In the 2-1/2 months I've been smoking, I bought 7 Briars and 3 Cobs. I'm loosing interest in the Cobs. I dislike the stems, for one thing. Of the Briars, two are $24 no-name EBay pipes, one a Dublin, the other a Billiard. They were unsmoked NOS. The Billiard had a stinger, which I pulled out. My first two pipes were Petersons: a Billiard and a B5 Bent Bulldog. These four Briars are my "any tobacco" pipes. The other three Briars I've got are my English blend pipes: a Radice G sized Billiard (my most expensive and largest pipe), a custom ordered Scott Hudson Poker, and a Savinelli 611 KS Bent Dublin (the last pipe I've bought). The majority of the pipes in my SPC wishlist are Radices. There are a few other Italian brands, along with some Peterson pipes in it.
For tobacco, I'm a Latakia fan. My experience in that kind of blend is from Dunhill and Barling. My next tobacco order will include Ten Russians and Old Ironside, plus some others. My strategy is to explore brands, with a focus on strong Latakia flavor. I began with Dunhill and I should move on for a while. I think I'll focus on Captain Earles more than not.
I don't know how much I'll become a collector. There's quite a lot of other things I want. I'm sure I'll get more pipes, though. It's all just a matter of time and money.
Here's a photo of my Hudson Poker, my prettiest pipe.