I'm always interested in how a collector arrives at a specific brand, style, or shape. Please share your story behind the collection.
The Story Behind the Collection
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I first smoked a pipe in college and really enjoyed it. After a couple of years I lost my enthusiasm for it and put it down for the next 15 or so years.
I returned to pipe smoking about 25 years ago, thank to my father-in-law, who was an experienced smoker and a major collector of Dunhills, hundreds of them, 20's era magnums, cased pieces, sets, specimen, prototypes, as well as all manner of other Dunhill ephemera. The scent of pipe tobacco, the drawers of beautiful pipes. rekindled my interest.
I bought a few Dunhills, traded artwork for others, built up a respectable rotation, and picked up where I had left off. This time my interest grew. As time went on I read about pipes, tried out new blends and began to branch out from my Dunhill roots.
The first Barling that I bought was an inexpensive Corporate Era Canadian. That pipe was truly magic. I started buying Barlings and found pipes that work well for me. I own a variety of pipes besides Barlings but Barlings remain my largest concentration. Their smoking properties, excellence in manufacture, elegant sterling work, and long history really appeal to me.
Besides Barling, I collect Comoy, Lee Von Erck, Talbert, Fillenwarth, and Tatum pipes, as well as Kaywoodies and a little bit of this and that. My buying has slowed down to a crawl. But I still look for something interesting and have just commissioned a pipe from Scottie Piersel. I like artisan makers who combine technical expertise with a clear individual personality when it comes to design.
I returned to pipe smoking about 25 years ago, thank to my father-in-law, who was an experienced smoker and a major collector of Dunhills, hundreds of them, 20's era magnums, cased pieces, sets, specimen, prototypes, as well as all manner of other Dunhill ephemera. The scent of pipe tobacco, the drawers of beautiful pipes. rekindled my interest.
I bought a few Dunhills, traded artwork for others, built up a respectable rotation, and picked up where I had left off. This time my interest grew. As time went on I read about pipes, tried out new blends and began to branch out from my Dunhill roots.
The first Barling that I bought was an inexpensive Corporate Era Canadian. That pipe was truly magic. I started buying Barlings and found pipes that work well for me. I own a variety of pipes besides Barlings but Barlings remain my largest concentration. Their smoking properties, excellence in manufacture, elegant sterling work, and long history really appeal to me.
Besides Barling, I collect Comoy, Lee Von Erck, Talbert, Fillenwarth, and Tatum pipes, as well as Kaywoodies and a little bit of this and that. My buying has slowed down to a crawl. But I still look for something interesting and have just commissioned a pipe from Scottie Piersel. I like artisan makers who combine technical expertise with a clear individual personality when it comes to design.
My scoutmaster smoked a pipe, way back in the Seventies. My first pipes were Dr. Grabows and Yellowbowls, and I collected all the different shapes. A friend introduced me to Edwards pipes, and I began collecting those. After that, the Danish pipes were all the rage, and I started collecting the big freehands: Nording, Ben Wade, Bjarne, etc. I quit the pipe for a brief time in the 90's, and did not return to it until 2002, getting into Peterson pipes at first, then Italian pipes, and higher end pipes on the Estate Market. My eclectic collection has grown to 98 pipes, and I tend now to search for a pipe by the reputation of the maker, and the way the pipe looks, and how it feels in the hand. How it smokes, well, that determines whether it stays in rotation or stays on the shelf in the display case.
