Should I Smoke Them?

[alaskanpiper]

Yes.

 

[Lordbigbee]

Smoking destroys some of the value but I smoke most of my ‘exclusive ’ Petes:
150 th anniversary: smoked
birth year supreme with golden band new old stock: smoked
birth year golden spigot new old stock : to be smoked
amber stemmed meerschaum: smoked, damaged amber stem and got a replacement stem, got another amber meer just for looking at and another amber natural briar that given my experience with amber stems will probably not be smoked

I would hold back on the first year SH , the others I would smoke

 

[shanez]

So I have some unsmoked collectible Peterson pipes. I haven’t smoked them because I have so many others to smoke. But then I wonder why I have them.

should I just smoke them?!
What’s your opinion?

I have 2 pipes that I've had for some time now without smoking them. One will likely never be smoked by me. The other might on a special occasion. I haven't made up my mind yet. Most people seem to encourage smoking all pipes but they're your pipes and if you don't feel like smoking them then don't.

 

[BROBS]

Smoking destroys some of the value but I smoke most of my ‘exclusive ’ Petes:
150 th anniversary: smoked
birth year supreme with golden band new old stock: smoked
birth year golden spigot new old stock : to be smoked
amber stemmed meerschaum: smoked, damaged amber stem and got a replacement stem, got another amber meer just for looking at and another amber natural briar that given my experience with amber stems will probably not be smoked

I would hold back on the first year SH , the others I would smoke

Supreme systems just beg to be smoked.. I have 3, got all of them unsmoked, and have smoked all of them.
the SH... I have plenty of pipes I'm sure smoke just as well.
The Founders Edition... too new and I will smoke it. Same with the natural Watson... plus I've been wanting to smoke that one.

I have a few others that are unsmoked.. a GBD Virgin billiard, and a pair of Peterson straight bulldogs... one made in London "London and Dublin" and one made in Ireland "Dublin and London".

 

[jpberg]

Again though, they made a lot of them the first year. How many unsmoked are squirrelled away and what will their value be if and when you decide to sell it? Will its value hit a high at that point or will it shrink to the pedestrian? Only you can decide if you think you have the golden ticket.

I’ll run with this. I’ve been surprised by how low first year complete sets have gone for in the last few years. But maybe some Pete freak needs yours to to make a set, so who knows?

 

[BROBS]

a lot of those are smoked though. I personally have very little interest in a smoked one.

 

[shanez]

A few things to consider:

1) Truly unsmoked, highly collectible, and valuable pipes are few and far between.

2) Depending on the the starting condition, a talented restorer can make a smoked pipe look unsmoked.

3) Given 1 & 2 above, this means it is possible for a smoked pipe to be worth more than itself when it was unsmoked. Think of carvers who are no longer with us or carvers who can currently command more for a pipe than when they started their career.

 

[dcon]

BROBS your post reminded me that I have another pipe that I have not yet smoked. It, too, is GBD Virgin, pre-Cadogan, #676 Hexagonal Billiard with a Perspex stem. It had been smoked very little when I bought it but, after restoring the Perspex to its shiny original look, I have yet to break it in. I am going to have to, along with the other two unsmoked pipes that I mentioned earlier

I have 3 other pre-Cadogan GBDs, including another Virgin, and they are all great smokers.

 

[Dissident_Mantis]

I wouldn't be able to own those pipes and not smoke them. I admire your self control.