Pricey Pipes.

[sablebrush52]

People spend money on different things. People spend six to seven figures on a car, five figures on a high end record player, or five to six figures on a wrist watch. I wouldn't consider paying that for any of those items. They're not worth that kind of money to me. What they can do isn't worth that kind of money to me. They're not a passion for me and I can think of many other better, for me, ways to use that money. To someone else it's a different story.

I spent some pretty good cash on camera gear. And I've taken that equipment to the edge of what it can do.

I wouldn't spend five figures on a pipe, any more than I'd to drop three figures on a tin of tobacco. But that's just me. I don't think any pipe made, or any tobacco made, is worth that kind of expense to me, much as I love pipes and tobaccos.

A $10,000 pipe isn't going to smoke 100 times better than a $100 pipe. But that's not what the price is about. Among other considerations, it's about uniqueness and maybe passion. It certainly isn't about grain. We've all seen pipes sporting grain the equal of many of these high flyers at a fraction of the price.

I do own a few rare and desirable pipes, but, with one exception, I didn't spend a lot for any of them. I was patient, sometimes I was lucky, and a few times I was the recipient of someone else's generosity or friendship. Otherwise, I wouldn't own any of them.

 

[bullet08]

yupe. i'm very happy with my factory made pipes.

 

[Chasing Embers]

how do you show you’re better than everyone else if you don’t have the most expensive pipe?

By getting free pipes from an artisan??

 

[chopper]

How about this?

Dunhill Namiki Maki-E Rakucho Limited Edition Tobacco Pipe - Kyusai Yoshida | eBay

Dunhill Namiki Maki-E Rakucho Limited Edition Tobacco Pipe. The pipe features a Rakucho in flight, which is an ancient and mythical phoenix-like bird of uncertain origin. In Oriental philosophy, it symbolizes a peaceful atmosphere in harmony with the universal life-spirit.

www.ebay.com

That one has been up for sale for quite a while now. At least a couple of years IIRC.
Made for display rather than to be smoked as the artwork would be damaged rather quickly I'd imagine.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Apologies, I'm technologically challenged & can't work out how to save & upload the ebay page.
The seller is prestigepipe whom I've bought a couple of Volkan pipes from.

Photos from many—even most—websites can be displayed by copying the image's URL, usually by Control-clicking onna Mac; or right-clicking on Windows, selecting the URL (often stated as "Copy Image Location" or similar words), then copy/paste that into the window.

 

[alaskanpiper]

"My personal observations do not merit comment, much less reading by others" yet here you are, reading & commenting.

No I'm not the "arbiter" of anything that others choose to buy.
I'm just stunned that others would pay $26K for a pipe.

If you're so gung-ho on defending others rights to think as they please, why are you even commenting on my opinion? A bit contradictory at best, hypocritical at worst. But hey, that's just my opinion.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Hard to say what I would or would not do with a certain level of disposable income without actually attaining that level of funds. Right now? To spend over $250 it would have to be not only a stunner, but in a shape I adored.

If I were a millionaire, I’d like to think I still wouldn’t. But without being there and operating from that life experience, who can really say?

 

[BROBS]

See but you’re a reasonable person @sablebrush52

a person who would spend that kind of money has gone beyond the point of reason. They’ve moved into the realm of absurd and gaudy items to flaunt their wealth. Much like a human peacock.

 

[BROBS]

By getting free pipes from an artisan??

Step 1.
?

 

[chopper]

Hard to say what I would or would not do with a certain level of disposable income without actually attaining that level of funds. Right now? To spend over $250 it would have to be not only a stunner, but in a shape I adored.

If I were a millionaire, I’d like to think I still wouldn’t. But without being there and operating from that life experience, who can really say?

True. I'd like to think that were I ever that wealthy, that I wouldn't lose sight of the value of a dollar.
$26k could feed a lot of hungry kids. Well, $25k after buying myself a heap of baccy.

I'm the type of guy who would smoke a cob pipe at an exclusive country club just to stick it to the snobby ones. ..... a cob with a Forever stem off course. Gotta keep it classy after all : )

 

[BROBS]

Step 2.
Call the pipecarver an artisan.

j/k ?

 

[BROBS]

Anything with that high of a dollar amount is about diminishing returns.
at some point the extra money doesn’t buy you anything better.

 

[BROBS]

But would I buy a pipe that expensive if I happened to be a billionaire?
hell yes. I’d probably buy lots of stupid shit.

 

[warren]

No I'm not the "arbiter" of anything that others choose to buy.
I'm just stunned that others would pay $26K for a pipe.

You asked a question. I provided my answer.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Anything with that high of a dollar amount is about diminishing returns.
at some point the extra money doesn’t buy you anything better.

It might buy you something better, but beyond a certain point (usually pretty early on) the positive correlation between quality and price sure seems to continually get shallower as they both increase, whether its pipes, cars, or scotch.

 

[daveinlax]

Take this 1965-1976 Charatan Achievement for example. Sure it's a really nice pipe. But not $26,000 nice.

LoL! Just cuz he asking it doesn't mean he thinks he'll get it. Outrage is a guerrilla marketing technique. That price is click bait.?

 

[TinCup]

LoL! Just cuz he asking it doesn't mean he thinks he'll get it. Outrage is a guerrilla marketing technique. That price is click bait.?

Yup.
Also the currency is relative to its economy (that same $26k pipe is on ebay UK for £8)

 

[BROBS]

It might buy you something better, but beyond a certain point (usually pretty early on) the positive correlation between quality and price sure seems to continually get shallower as they both increase, whether its pipes, cars, or scotch.

Exactly!

 

[jpmcwjr]

See but you’re a reasonable person @sablebrush52

Yes, he is that.

A person who would spend that kind of money has gone beyond the point of reason. They’ve moved into the realm of absurd and gaudy items to flaunt their wealth. Much like a human peacock.

That's true for some. Just not all.

 

[sablebrush52]

a person who would spend that kind of money has gone beyond the point of reason. They’ve moved into the realm of absurd and gaudy items to flaunt their wealth. Much like a human peacock.

I agree that in some cases, that is certainly true, but not in all cases. There is an element of passion that is a part of collecting. And for some with the means, the money is a tool, a means, for following their passion. It's not about the money, it's about obtaining an example of something they are passionate about, or supporting artistic, or other endeavors that require a lot of cash to nurture, about which they are passionate.

True. I'd like to think that were I ever that wealthy, that I wouldn't lose sight of the value of a dollar.

I know a few very wealthy people, and all of them are very conscious about money. They don't spend anything close to what they make. They make their money work for them. The other thing I've found is that people with money, who are not trust fund babies, are very conscious regarding the value of what they're buying. A few of them are beyond frugal, they're downright cheap.

One of my friends grew up in Beverly Hills, in a house where the furniture was orange crates and sleeping bags for the first few years. The house was an investment. Furniture was an expense. Once the family business was producing enough cash flow, the furniture showed up, a piece at a time, and the orange crates went into the fireplace. And that practicality never left any of them, no matter how much money they earned or donated to various charitable causes.