I first started smoking pipes in the middle sixties (in my late teens) and economics dictate that my "collection" was largely made up of basket pipes from the local drug store. As time and resources progressed I discovered Peretti's in Boston and they stocked a big collection of store brand pipes. They became my main stays for many years. Mr. Peretti's pipes were nothing fancy but they were always great smokers. That became my bias. As time went on I had the money to invest in more expensive pipes but those Peretti's pipes were still part of my usual rotation. My tastes tended to be to the Rhodys & Dogs style. I just love that classic balance of a bent Rhodesian or bulldog. A number of years back I bought a GBD 9438 in the estate market and I was hooked. It was a great smoker and came in a wide variety of finishes and materials. Although I still will add something special to the collection the 9438 has been my focus these last 15 years. They come in the French and English styles in both brier and meerschaum. You could have a collection of 25 or 30 and never have a duplicate. IMHO it's one of the finest smoking pipes I have ever used. Mr. Peretti's sage council years ago was "don't worry about what it costs, make sure it smokes well" It's been my rule on thumb ever since. I have acquired some absolutely beautiful pipes over the years. True examples of the pipe makers art but my smokers, they're the 9438 in one form or another. They just smoke anything well. A full easy, draw and comfortable to hand and teeth. Mr. Peretti would be proud!
For me, I found after years of buying one off's (the best I could afford)and after inspecting some of the great brand/shape collections displayed at shows I knew what I wanted to do. To save money I have never bought two of the exact same pipes but my collection is a fair representation of what Castello offers in the shapes (15 30 and 34) I collect. I wish I had deeper pockets because rarely a day goes by that I don't see a pipe that don't already have and would love to add to the collection. 8O
My collection is very Peterson heavy, 13 of my 35 pipes are Petersons. I got into them because my ancestral heritage is almost half Irish. I started with the Aran line and branched out from there. I have many different shapes. I'll continue to collect Petersons as I continue on my journey of pipe collecting.
I've also started a Don Warren collection recently. He's a carver out of New Mexico that comes up to Vegas for the West Coast Show. I picked up a Danish style freehand two years ago and enjoyed it so much this past year I picked up a rusticated poker from him. As long as he's carving and going to the show I'll continue to pick up a pipe from him.
I have 5 Savinellis, 2 Nordings, A Butz-Choquin D'accord, a Brigham Mountaineer, a Brindisi, and a few cobs and basket pipes.
I do have a number of unique stems. That's something I'm a sucker for.
I do smoke all of my pipes. I'm definitely in that group that they were meant to be enjoyed and not just looked at or purchased to be sold for a profit years down the road.
Now I'm focusing on collecting some more quality Petersons and artisan pipes.
I've also started a Don Warren collection recently. He's a carver out of New Mexico that comes up to Vegas for the West Coast Show. I picked up a Danish style freehand two years ago and enjoyed it so much this past year I picked up a rusticated poker from him. As long as he's carving and going to the show I'll continue to pick up a pipe from him.
I have 5 Savinellis, 2 Nordings, A Butz-Choquin D'accord, a Brigham Mountaineer, a Brindisi, and a few cobs and basket pipes.
I do have a number of unique stems. That's something I'm a sucker for.
I do smoke all of my pipes. I'm definitely in that group that they were meant to be enjoyed and not just looked at or purchased to be sold for a profit years down the road.
Now I'm focusing on collecting some more quality Petersons and artisan pipes.
I had smoked pipes occasionally, on and off, since the '90s, but I got into it more seriously about four or five years ago after moving to Australia and having an apartment with a balcony overlooking Sydney harbour - perfect for sitting out and smoking. Initially I had just a Falcon pipe, was smoking cherry cavendish, and was enjoying it so much that I realised pipes were going to be a long-term thing for me.
I started getting online and researching more about pipes and tobaccos, joining forums, etc. Soon I bought my first "high grade" pipe - a Le Nuvole, which I got from Quality Briar. Over time I acquired a variety of pipes from different well-known pipemakers but after a couple of years I came to the realisation that I got it right first time and the Le Nuvole was my best pipe. It was the best smoker, conformed best to my idea of what is beautiful and interesting in a pipe shape, and was carved, engineered and finished as neatly and precisely as any. Lightweight, beautiful briar, the lot. At that point I started to collect Le Nuvoles and now I have over twenty. I am as passionate about them as ever and in the meantime I have had the pleasure of forming a great long-distance friendship with the pipemaker, Maurizio Tombari. That's one of the special joys about the pipe community, that you can easily get to know pipemakers who are among the best in the world at what they do. With Maurizio it is especially interesting because he has an art background and it is wonderful to learn more about the ideas and inspirations behind your pipe.
