Preferred Pipe Shape

[shanez]

I have no description for my favorite style. Some people might call it weird but I prefer the term eclectic.

Then again, even "eclectic" pipe have a traditional shape at their heart with the weirdness simply surrounding it.

 

[bullet08]

Preferred shape is bulldog/rhodesian. However, I'll smoke anything as long as it's a Peterson.

 

[aurorasofautumn]

The Barling acorn shape is a nice addition. They weren't regular production.

Thanks very much for valuable input, Mr. Silver. I bought it as an estate pipe from Paul Hubartt and let me tell you that the pipe is not just beautiful to behold but also a very decent smoker. He had another very similar Barling on offer but the markings were barely visible as a result of over-buffing.

One more question for you as an expert if you'll be so kind: Is it possible to explain the lack of any model number on the pipe with your comment that this wasn't a regular production pipe? The only markings there are can be seen in the additional pictures below.

 

[Servant King]

I like freehand, and pick axe pipes .
Bent stem over straight .
I have a bunch of pipes in all shapes and sizes
This is some of my pipes
I have acquired more since the photo was taken
View attachment 71644

I dig that bent billiard at about 10 o'clock!

 

[cshubhra]

I like all shapes as long as they are aesthetically pleasing (to me)

 

[Old School 3319]

The only pipe I have been smoking since December is my Dr Grabow Golden Duke

 

[boatme99]

I'm just starting out but so far I'm drawn to apples, tomatoes (jeeze, looks like I'm making a salad!), and bulldogs.
I lean towards 1/4 bents too.

 

[daveinlax]

I like a big Billiard! ?

 

[warren]

A well constructed pipe, bent to some degree, in a proportion which attracts and holds my eye is, an acceptable pipe.

 

[krizzose]

I like classic shapes. Beyond that, it’s more about the shapes I know I don’t like:

Any freehands
Hawkbills
Volcanos
Pencil shanks
Oom Pauls
Anything full bent

 

[cigrmaster]

I am very particular when it comes to the shapes I collect. I probably have more billiards than any other shape followed by Dublins, Apples, Lovats, Brandy's, Rhodesians, one Volcano from Bruce Weaver that I love. I am a classic shape guy and rarely ever stray from them.

I believe that if a carver cannot make a seriously great shaped Billiard, then they should quit making other pipes until they can. For my tastes I won't give a carver a second look if I see an ugly Billiard they are trying to dump on the public. I see it all the time and I think the buyers for the companies need to be shown what a proper Billiard is and never sell the crappy ones. They should send them back to the carver with a note, try again and don't stop till you get it right. Here is just one example of what I call a proper Billiard. It is a 1966 Dunhill LB.


Here is a Jack Howell he recently made me.

 

[OzPiper]

I have more Bulldogs and billiards(straight and bent) than other shapes.
Aesthetically, I love the elegance of cuttys and Prince of Wales, and am drawn to chubby shanked billiards and apples. I find brandys and eggs most comfortable to hold with their rounded bottoms

 

[sablebrush52]

Thanks very much for valuable input, Mr. Silver. I bought it as an estate pipe from Paul Hubartt and let me tell you that the pipe is not just beautiful to behold but also a very decent smoker. He had another very similar Barling on offer but the markings were barely visible as a result of over-buffing.

One more question for you as an expert if you'll be so kind: Is it possible to explain the lack of any model number on the pipe with your comment that this wasn't a regular production pipe? The only markings there are can be seen in the additional pictures below. View attachment 71698
View attachment 71699

Your question impelled me to take a look at mine. None of them have a model number stamped on them. I'd be making a guess, but here it is. Barling didn't stamp model numbers on pipes that were not a standard part of their line up. For example, Barling STRAIGHTGRAIN pipes don't have model numbers, nor do quaints IIRC. These being a special order, they would not be stamped with a model number. Within the company they would have a pattern number. Your pipe, like mine, is post WW2, probably made between 1947 and 1956, more or less. I'd tend to favor the mid '50's since mine have come from that time.
Prior to WW2, Barling stamped model numbers during the mid 1920's, and occasionally during the 1930's, but it wasn't until after the War that stamping a model number became a regular thing, with the exception of non standard pipes.

 

[olkofri]

Hussar's. A.k.a. churchwarden.

 

[crawdad]

So far for me it’s been billiards and apples with very few exceptions.

 

[edger]

Any pipe my grandfather would have stuffed in his Donegal tweed jacket.

 

[irishearl]

No longer have a preferred shape as what grabs me is how a particular pipe is designed-the combination of how a form is interpreted and finish. That said, there are some shapes that have no appeal for me. The most common form in my collection, though, is a bent billiard.

 

[simong]

Canadians, Zulus & Cutty's for me. Although I've never said no to a billiard.

 

[Fiddlepiper]

Not sure I have preferred shape yet in all honesty. I have an absolute mixed bag of a pipe collection so far. I really enjoy selecting from a variety.

 

[marconi]

I have a mixed bag of pipes. The most numerous amongst them is the Prince shape with a large bowl. At the moment I have a thing for short Bullcap pipes with a saddle stem.