Sniped on E-bay

[chuckw]

Well, it happened again. I had bid what I thought was more than enough to win a nice Peterson's Deluxe 11S. I had bid it at about 75% or retail. I don't normally bid more than 50%. With 5 seconds left, I was sniped.

It all turned out for the better though. Herself said, "Well, see if you can find something else." God, I love that woman!

I started shopping e-tailers. I remembered Iwan Ries had Peterson's on sale for 1/2 price on their specials page, so I went there first (it was also last). They had marked down their Deluxes even more and I came away with this.

A Silver mounted shape 69 Deluxe. I even saved $52 over the E-bay pipe.

 

[python]

That worked out great for you Chuck!
I love the grain on that pipe! Congrats!

 

[cyndi]

Gorgeous find! I love the Iwan Ries site.
E-bay just isn't worth it to me any longer. Most of the good sellers have taken off for other venues and after researching, there are better sources available. I can't wait until that's true for antiques as well!

 

[admin]

That's a cool looking pipe Chuck. It has a wild looking grain on it. It looks like a birdseye that evolves into a flame grain. Is that correct?

cyndi said: Most of the good sellers have taken off for other venues and after researching, there are better sources available.

Would you mind naming some Cyndi? I don't use eBay myself, but I'm curious.

 

[cyndi]

Sure, I don't mind at all!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BallewFamily?section_id=6259945
That's our Etsy shop - it's a family commune with me and my siblings. Shaun counts as a sibling because he's been with us for over 15 years now.
Etsy.com also has some beautiful pipe carvers. One of my favorites is http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32617265 If you search the main page, search for "tobacco pipes" though, quite a lot of the results that come up with a more general search are things made with plumbing pipes or glass "pipes."
iwanries.com is great for supplies and the site is ultra-professional. They're also cheaper than most of the competitors.
tobacco-barn.com is nice. They're a little more expensive, but it's a nice site.
smokingpipes.com is a nice site too. I also like that they do free UPS shipping of orders over $95.
cupojoes.com is one of my favorites to browse because they have coffee and tea as well.
pipesandcigars.com has great package pricing.
We just ordered from www.tophatcigar.com, and I was very impressed with how quickly they delivered and how well it was packaged. I was a bit worried about the site (because the design isn't what I'm used to) but the service was awesome.


deadmanspipes.com doesn't have a lot on his site but every now and again he gets some great stuff.
I hope that helps!
Cyndi

 

[cyndi]

It appears my post got lost in transit! Just in case, here's a scaled down version.
We just received an order from tophatcigar.com and it was very, very nice. The site isn't as professional as some of the others but the service, packaging, and delivery were outstanding!
Etsy.com has quite a bit of hand carved pipes and a few vintage ones. I think we're the only pipe restorers on there right now. Our shop is www.BallewFamily.etsy.com
Other sites we love:

iwanries.com

tobacco-barn.com

smokingpipes.com

cupojoes.com

pipesandcigars.com

deadmanspipes.com

 

[admin]

Thanks Cyndi.
Your first post was flagged by the system because of all the links. It is there now and I removed your 2nd one since it was duplicate info.
Thanks again.
This pipe is quite beautiful.

 

[chuckw]

Kevin, It's about 80% birdseye and the rest is horizontal straight grain. Not a fill or pit one in it that I can find under a 10X loop. It shows what Peterson's can do when they go to the back room for the good wood.

I've run two bowls thru it now and it promises to be a great pipe.