Since then I have also developed an enduring enthusiasm for Larry Roush's pipes. Completely different in style to the Le Nuvoles, but equally distinctive and always special to own and smoke.
In case you are interested or unfamiliar with Maurizio Tombari's pipes, I attach a couple of pictures showing some of my collection. First photo is the first dozen I bought (my first Le Nuvole is the one at 4 o'clock), and the second photo is a collection of five of his signature shapes.
I started getting online and researching more about pipes and tobaccos, joining forums, etc. Soon I bought my first "high grade" pipe - a Le Nuvole, which I got from Quality Briar. Over time I acquired a variety of pipes from different well-known pipemakers but after a couple of years I came to the realisation that I got it right first time and the Le Nuvole was my best pipe. It was the best smoker, conformed best to my idea of what is beautiful and interesting in a pipe shape, and was carved, engineered and finished as neatly and precisely as any. Lightweight, beautiful briar, the lot. At that point I started to collect Le Nuvoles and now I have over twenty. I am as passionate about them as ever and in the meantime I have had the pleasure of forming a great long-distance friendship with the pipemaker, Maurizio Tombari. That's one of the special joys about the pipe community, that you can easily get to know pipemakers who are among the best in the world at what they do. With Maurizio it is especially interesting because he has an art background and it is wonderful to learn more about the ideas and inspirations behind your pipe.
Since then I have also developed an enduring enthusiasm for Larry Roush's pipes. Completely different in style to the Le Nuvoles, but equally distinctive and always special to own and smoke.
In case you are interested or unfamiliar with Maurizio Tombari's pipes, I attach a couple of pictures showing some of my collection. First photo is the first dozen I bought (my first Le Nuvole is the one at 4 o'clock), and the second photo is a collection of five of his signature shapes.
Hey Moriarty I have never heard of this maker, but wow some beautiful pipes. I love the 5 and 6 o'lock shapes.
I started smoking a pipe about 6 years ago. My wife was concerned that I would get addicted, but the addiction came in the non traditional sense, I am addicted to pipes. My collection is pretty varied, but has a strong Peterson and Nording presence. I love the Peterson Rhodesians and bulldogs. One of my first restos was a Pete Shamrock Rhodesian. It was my favorite pipe and it was one of the pipes that got stolen. Since then I have tried to replace it but just haven't found its match. That being said I have gotten a lot of nice smoking Petes. I'm still drawn to them and even though I have many am always looking at them to possibly buy. My love for Nordings came with the Bear hunter pipe. I first saw one at the Briary event, it was $190 but I just didn't have the money at the time and so I just picked it up about 50 times and drooled. I posted about it on the white whale thread and my Father of the pipe Bradley sent me his. I now actually have 2 bears, which allows me to rest one and thus always have one in my pipe bag. And I am just generally drawn to Danish shapes. This comes out in my own pipe making adventures.
I have been gifted many pipes; Dunhills, Comoys, Charatans, Nordings, Tinsky, Stanwells, Ben Wades, and others, and I tend to be drawn to mostly smooth pipes and birdseye. I have also of late fallen in love with Canadians. If you see a pipe in my collection then you can know it smokes good.
I started smoking a pipe about 6 years ago. My wife was concerned that I would get addicted, but the addiction came in the non traditional sense, I am addicted to pipes. My collection is pretty varied, but has a strong Peterson and Nording presence. I love the Peterson Rhodesians and bulldogs. One of my first restos was a Pete Shamrock Rhodesian. It was my favorite pipe and it was one of the pipes that got stolen. Since then I have tried to replace it but just haven't found its match. That being said I have gotten a lot of nice smoking Petes. I'm still drawn to them and even though I have many am always looking at them to possibly buy. My love for Nordings came with the Bear hunter pipe. I first saw one at the Briary event, it was $190 but I just didn't have the money at the time and so I just picked it up about 50 times and drooled. I posted about it on the white whale thread and my Father of the pipe Bradley sent me his. I now actually have 2 bears, which allows me to rest one and thus always have one in my pipe bag. And I am just generally drawn to Danish shapes. This comes out in my own pipe making adventures.
