Salutations from Colorado!
- Thread starter Scott Krieger
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Welcome from central N.C. The pipe could be a knockoff or a bad stamp, which would make it an interesting artifact. I would think a knockoff would use the actual name, as is done with women's expensive handbags and other such luxury items. If it didn't cost much, and especially if it is a good smoker, I'd keep it as a curiosity. Not the same, but I value my pipe stamped "West Germany" partly for that stamp, a piece of history.
So far I've bought all of my blends from Stag Tobacconist in Colorado Springs. They blend their own, and have an excellent selection. They carry a large selection of various tins (as well as pipes, cigars, etc), and their prices are pretty good.
Fantastic! I appreciate your input and I'll be sure to stop by Stag Tobbaconist next time I'm in the Springs. There is absolutely nothing out here on the eastern plains.. apart from a few cows. And hay, lots of hay.
Lol! I grew up on a farm in eastern North Dakota, so I know exactly what you mean. I really think you'll enjoy Stag. It happened to be a regular Stag customer -- a stranger -- who actually sparked my interest in pipe smoking. I was there to buy some cigars when I unexpectedly began browsing their pipe selection. An older gentleman walked up to me and asked, "Have you ever bought a 'basket' pipe before?" to which I replied, "No. What's that." He answered, "That's a pipe you find in a basket on top of the case where they keep the good stuff." I thought he worked there, but he just turned out to be a pipe aficionado who's retired and has a lot of time on his hands, so he hangs out in the smoking room at Stag. He said, "You might want to take a look down here in the case, and if you see something you like ask the clerk if you can hold it. A big part of smoking a pipe is how it feels in your hand..." I liked that, and spotted a really cool-looking piece, a panel-cut La Rocca Sienna with a bent stem that felt wonderful. The gentleman said, "That's a good one to start with, and don't worry too much about the price because a good pipe should last several lifetimes, and you always get what you pay for..." And that's what got me started! I still use the panel for English tobacco, and eventually picked up a nice Peterson bent bulldog for aromatics. I am enormously fascinated by all aspects of this remarkable tradition, and just slightly obsessed with building a small collection. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever become involved with. I almost can't believe I spent so many years and so much money smoking cigarettes when I could have been smoking a pipe all along...
Thanks, Paul! My father's side immigrated to the US from Norway in the 1870s, but please don't hold that against me! Lol...
Haha, well done! You've managed to invoke a sense of nostalgia in me for a place I've never visited and an old-timer I've never spoken to. You've more than convinced me that Stag is worth a visit.
I've been a pipe smoker since my 18th Christmas but unfortunately I don't have a wistful tale to accompany that fact.
You mentioned a 'slight obsession' with building a small collection. Regardless of whether you decide to keep the "Withehall" pipe or not, what do you have in mind for the next addition to your pipe arsenal?
You most certainly have a way with words, supperthyme, and as a former English teacher I appreciate that more than you probably care to know! I vaguely remember trying to smoke a pipe years and years ago, but since I was a cigarette smoker at the time I didn’t really get the whole puffing without inhaling concept. Also quite frankly I had no idea what I was doing, and as I’ve learned (and continue to learn) over the years there are best practices in pipe smoking just as there are in all endeavors. As far as adding to my collection, I’ve recently purchased an unsmoked “vintage” Whitehall oval billiard, a very sleek and elegant looking La Rocca Canadian, a La Rocca “Gigante” Egg that practically took my breath away when I first saw it, and which feels better in my hand than any pipe I’ve ever held, a Peterson Kapet bent oval for shorter smokes, and probably my most nostalgic favorite so far – a vintage Peterson 302 that needs a little cleaning, restoring, and caressing. Lol... I’m intensely intrigued with Freehand pipes and would love to find a quality Tomahawk or Pick-Axe. But enough about me! What’s in your present and future stash?Haha, well done! You've managed to invoke a sense of nostalgia in me for a place I've never visited and an old-timer I've never spoken to. You've more than convinced me that Stag is worth a visit.
I've been a pipe smoker since my 18th Christmas but unfortunately I don't have a wistful tale to accompany that fact.
You mentioned a 'slight obsession' with building a small collection. Regardless of whether you decide to keep the "Withehall" pipe or not, what do you have in mind for the next addition to your pipe arsenal?
That's very high praise coming from a former English teacher, thank you! Having dropped out of school as a teen and working mainly unconventional jobs, this is a rare compliment for me.
I'm embarrassed to say that I don't own a single Italian pipe and I am unfamiliar with La Rocca. Most pipe smokers I've spoken to have become disillusioned with their first pipes, but the fact that you've invested in several new acquisitions from La Rocca leads me to believe that they must be solid smokers. The Giganté egg you mentioned sounds absolutely fantastic!
Oddly enough- I also have a Peterson System 302 with a badly oxidized vulcanite stem. ?If you ever get around to cleaning, restoring and caressing yours then you should post a thread about it! The folks here love a good comeback.
My stash currently consists of several pipes from Comoy, Stanwell, Peterson and Big Ben. I have a Neerup handmade that I'm afraid to take outside (I paid too much) and one big ugly Erik Nording freehand that I am deeply in love with.
Presently, I plan to cull the pipes in my collection and purchase a bulldog from Mark Tinsky. Hopefully somebody out there will love them and give them a good home.
Those big Danish freehands always feel like they were carved specifically to fit your hand.?
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