Ruminations on the Marxman 400

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Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,723
13,690
Humansville Missouri
It’s known that Bob Marx Rand his pipe company from 1934 to 1954, that he had seven master carvers in his shop, one old man from Germany in charge of polishing, and the pipes were reputed to be of Algerian briar.

He had about seven grades, not counting hand carved artisan pipes.

And of the grades, the 400 was the top $25 grade, each handmade and guaranteed for life, the owners name listed in special book.

But what made a 400, the top of the line?

My guess is the name had something to do with one of four hundred pipes produced was worthy to be a 400.

I’d like to own a 400.

But I wonder what all gee gaws and foo fraws were featured on a 400 not found in lesser pipes?
 
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didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,834
31,386
34
Burlington WI
If I hadn't told you this wasn't a 400, I don't believe you'd have known differently. It smokes like my Jumbo Benchmade and my Mel-o which is to say it smokes very well and View attachment 204998
This is a gold coast?

Also, does anyone have comparison shots of the 400 vs the "lessers". ?

I never would have thought I'd be this interested in these old pipes.
 

telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
This is a gold coast?

Also, does anyone have comparison shots of the 400 vs the "lessers". ?

I never would have thought I'd be this interested in these old pipes.
No, it's Royal Marxman. But it looks like a 400.
Yes, they are interesting and they look better in person. A whole lot better.ABA29769-D7A1-4F67-B8A4-97CCFACBD597.jpegD66204DF-3C47-4268-8D18-CA5639F8B2B4.jpeg

You can see the similarities.
 

telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
This is a gold coast?
Gold Coast was a secondary brand of Pipes by Lee. They are a whole other collectible. @Parsimonious Piper would be the person to best explain Gold Cost pipes. He also has the finest collection of Pipes by Lee in probably the country. Lee pipes also made some very unusual pipes other than those that @Briar Lee has discussed here on this forum.
 

didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,834
31,386
34
Burlington WI
Gold Coast was a secondary brand of Pipes by Lee. They are a whole other collectible. @Parsimonious Piper would be the person to best explain Gold Cost pipes. He also has the finest collection of Pipes by Lee in probably the country. Lee pipes also made some very unusual pipes other than those that @Briar Lee has discussed here on this forum.
They were the only gold banded pipes I've really seen that's why I asked.
 

telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
They were the only gold banded pipes I've really seen that's why I asked.
That's right. And the Gold Coast match set I have both has the 14K "Gold Filled" bands. My other Gold Coast did as well.

By the way, Gold Coast pipes smoke alright.

I have perhaps 9 Marxman Pipes (5 are boxed and unsmoked) and the 4 that I do smoke are all good smokers.

The boxed ones are awaiting the day when pipe purchases are difficult to make - I have about 10 unsmoked pipes that I will then pull out of storage and slowly start smoking them. That way I should always have a new pipe I can smoke and break in as I get older. I am 60 now. Still young by the standards of this forum. I have enough tobacco to last me well into my 70s. Maybe longer if I cut back. My two Gold Coast are some of those unsmoked pipes that will get smokes. I have one Mello-Bole from the 40s that will also get smoked as well. I just put a Brand New in the box Pipe by Lee Third Generation 3 Star pipe up for sale on Ebay today.
 
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didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,834
31,386
34
Burlington WI
That's right. And the Gold Coast match set I have both has the 14K "Gold Filled" bands. My other Gold Coast did as well.

By the way, Gold Coast pipes smoke alright.

I have perhaps 9 Marxman Pipes (5 are boxed and unsmoked) and the 4 that I do smoke are all good smokers.

The boxed ones are awaiting the day when pipe purchases are difficult to make - I have about 10 unsmoked pipes that I will then pull out of storage and slowly start smoking them. That way I should always have a new pipe I can smoke and break in as I get older. I am 60 now. Still young by the standards of this forum. I have enough tobacco to last me well into my 70s. Maybe longer if I cut back. My two Gold Coast are some of those unsmoked pipes that will get smokes. I have one Mello-Bole from the 40s that will also get smoked as well. I just put a Brand New in the box Pipe by Lee Third Generation 3 Star pipe up for sale on Ebay today.
That's a clever idea. Not only stash tobacco for future, but unsmoked pipes!