I have been gifted many pipes; Dunhills, Comoys, Charatans, Nordings, Tinsky, Stanwells, Ben Wades, and others, and I tend to be drawn to mostly smooth pipes and birdseye. I have also of late fallen in love with Canadians. If you see a pipe in my collection then you can know it smokes good.
I love a specific collection focus. These stories are very interesting.
Five years ago, when I started smoking a pipe, my early purchases were all over the map, Peterson, Stanwell, Boswell (my local shop), etc. About a year in, I started restoring (and reselling a few) estate pipes. I realized this would enable to me to fund the purchases for pipes I desired. I gradually started noticing that most of my preferred pipes were British made (GBD, Ashton, etc.) I had British bikes and a British car, so that made some sense. About two years into the hobby, I also noticed that the Rhodesian and Bulldog shapes made my heart beat a little faster. Acquiring those shapes slowly started to become my focus, including a very specific search for certain shape numbers. GBD, James Upshall, Ferndown, Ashton and Comoy's became my collecting focus. In 2013, I bought my first Sasieni Four Dot pipe. GBD's still make up the largest portion of my collection, with a modest focus on the 9438 shape (I asked Glouchesterman to show us his 9438 collection!). But, Sasieni pipes are close behind.
I also started a "Holy Grail" pipe brand/shape list in 2012 which had 15 pipes that I hoped to acquire. Forum member "Cake&Dottle" had a similar list and he inspired my collection focus. In 2015, I have two shapes left on that list. (Comoys 256 & 1057)
Five years ago, when I started smoking a pipe, my early purchases were all over the map, Peterson, Stanwell, Boswell (my local shop), etc. About a year in, I started restoring (and reselling a few) estate pipes. I realized this would enable to me to fund the purchases for pipes I desired. I gradually started noticing that most of my preferred pipes were British made (GBD, Ashton, etc.) I had British bikes and a British car, so that made some sense. About two years into the hobby, I also noticed that the Rhodesian and Bulldog shapes made my heart beat a little faster. Acquiring those shapes slowly started to become my focus, including a very specific search for certain shape numbers. GBD, James Upshall, Ferndown, Ashton and Comoy's became my collecting focus. In 2013, I bought my first Sasieni Four Dot pipe. GBD's still make up the largest portion of my collection, with a modest focus on the 9438 shape (I asked Glouchesterman to show us his 9438 collection!). But, Sasieni pipes are close behind.
I also started a "Holy Grail" pipe brand/shape list in 2012 which had 15 pipes that I hoped to acquire. Forum member "Cake&Dottle" had a similar list and he inspired my collection focus. In 2015, I have two shapes left on that list. (Comoys 256 & 1057)
As many of you know, my grandfather is who got me interested in the hobby. I remember as a child smelling the sweet aroma of his whiskey blends. When I was 18 he gave me one of his old Dr Grabow pipes, which I still have.
This is my first pipe that started it all.
I smoked a pipe a few times each month and wasn't really a collector until he passed and left me his collection of over 50 pipes. He had Pete's, Sav's, Sasieni's, among others, but mostly Grabow and GBD. He smoked the Grabows at work and the GBD's at home. I started buying beat up estates to learn how to restore pipes so I could fix up my grandfathers pipes, and quickly found a new hobby. Pipe restoration is as much of the hobby to me as smoking them now. That's why I have a soft spot for Grabow and GBD. That's the story behind my collection.
This is my first pipe that started it all.
