The Perfect Full Bend

[telescopes]

I’ve long been a fan of the pipes Lee Van Cleef smoked in the two movies of the Dollars Trilogy in which he appeared.

Getting a pipe that resembled the meerschaum that he smoked in A Few Dollars More was the easy one. The WDC Wellington Dutch Billiard was more difficult. Even getting a Peterson 309 was a challenge. They quickly sold and never were cheap. Finally, when Peterson released the newest incarnation of the 309 the stem was shortened. Finally, I found a WDC Dutch Billiard in great condition. It was sandblasted rather than a smooth finish - but other than that it was a very handsome pipe and looked very much like Lee’s.

Yes, that’s the pipe I was after. Classic fullbend with a rather direct masculine billiard shape. Here is the one I found:

I couldn’t have been happier.

 

[PaulRVA]

I always wanted a WDC Like Lee’s
as he just made that damn pipe Iconic in my opinion.
I have Republic era 309’s but so far I skipped on the new 309’s because of the others.
The Wellington however is a different story and besides your WDC I haven’t come across one that wasn’t severely abused or even worth getting.
You really scored a winner and just a wonderful pipe and I’m really excited to see it when you post it up. It’s an absolute stunner and
Congratulations on acquiring it

 

[telescopes]

I always wanted a WDC Like Lee’s
as he just made that damn pipe Iconic in my opinion.
I have Republic era 309’s but so far I skipped on the new 309’s because of the others.
The Wellington however is a different story and besides your WDC I haven’t come across one that wasn’t severely abused or even worth getting.
You really scored a winner and just a wonderful pipe and I’m really excited to see it when you post it up. It’s an absolute stunner and
Congratulations on acquiring it

Thanks. It took years to find one in top condition - and this one is in fact in great shape. Sand blasted was my choice, but given where my journey had already taken me and as you said, so many are in really bad shape. The Peterson 309 was without a doubt the inspiration for the WDC Dutch Billiard, but LVC made the Wellington the pipe the pipe. Like I said, I couldn't be happier. The best part is, the pipe smokes as if it were brand new and the stem is in great shape for such an older pipe.

 

[Briar Lee]

In the fall of 1977 I had a new girlfriend (who’d be my first wife) and one day we decided to drive to Wichita Kansas to see the Kansas State Capitol.

Just outside Wichita we fueled up at an old gasoline station that had recently been remodeled and there was a big basket of pipes, the previous owner had placed in a box beside an old washing machine and over the years the detergent had soaked them all.

$5 your choice.

My girlfriend was a daughter of the wealthiest banker in Southwest Missouri.

My pride has always been quite a heavy burden and she offered to buy me the basket, but instead I just picked out one, the biggest WDC Wellington in the bunch, and paid for it.

It took awhile to rinse and smoke all the detergent ghost from it. It was my first true deluxe pipe.



A couple or so years ago I found another, about $30, and it was varnished. Underneath was beautiful briar.



I think these were the largest size Wellingtons, but if not they is surely big’uns. The blast is about 9 1/2” and the smooth one is 10”.



The smooth pipe appears older, has Nickel Plated on the collar, a fancier stem with WDC moulded in, but the two pipes I think were the same size.

 

[telescopes]

Many pipe manufactures made pipes as just attested. This really is about the Dutch Billiard made by WDC And smoked by LVC. Or perhaps the Peterson 309 that inspired the WDC Dutch Billiard.

 

[Brendan]

Nice pipe, love the subtle sand blast.

BUT, there's something going on this week.. we've had an Eastwood inspired cigar selfie by @woodsroad ; the man with no  shame name, and now an angel eyes inspired pipe pic. So, who will step up and channel their inner Tuco, "the ugly"?

I'd nominate myself but I'm far too pretty

 

[Brad H]

Nice pipe, love the subtle sand blast.

BUT, there's something going on this week.. we've had an Eastwood inspired cigar selfie by @woodsroad ; the man with no  shame name, and now an angel eyes inspired pipe pic. So, who will step up and channel their inner Tuco, "the ugly"?

I'd nominate myself but I'm far too pretty

 

[Sobrbiker]

Awesome find @telescopes!
Dutch billiard is the only bent shape that speaks to me, currently limited to Pete 313/363 shape/size.
A LVC WDC is something that’s always on my radar, more attractive than his meer. I notice that his WDC’s stem is bent parallel to the bowl top-something I like in mine as well.
Again, beautiful find-I like the blast.

 

[filmguerilla]

Nice! I'd settle for one of the new 309's in sandblast but they don't seem to be restocking. The initial batch sold fast and I've been looking since. Not really interested in the spigot version or I'd already have one.

 

[didimauw]

Huge fan of the full bent these days. My peterson is the one that did it for me! That one looks good on ya!

 

[Briar Lee]

A wonderful account of restoring an extremely well used Jumbo 9 1/2” Wellington.

WDC Wellington Jumbo Pipe – rebornpipes

Posts about WDC Wellington Jumbo Pipe written by rebornpipes

rebornpipes.com

And another:

Breathing New Life into a WDC Wellington Jumbo French Briar

Blog by Steve Laug The next pipe on the work table came to us from a group of pipes that we purchased from an antique mall in 2018 in Newport, Oregon, USA. It is a large WDC Wellington Jumbo Pipe w…

rebornpipes.com

The Wellington was made from the early 1900s until the middle seventies, and a few after that.

I also have what must be the smallest size somewhere. Before World War One they were advertised as twenty five cents and up, afterwards fifty cents and up.

William Demuth Company - Pipedia

pipedia.org

 

[irishearl]

In the fall of 1977 I had a new girlfriend (who’d be my first wife) and one day we decided to drive to Wichita Kansas to see the Kansas State Capitol.

Just outside Wichita we fueled up at an old gasoline station that had recently been remodeled and there was a big basket of pipes, the previous owner had placed in a box beside an old washing machine and over the years the detergent had soaked them all.

$5 your choice.

My girlfriend was a daughter of the wealthiest banker in Southwest Missouri.

My pride has always been quite a heavy burden and she offered to buy me the basket, but instead I just picked out one, the biggest WDC Wellington in the bunch, and paid for it.

It took awhile to rinse and smoke all the detergent ghost from it. It was my first true deluxe pipe.

View attachment 387243

A couple or so years ago I found another, about $30, and it was varnished. Underneath was beautiful briar.

View attachment 387244

I think these were the largest size Wellingtons, but if not they is surely big’uns. The blast is about 9 1/2” and the smooth one is 10”.

View attachment 387245

The smooth pipe appears older, has Nickel Plated on the collar, a fancier stem with WDC moulded in, but the two pipes I think were the same size.

View attachment 387251View attachment 387252

If you were trying to find the Kansas state capitol in Wichita, you way over-shot your mark. It's in Topeka.

 

[Briar Lee]

If you were trying to find the Kansas state capitol in Wichita, you way over-shot your mark. It's in Topeka.

Yes, it was and is Topeka.


I’d always heard the Jayhawkers had a mural in their Capitol devoted to the infamous Jim Lane that burned Osceola to the ground, and it’s true.

Jim Lane (politician) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Sacking of Osceola - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

My ancestors were United States soldiers loyal to the Union, not Jayhawks.

 

[Brendan]

It took awhile to rinse and smoke all the detergent ghost from it. It was my first true deluxe pipe.