Damn you.....lol
 

telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
Start your stash of unsmoked pipes for the future. It's easy to see tobacco as something you should celler, but the pleasure a pipe provides is just as critical to the process of.... pipe smoking. When tobacco is to difficult to get, think about how difficult it will be to get pipes. Breaking in a new unsmoked pipe is a great experience. What do we do when those unsmoked pipes are just as difficult to find as well? Celler!
 

telescopes

Pipe Dreamer and Star Gazer
And I just added it to my collection. You’re feeding my PAD 🤣 Thanks! It’ll be only my 2nd NOS Lee, and will be saved for future enjoyment.
You are welcome. It was a difficult decision for me. It's an unusual Lee. It reminds me of a Marxman. It will be in the mail tomorrow. Thank you so much. I'm happy it is going to someone who will appreciate it like I did.
 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,723
13,690
Humansville Missouri
Something I’ve noticed about all my growing stash of Pre 1954 Marxman pipes. The soft, porous, light Algerian briar colors from light tan to a reddish brown in only a few smokes.

14D10125-D981-4EF4-8A52-CE6134932FBB.jpeg
4151d138-fe4d-4ef1-9bd3-9067f58709b8-jpeg.205166
B2ECA2BA-EC3D-46C5-A709-34F4F7BC337D.jpeg
9DD59A8B-D50D-483C-8FF4-814AC83F95EB.jpeg77A8B003-31BE-4741-BF39-B89CD3D0D67A.jpeg

The carving on smooth pipes seems primarily to cover up flaws in the briar. The big pipe shown has four gouge type carvings and 17 puttied fills, The small one has no visible fills but four carvings, likely to disguise flaws.

A perfect, large, smooth $25 grade 400 would have been exceedingly rare.
 
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Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,723
13,690
Humansville Missouri
This must be the old man from Germany…

View attachment 205170
That might have been wife Helen or the receptionist. It no doubt was a classy operation, that used pretty girls at every opportunity to peddle the goods.

Marx had to sell a bunch of pipes to finance advertisements in major national glossy magazines and full page spreads in Pipe Lovers Magazine.

The major tobacco companies had to cut the price of cigarettes a nickel to a dime during the worst of the Depression, and Bob Marx sold a lot of five dollar and up pipes, in a market where fifty cents bought a nice factory briar pipe.

His workers took cheap Algerian briar and carved it and made expensive pipes with it.

They all smoke heavenly.

That brought repeat sales.
 

milk

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 21, 2022
933
2,414
Japan
Something I’ve noticed about all my growing stash of Pre 1954 Marxman pipes. The soft, porous, light Algerian briar colors from light tan to a reddish brown in only a few smokes.

View attachment 205165
4151d138-fe4d-4ef1-9bd3-9067f58709b8-jpeg.205166
View attachment 205171
View attachment 205168View attachment 205169

The carving on smooth pipes seems primarily to cover up flaws in the briar. The big pipe shown has four gouge type carvings and 17 puttied fills, The small one has no visible fills but four carvings, likely to disguise flaws.

A perfect, large, smooth $25 grade 400 would have been exceedingly rare.
So my golden pipe is going to turn dark reddish-brown? Interesting.
 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,211
5,299
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
..he had seven master carvers in his shop, one old man from Germany in charge of polishing...

According to Richard Carleton Hacker in his book Rare Smoke - The Ultimate Guide to Pipe Collecting, one of the seven carvers was Lewis Cowan who had previously worked for Loewe & Company of London. The old man in charge of polishing was Hugo Sohn, who he said had 40-years of tobacco-blending and pipe-making experience in Germany.

"Numerous pipes, most notably The Four Hundred model, were presented with appropriate publicity to some of the top pipe smoking motion picture stars of the era. Everyone from James Stewart to Sabu The Jungle Boy had a Marxman '400.'"