I smoked a pipe a few times each month and wasn't really a collector until he passed and left me his collection of over 50 pipes. He had Pete's, Sav's, Sasieni's, among others, but mostly Grabow and GBD. He smoked the Grabows at work and the GBD's at home. I started buying beat up estates to learn how to restore pipes so I could fix up my grandfathers pipes, and quickly found a new hobby. Pipe restoration is as much of the hobby to me as smoking them now. That's why I have a soft spot for Grabow and GBD. That's the story behind my collection.
I got into pipe smoking quite by accident. Interested in how I could get that last bit of cigar smoked. After unsuccessfully doing that. I was drawn to the pipe itself, which happened to be a mid 50's Kaywoodie Prince of Wales. The search for estate pipes began and I even bought crappy ones to clean up and to build a rotation. The more I learned, the more I began looking for older pipes. I currently have 3 pipes(1926 Dunhill/Mid 30's Linkman Grabow/Late 30's Kaywoodie) that are 77 yrs old or more and I smoke them. Finding estates and cleaning them up is fun for me and digging up the history.
Newer pipes in my collection are usually ones I find interesting in shape and finish.
Newer pipes in my collection are usually ones I find interesting in shape and finish.
I started smoking pipes a few years back when I had a few real rough cigars in a row. I mostly only smoked at reenactments or on camping trips. My first pipe was a meerschaum bent bulldog I found on ebay.
Fast forward to this winter. I was cleaning my basement and found a box of pipes that belonged to my grandfather(sadly never met the man) so I stared looking in to how to clean them up. From there I started buying up estate lots to practice on. If there was something cool in the lot I kept it and the rest I sold off to buy more lots. My current favorite is a mid 50s Kaywoodie bulldog. My favorite shape actually. I probably have about a dozen pipes now that I've kept.
Fast forward to this winter. I was cleaning my basement and found a box of pipes that belonged to my grandfather(sadly never met the man) so I stared looking in to how to clean them up. From there I started buying up estate lots to practice on. If there was something cool in the lot I kept it and the rest I sold off to buy more lots. My current favorite is a mid 50s Kaywoodie bulldog. My favorite shape actually. I probably have about a dozen pipes now that I've kept.
This is a phenomenal thread. Thanks to danielplainview for starting it and to all the contributors thus far. As a pipe smoker of 7 months and owner of 6 pipes I can't really say that I have a collection. The pipes I have are all smoked weekly and are loved as individuals. I picked up the pipe as a stress relief and a way to unwind while my marriage fell apart. Now in the early stages of divorce I find that smoking brings me solace even in the toughest of times and I am thankful.
:laughat: There is some funny irony to be had here. So many husbands have issues with their wives over pipe smoking. My pipe smoking came from issues WITH my wife. :clap:
j/B
:laughat: There is some funny irony to be had here. So many husbands have issues with their wives over pipe smoking. My pipe smoking came from issues WITH my wife. :clap:
j/B
I was in Afghanistan and my mom sent me a Grabow Grand Duke and some Whiskey tobacco. I started there.
Got home and didn't pick it back up again until the fall of 2012. Saw a sale going on at the Tacoma Tinderbox. Bought a Sav Autograph 8 and a Stanwell Bent Dublin. I have never looked back.
I love most pipes and nearly all tobacco. I have shopped extensively online and on ebay. I am greatly enamored with history in general and loved picking up older pipes: A nice Tom Howard, several Linkman Grabows, 4 digit Kaywoodies, etc.
I also liked nicer pipes. I have 8 Dunhills now, 9 Charatans, some Don Carlos', Cavicchi's, il Duca's.
I found that my tastes drift towards whatever I get the best deal on at the time I have the $ to pull the trigger. I got my Rad Davis, JHW, JT Cooke, and first il Duca Morta this way. (not looking for anything in particular, but recognizing the deal at hand.)
Moving ahead I am selling off some of my collection of pipes now to get rarer tobaccos and do my first commission.
