reads: "fe.ro Italy"; so I remain unclear as to its origins. But as Pagan said, the thing that matters most is that it smokes well.

 

[toobfreak]

I have one pipe that all it says is London, another that I can think of that just says Imported Briar. Others whose marking are either nil or unclear. When I go looking after estate pipes, the first thing I look for is the quality of the briar. By that I mean the grain and pattern, then the design and construction of the pipe. Then the condition. It has to be in good condition. No bringing it back from the grave. I like pipes of all kinds so I try to look for a good pipe to fit every niche and need. But most of them have been well-used. I figure that if it was well used, the owner must have enjoyed smoking it! Of all these no name pipes, I can't say any of them have been stinkers, and the rest have been anywhere from good to even GREAT smokers. The one marked London is an absolute fabulous smoker, an Apple, I would put it up against most anything, maybe a reject from a famous name because it has a fill in it, but then, I only paid $11.00 for it! Any time you can get a great smoking pipe for that kind of price you'd be a fool to pass it up!

 

[dottiewarden]

One of my all time favorites is a straight billiard marked Hickok and Imported Briar. Nothing about its history can be found but she smokes like a champ. Five bucks at an antique store was an easy sale. Interestingly, the quality is right up there with my Petes and Chacoms that I paid well over a hundred bucks each for new.
Love my Hickok!

 

[ophiuchus]

I know I've got a couple in the bunch. It's one of these unidentified pipes which hooked me into this habit hobby.
Shortly after starting college, I found myself at an arcade tobacconist, with an assortment of pipes mostly out of my price range. I ended up choosing a refurbished straight pot marked ITALY partly because it was one I could afford. A pretty plain-Jane specimen, the refurbishment was minimal enough that there remained visible evidence that a previous owner had regularly used a butane torch on the upper edge of the tobacco chamber.
I never learned much about the pipe or its origins, though over the years it's provided a forgiving burn with flavored aromatics and a slow dance with pipe-cut halfzware and it's still one of my favorite pipes. ::

 

[pappymac]

I have a couple. One is a full bent that is stamped "Christmas 1988" but has not country of origin or anything else stamped on it. I have been told that it was probably a Tinderbox pipe. The other is a rusticated with a wide lucite stem that is just stamped "Italy" both are great smokers that I use for aromatics only.

 

[tuold]

dottiewarden wrote:

One of my all time favorites is a straight billiard marked Hickok and Imported Briar. Nothing about its history can be found but she smokes like a champ. Five bucks at an antique store was an easy sale. Interestingly, the quality is right up there with my Petes and Chacoms that I paid well over a hundred bucks each for new.
Love my Hickok!

"Who Made That Pipe" says that Kriswell of Denmark your Hickok. Not a bad pedigree, right?

 

[randelli]

I have this Kremer

This Excelsior

And this Tree on the way

 

[Chasing Embers]

And this Tree on the way

That one looks like some of Georg Jensen's handiwork.

 

[mso489]

That Unknown Origin is one heck of a pipe maker!

 

[dottiewarden]

It is clearer than ever to me that back when for most "a pipe was just a pipe", meaning that most dignified, and even some not so dignified, males would have a briar drooping out of his mouth, there were too many brands coming and going on the market to keep track of them all.
For those of us who prefer the whole pipe smoking experience over just a simple brand name, we have inherited a plethora of pipe choices, all thanks to a time when "men smoked pipes" rather than just a handful of pipe enthusiasts.
We pipe smokers may well be on the verge of extinction as tobacco gets demonized while tofu and gluten free take over the main theme of conversation.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, but the pendulum has a way of always swinging back.

 

[dottiewarden]

I'm a strong believer that tobacco has its own medicinal purposes, the reason man has smoked it for literally thousands of years.
Raise a pipe to the tobacco revival!

 

[mso489]

I think there will always be a coterie if not a trend. As with religious congregations, there are advantages to "mega-churches" as well as very small congregations. Lower numbers of participants sometimes means more devotion to the activity.