Show Off Your Natural Briar Patina!

[foggymountain]

This c1957 Wilke, which I bought new, had no finish at all. No stain, no wax. Wilke pipes were known for that. It was very light colored. It is now mostly retired, as I am.

 

[tjameson]

Those are nice Italians fish. I like that style of rustication with a natural finish.

Foggy that pipe has an excellent shape and patina she's a real beauty for sure.

 

[foggymountain]

Jameson: I bought it for $20 new, 7 years later a pipe shop offered me $100 for it. I think the Wilke sisters mis-graded it. The grain was perfect flame all the way around. At that time it should have been in their $100 case, the highest price in the store. The only problem was a thin shank which cracked, so my local pipe shop put on a silver plated copper band for $3.