I love pipes and pipe smoking!
My wishlist is now very small: A Von Erck and a NICE 2005 something for my son's birth year. Otherwise I am all about the best deal on beautiful (and now almost exclusively) handmade pipes.
Got home and didn't pick it back up again until the fall of 2012. Saw a sale going on at the Tacoma Tinderbox. Bought a Sav Autograph 8 and a Stanwell Bent Dublin. I have never looked back.
I love most pipes and nearly all tobacco. I have shopped extensively online and on ebay. I am greatly enamored with history in general and loved picking up older pipes: A nice Tom Howard, several Linkman Grabows, 4 digit Kaywoodies, etc.
I also liked nicer pipes. I have 8 Dunhills now, 9 Charatans, some Don Carlos', Cavicchi's, il Duca's.
I found that my tastes drift towards whatever I get the best deal on at the time I have the $ to pull the trigger. I got my Rad Davis, JHW, JT Cooke, and first il Duca Morta this way. (not looking for anything in particular, but recognizing the deal at hand.)
Moving ahead I am selling off some of my collection of pipes now to get rarer tobaccos and do my first commission.
I love pipes and pipe smoking!
My wishlist is now very small: A Von Erck and a NICE 2005 something for my son's birth year. Otherwise I am all about the best deal on beautiful (and now almost exclusively) handmade pipes.
I began collecting when I was seven years old. I just thought pipes were cool, for some reason. My grandfather had a rack of them, and he smoked a corn cob occasionally. I started going to the local Tinder Box and eyeing the amazing pipes. Meerschaum attracted me especially strongly, and the shop had several impressive meers, including a very long saxophone-style pipe and a very rare Bekler of Michelangelo's "David." I bought my first meer, a now badly-battered mini claw, for $12, when I was 9. I had to put it on layaway. I bought a lot of burned-out, used-up old pipes from thrift stores, just to have pipes around.
I bought my first full-size meer when I was 18, from a local smoke shop. It's a full-bent, faux-lattice egg by Paykoc. I also got into fancy old corn cobs, since my home Tinder Box had a Tibbe's No. 1 Missouri Meerschaum on the wall, which the owner's grandfather bought at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. But meerschaums continued to be the focus of my collection, and I soon got hooked on Bekler's work, especially his free-form or abstract pipes.
I've acquired about 16 full-size Turkish meers, including four Beklers, three of them abstracts, with one more Bekler abstract in the mail. The only other signed meers I have are Martin Luther King (slightly damaged, can't read the sig), an awesome SMS Bacchus by Erdogan (many Bacchus meers look terrifying, and this is jovial) and an incredible skull-in-hand by great master Sadik Yanik. I have a few I think are good enough to be signed: a rose-in-hand and a man wearing a turban with a 7-section saxophone meer shank, both of which have that semi-translucent, under-surface texture that indicates top-notch meer, and the carving is stellar for Turkish.
I'm not collecting as actively as I used to. When I do, it's focused on Bekler's work. I haven't bought, but enjoy seeing, the abstracts by Kural, Bekler's nephew, which have a very distinct look; in my opinion, one can really spot a Bekler or Kural abstract, having seen enough of them, even just in photos.
My wishlist right now is a single pipe, a Bekler figural with an unusual motif of which he carved a few, that has some personal interest to me. Buying it isn't in the budget right now, but it's on an estate pipes site rather than auction, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nobody buys it before I can.
I bought my first full-size meer when I was 18, from a local smoke shop. It's a full-bent, faux-lattice egg by Paykoc. I also got into fancy old corn cobs, since my home Tinder Box had a Tibbe's No. 1 Missouri Meerschaum on the wall, which the owner's grandfather bought at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. But meerschaums continued to be the focus of my collection, and I soon got hooked on Bekler's work, especially his free-form or abstract pipes.
