Unsmoked Pipes in your Collection?

[bullet08]

One. I totally forgot about it until recently. Peterson Carroll of Carrollton 2021. Very small chamber. Probably good for rolled cakes. I'll make a day of it.

 

[trouttimes]

I have one pipe I haven’t smoked. It is a 1908 briar piped that was given to the best sharp shooter in the French army as a trophy.

 

[olkofri]

Only my kiseru. I need to make a case for it and haven't gotten around to do it.

 

[doctorbob]

A 1950 Dunhill Shell LB, it will probably stay unsmoked.

I also have a Sasieni Four Dot Natural Pembroke and an Orlik Supreme billiard that are unsmoked, but probably won't stay that way.

 

[Chasing Embers]

A Preben Holm Hallmark H-2, an Emin Brothers meerschaum, and a soon to be mine Lee Von Erck. Pipes were made to generate revenue for the carver, their use is up to the buyer.

 

[Bassman65]

I’m smoking outside in the snow and wet, so cobs are what’s on rotation. Haven’t smoked my 2 Christmas and birthday pipes yet. A Savinelli Bing and Clark’s favourites.

 

[MCJ]

I've got two unsmoked higher-end pipes, both purchased within the past 6 months as placeholders in my collection (filling spots for different carvers & different shapes). One is a Les Wood Ferndown Vintage bent billiard with a gorgeous chestnut colored finish (the Vintage is darker than Les' regular Tudor finish, and was a predecessor to his REO finish; the Vintage finish was only produced a relatively short time and is not commonly seen). The other is a Rainer Barbi dark sandblasted billiard with oval shank inlaid in Pallisander wood.

I don't have the type of money where I can justify owning multiple high end pipes from the same carver, as I would rather own one representative example from as many top name carvers as possible. The Ferndown Vintage is a "keeper" for me due to aesthetics as well as its feel in the hand, and I definitely intend to smoke it as soon as I decide what blend I want to dedicate it to (which means I'll be selling my other smoker Ferndown REO Apple). As for the Barbi billiard, not sure if I will smoke that one or not as around the same time I purchased it I also picked up another Rainer Barbi smooth bulldog that I really like. So probably better off selling the Barbi billiard as "unsmoked"?

 

[renfield]

I have a few Willmers new in box with the receipts from the pipe shop the previous owner bought them at. Literally estate pipes.

 

[sablebrush52]

I have maybe a half dozen unsmoked pipes that I will never smoke. All but two are Barlings with the oldest being the 1907 cased companion set that I've shown here a few times. The others are from the 1940's and '50's. I have a magnificent Delacour from 1911, and a 1950's Brebbia Avanti, also unsmoked that will remain that way. I've no interest in smoking them and like that they are unsmoked. It's not like I'm lacking for excellent pipes that I do smoke.
I find this curiosity about people having unsmoked pipes rather curious.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I’ve got 15-16 pipes now, here’s a pic of all my pipes that are unsmoked:


But then again, they’re tools, and like my guns and motorcycles, there’s not any “collection pieces” that don’t ever see service.

 

[BarrelProof]

Different strokes for different folks. I’ve got a few I haven’t smoked, but it isn’t for any reason or another. The only exception to that rule is the Dall Ram. It’ll happen when I happens; however, it’s not hanging on a notched tag anymore. I’m now honestly hoping to christen it on a day that sees me being awarded a PhD for Dall Sheep research. My how my life has changed since originally having it commissioned.

 

[Lumbridge]

I have a few briars that I haven't smoked yet, but only because I haven't gotten around to it due to smoking cobs most of the time.
I used to feel that some of my pipes were "too nice to smoke", which is kind of dumb because none of my pipes were very expensive, the priciest being around $60. I sold a few that I had deemed too pretty to use, and made a point to work the others into my rotation and get some use out of them. I mostly stick to rusticated briars now (when not smoking cobs) because I don't have to worry about dinging them (and they feel nice), but I digress.
If you don't plan to ever sell them, then there's no reason to even consider resale value, IMO. I say enjoy them!

 

[Papamique]

Quite a few unsmoked. Some I will sell unsmoked and others I will smoke. You are right about value though. That first bowl will cost you ~ 30-50% of the financial value but can also be worth much more in the value of the experience.

 

[trouttimes]

Smoke them! There are far better investments than pipes if that is what you are planning.

 

[Spa32]

Nope, if I buy it I smoke it.

What he said.

 

[greysmoke]

Often, I have wondered about this. I have two unsmoked pipes -- both of them great pipes by my measure, at least to me -- but I can't for the life of me explain what held me back. I purchased both in the same time frame: 1998 to 1999. They were completely separate transactions and are completely different pipes.

First was this Upshall A grade diamond shank. I bought it from a display cabinet at Dick Silverman's Chief Catoonah's pipe store in Ridgefield, Connecticut.



Then, it was a Peterson Sherlock Holmes Lestrade. It was one of two Sherlock Holmes pipes that I purchased through a large group buy arranged from James Barber Tobacconists in the UK. (The other, a Baskerville, I sold years ago -- still unsmoked.)



Even though I have recently been thinning my pipe collection, neither of these two are on the block. I don't know why they're still unsmoked except that, over time, the resistance level seems to increase.

If there's any moral to take from this story: smoke it when you get it.

 

[FHlight]

I have a Don Carlos pipe that I haven't decided which tobacco blend to smoke with it, I think I'll use it after thinking about it.

 

[ADKPiper]

None.
Although some are are rarely smoked.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I have two meerschaums in my collection that have never been smoked. One is a Thompson African Meerschaum straight billiard. The other is a warden style GBD Cavalier style meerschaum. I just display both in my pipe cabinet.

 

[craig61a]

I have a number of unsmoked pipes, possibly 30-40% of the pipes I own.

They may or may not get smoked at some point. Unsmoked estate pipes generally realize a higher premium than those that are smoked.

That said, I don’t buy pipes as an investment vehicle. The price of pipes has generally trended upwards over the last several years. Probably more due to more people becoming involved in the hobby.

5, 10 years from now will there still be the same dynamic? The money I spend on pipes is disposable. I don’t really expect any return. If I sell some stuff and recoup what I spent or a little more then that’s great.