Slimming Down -- Culling the Collection

[telescopes]

You guys who repeatedly redo your collection at a cost of thousands because your taste has changed or the stem did not meet your expectations, off by a half a millimeter, are out of my league, something to write about in a short story.

I keep thinking the same thing. Maybe a character from a Ford Maddox Ford novel.

 

[ashdigger]

I’ve been narrowing down my collection. Yes I’ve still purchased pipes, but I’ve given away roughly 100. I still have about 30 to cull.

 

[saltedplug]

I’ve been narrowing down my collection. Yes I’ve still purchased pipes, but I’ve given away roughly 100. I still have about 30 to cull.

Sol very generous of you, and if I'm not mistaken, something you've been doing for a number of years. It's the people who go out of their way in this hobby/addiction/pastime that are enriched by enriching others.

 

[saltedplug]

And Ash, (and I hope you don't mind, but to additionally redden your ears), do you remember a few years ago I sold you an A.C. Peterson ceramic tin of Escudo with about 18 years of age? Wasn't cheap, but you had planned to go to a show and smoke it with others? But then you couldn't go so you sent it to the show via a 3rd party?

I would have had other plans for that tin. Such is not easily come by.

 

[mso489]

You're at that dangerous stage where empty places may be showing up in and around your pipe racks, so you have to resist filling those. There's always that one pipe that you promise yourself is the last one you'll ever buy. Then whoops. Congratulations on culling your herd.

 

[ashdigger]

I

And Ash, (and I hope you don't mind, but to additionally redden your ears), do you remember a few years ago I sold you an A.C. Peterson ceramic tin of Escudo with about 18 years of age? Wasn't cheap, but you had planned to go to a show and smoke it with others? But then you couldn't go so you sent it to the show via a 3rd party?

I would have had other plans for that tin. Such is not easily come by.

I remember that. It ended well and they enjoyed it. That’s the reason for doing this stuff.

 

[burleybreath]

I once did a "rage cull" early in my pipe smoking career. Tossed my entire collection of about a dozen pipes, along with the rack that held them, into the trash. Quick and easy, and the truck came the same day. Very satisfying, for about three minutes.

 

[BrokenRecord]

Making room for Danes. and just making room.

Dunhills just don't do a lot for me--leta 620 and a 1920's double patent go recently--the stems just didn't compare to the Dane Masters.

Love the Castellos too much and had to hang on to half of 'em! Wider and thicker stem profiles than I prefer and falling in love with the Danes (Jess, Former, Tom, and I'll add Smio since it fits that genre, plus some Stanwells).

Habit of doing household stuff, chores & yard work with the flowers and vegatables (tobacco doesn't take much work since I'm growing it sooooo poorly! LOL) and puffing a bent big Pete (XL's and bigger-Pubs--fit perfectly if the nic hit is low, or else I get the "spins" when walking behind the mower LOL; saving the bent Pete House is good for a long soak in the bath with a big glass of booze LOL)!

Sent off almost a gross to SP US estates (getting well used one back but most were good to go) in the culling game. Glad to do it. And they treated me right. Highly recommend SP US estate folks to get rid of pipes in need of new love (no affiliation).

What's your plan or past experience on culling - paring down?
kindly
mike
ps--for me, the cost of this is part of the fun from "live and learn" or "you gotta pay to play" LOL

I had to cull my rotation when it got too cluttered and lacking any coherent orientation. I am trying to limit them to a six day set of Castello Castellos and six artisan pipes.

I also had the Castello stems thinned down by Tim West.

 

[HitchensDog]

As someone who smokes mostly corncob pipes I usually cull them when the bowl, or shank starts to fail and they no longer function.

This is me. I sold off all of my briars, with the exception of one. An Alberto Bonfiglioli that has sentimental value. I smoke cobs exclusively now. So I went through a major culling. I will occasionally smoke the Bonfiglioli (it's dedicated to one blend), but other than that, it's all cobs for me. I realized late in my pipe smoking career that pipe tobacco tastes better and smokes better for me in a cob than a briar.

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

My cobs, except one, have been a disappointment lately.

 

[chopper]

This is me. I sold off all of my briars, with the exception of one. An Alberto Bonfiglioli that has sentimental value. I smoke cobs exclusively now. So I went through a major culling. I will occasionally smoke the Bonfiglioli (it's dedicated to one blend), but other than that, it's all cobs for me. I realized late in my pipe smoking career that pipe tobacco tastes better and smokes better for me in a cob than a briar.

MM cobs are great smokers and yes, some blends do taste better in a cob, burley blends in particular.
However, some blends taste better in a briar.
The shape of a bowl, whether a narrow Dublin or a wide Pot for instance, can make a big difference to how a blend tastes and performs.

Then there's meerschaum and clay pipes.
MacBaren Plumcake has one of my favourite tin notes and is a lovely smoke in my meerschaum lined Heibe Dublin. In any other pipe I've tried, including my MM cobs, it bites like a bulldog.

 

[AKinser79]

This is me. I sold off all of my briars, with the exception of one. An Alberto Bonfiglioli that has sentimental value. I smoke cobs exclusively now. So I went through a major culling. I will occasionally smoke the Bonfiglioli (it's dedicated to one blend), but other than that, it's all cobs for me. I realized late in my pipe smoking career that pipe tobacco tastes better and smokes better for me in a cob than a briar.

Oh I have briars, quite a few of them actually. I just find myself smoking cobs more, both because I like them and because I'm not taking my "good pipes" to work. A lot of the blends I like, I also like smoking out of a cob the most too.

That being said there are some blends that I think smoke better out of briar. And then there are blends that seem to smoke better out of larger bowls than smaller ones and so forth.

After smoking a pipe for 26 years though it seems these days that if I were on a desert island and could only have one pipe and one tobacco I'd do just fine with Amphora English Blend and a MM Missouri Pride (I'm nuts about the natural finish for some reason).

 

[3rdguy]

I am the rarity. 13 pipes, ton of tobacco.

 

[jonasclark]

Anyone wants to chuck pipes in the trash, send me a note, I may want them and would pay postage.