I've acquired about 16 full-size Turkish meers, including four Beklers, three of them abstracts, with one more Bekler abstract in the mail. The only other signed meers I have are Martin Luther King (slightly damaged, can't read the sig), an awesome SMS Bacchus by Erdogan (many Bacchus meers look terrifying, and this is jovial) and an incredible skull-in-hand by great master Sadik Yanik. I have a few I think are good enough to be signed: a rose-in-hand and a man wearing a turban with a 7-section saxophone meer shank, both of which have that semi-translucent, under-surface texture that indicates top-notch meer, and the carving is stellar for Turkish.
I'm not collecting as actively as I used to. When I do, it's focused on Bekler's work. I haven't bought, but enjoy seeing, the abstracts by Kural, Bekler's nephew, which have a very distinct look; in my opinion, one can really spot a Bekler or Kural abstract, having seen enough of them, even just in photos.
My wishlist right now is a single pipe, a Bekler figural with an unusual motif of which he carved a few, that has some personal interest to me. Buying it isn't in the budget right now, but it's on an estate pipes site rather than auction, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nobody buys it before I can.
I'll put 'em in one post so as not to dent the real purpose of the thread too much. Here are the rose-in-hand, a 1970s SMS lattice with a movable cover, an unbranded 70s lattice, a huge (damaged) freeform lattice, the Paykoc lattice egg, a 1960s Mastercraft lattice egg (I suspect these were rebranded Bauers), and a 1970s Murat lattice panel.
(I suspect CAO) elephant, Yanik skull, CAO Bekler 1980 poodle (I've seen several of these and the CAO museum has one, mine is my favorite of them), Erdogan Bacchus, signed MLK, unsigned SDherlock Holmes smoking a meer pipe with a white wire stem.
Front view of them.
Misc. other Turkish, gourd calabashes, and an African carve-your-own kit (box and etc. not shown)
Saxophone. Incredible turban that looks almost like piped frosting, a nice beard, and a face with a very stern expression and huge hawk-like nose. Some parts have that translucency, showing texture under the surface, indicative of high-quality meerschaum. Sadly, no case came with it.
Saxophone, disassembled. The topmost shank section has a pit where one of the leaves should be, where the carver probably dug out a bit of rock. Call it character!
Antique meers including a comically-huge bulldog, which has actually been well-smoked.
Antique pre-colored bedouin, 1930s replacement bakelite stem.
Other side of the bedouin. This carving blows me away. No brand stamped in the case!
Turkish bedouin, caught in a stiff wind. Someone told me they think he's singing. Very twisted shank angle; if I hang this out the far left side of my mouth, his face is aimed straight ahead!
Bekler abstracts, full name signature. Top dated '74 (Golden Horn era) but in a CAO box case. Bottom undated, missing case, with Golden Horn brass stem dot. Flowing, funky things, these; top has an all-over pattern of hundreds of tiny holes, and has three open loops, while bottom has two loops and is smooth with occasional sprays of floral patterns. There's another Golden Horn Bekler with these same floral designs on eBay right now.
Another view of these two. It's difficult to grasp these abstracts until you turn them over in your hands a few times... and then you want to just keep handling them, they're so fun and crazy. I think Bekler was the master of this style. Supposedly, Cano Ozgener stopped him from carving these, knowing the American public wanted figurals, but they still featured some in a CAO catalog (as "Homage to Picasso" pipes.)
Another full name signed Bekler abstract for Golden Horn, in box, with GH stem dot (Golden Horn did stem dots before CAO did, theirs having a logo of a "G" with the inlines being a calabash pipe). It's the most compact of the three, but no less crazy; like both of them, it has holes in it!
Top.
Signature. In my experience in most cases with Beklers, Royal = unsigned, Golden Horn = ismet Bekler, CAO = i. Bekler.
Fancy old corncobs. Hey, they're meerschaum in name, right? Would love to obtain more of these.
As noted, have one more on the way from eBay. It has a CAO brass stem dot and a CAO case, but is unsigned. Bekler's earliest imported work, for Royal, was unsigned, and he started signing some time after Golden Horn got him. I know (from my pipe dated '74) that CAO must have gotten some of his old, unsold GH work, so perhaps they re-branded a few very early works, too? As far as I know, the only serious carvers of non-lattice abstracts were Bekler and nephew Kural, but this pipe very much has that distinct Bekler flow about it. (Kural's tend to be clunkier, often have fish or other animals on them, and tend to have 'lobes' sticking off with small, circular holes bored through each one, as opposed to Bekler who usually made his holes flow with the pipes.)
The other Bekler I have my eye on has a subject of which he made a series, and the subject is part of a vintage... guess you could call it a subculture... I happen to love a lot.
(I suspect CAO) elephant, Yanik skull, CAO Bekler 1980 poodle (I've seen several of these and the CAO museum has one, mine is my favorite of them), Erdogan Bacchus, signed MLK, unsigned SDherlock Holmes smoking a meer pipe with a white wire stem.
Front view of them.
Misc. other Turkish, gourd calabashes, and an African carve-your-own kit (box and etc. not shown)
Saxophone. Incredible turban that looks almost like piped frosting, a nice beard, and a face with a very stern expression and huge hawk-like nose. Some parts have that translucency, showing texture under the surface, indicative of high-quality meerschaum. Sadly, no case came with it.
Saxophone, disassembled. The topmost shank section has a pit where one of the leaves should be, where the carver probably dug out a bit of rock. Call it character!
Antique meers including a comically-huge bulldog, which has actually been well-smoked.
Antique pre-colored bedouin, 1930s replacement bakelite stem.
Other side of the bedouin. This carving blows me away. No brand stamped in the case!
Turkish bedouin, caught in a stiff wind. Someone told me they think he's singing. Very twisted shank angle; if I hang this out the far left side of my mouth, his face is aimed straight ahead!
Bekler abstracts, full name signature. Top dated '74 (Golden Horn era) but in a CAO box case. Bottom undated, missing case, with Golden Horn brass stem dot. Flowing, funky things, these; top has an all-over pattern of hundreds of tiny holes, and has three open loops, while bottom has two loops and is smooth with occasional sprays of floral patterns. There's another Golden Horn Bekler with these same floral designs on eBay right now.
Another view of these two. It's difficult to grasp these abstracts until you turn them over in your hands a few times... and then you want to just keep handling them, they're so fun and crazy. I think Bekler was the master of this style. Supposedly, Cano Ozgener stopped him from carving these, knowing the American public wanted figurals, but they still featured some in a CAO catalog (as "Homage to Picasso" pipes.)
Another full name signed Bekler abstract for Golden Horn, in box, with GH stem dot (Golden Horn did stem dots before CAO did, theirs having a logo of a "G" with the inlines being a calabash pipe). It's the most compact of the three, but no less crazy; like both of them, it has holes in it!
Top.
Signature. In my experience in most cases with Beklers, Royal = unsigned, Golden Horn = ismet Bekler, CAO = i. Bekler.
Fancy old corncobs. Hey, they're meerschaum in name, right? Would love to obtain more of these.
As noted, have one more on the way from eBay. It has a CAO brass stem dot and a CAO case, but is unsigned. Bekler's earliest imported work, for Royal, was unsigned, and he started signing some time after Golden Horn got him. I know (from my pipe dated '74) that CAO must have gotten some of his old, unsold GH work, so perhaps they re-branded a few very early works, too? As far as I know, the only serious carvers of non-lattice abstracts were Bekler and nephew Kural, but this pipe very much has that distinct Bekler flow about it. (Kural's tend to be clunkier, often have fish or other animals on them, and tend to have 'lobes' sticking off with small, circular holes bored through each one, as opposed to Bekler who usually made his holes flow with the pipes.)
The other Bekler I have my eye on has a subject of which he made a series, and the subject is part of a vintage... guess you could call it a subculture... I happen to love a lot.
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