Very strange Kaywoodie on ebay
- Thread starter meerschaumsteve
- Start date
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That is possible actually. Its very unlikely for all the reasons Galeon points out, but without having the pipe in hand its very hard to say 100% its not true. It could be possible, if you were holding both pipes, that you would see they are clearly different.
From the photographs alone though, I'd say 99.9% that its a Fengshun with a KBB stamp. That goes back to my earlier comment that if someone out there has a fake KBB stamp, I would be extremely wary of any Kaywoodie pipe with that particular stamp on it from now on.
I can assure you that the "KBB" and the Chinese pipe are the same, all the way down to the casting "flash" running down the bowl-base.
The location of the KBB on the top of the stem is actually no issue. I gave PawPaw a Kaywoodie panel pipe with the clover in the same location.
But the pipe reeks of someone who bit an expert who was too willing to believe a fish tale.
The location of the KBB on the top of the stem is actually no issue. I gave PawPaw a Kaywoodie panel pipe with the clover in the same location.
But the pipe reeks of someone who bit an expert who was too willing to believe a fish tale.
Mr. Can says he has owned the pipe for many years. How long has Fengshun been around? The fengshun pipe is about 10$ including shipping and looks amazingly identical to Mr. Cans. Either Fengshun has copied his "Kaywoodie", or Mr. Can has a ten dollar Fengshun. I think the later is evident. A three pipe problem?? Mr. Holmes, we need you.
A long time. I got one in a lot of pipes about 5 years ago. If you are looking at a picture and thinking "Man that thing is probably a piece of shit", rest assured you are correct. It is even cheaper, crappier and more useless than you can imagine from a photograph. Truly a worthless unsmokable turd. The one I had was the same model we are discussing here. I dont remember a stinger in that pipe though, but it could have been lost or removed.
Working in a pawn shop part time, I am familiar with this sort of thing.
True story.
Fellow comes in and has a rifle that "dates back to the Korean War" and wants it evaluated for sale. I am busy with another customer, but can overhear the conversation with one of the other guys. Basically it centers around all the parts being stamped with a serial number, similar to many military rifles, it being bolt action, and it being "odd" , as in what is not familiar in terms of military bolt action rifles (A3-03, Mausers, M44, Enfields, etc.)
The other guys are struggling with it to identify it, and I finish up with my customer and wander over to see what is going on.
I get handled the rifel and ask if I have ever seen one before. At first it gets me, too. It had been sporterized, so the stock was way down the barrel, uncommon to most military rifles. But it gets me in the back of my head.
He hands me the bolt, and the bells go off. It is a Swiss K-31.
http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F3K31
They are old rifles, but they got dumped on the US surplus market about 10 odd years ago, similar to the SKS and Mosin Nagant rifles.
What the man had was a $50 rifle that some buddy of his had passed off to him as a rare and unique war bring home.
True story.
Fellow comes in and has a rifle that "dates back to the Korean War" and wants it evaluated for sale. I am busy with another customer, but can overhear the conversation with one of the other guys. Basically it centers around all the parts being stamped with a serial number, similar to many military rifles, it being bolt action, and it being "odd" , as in what is not familiar in terms of military bolt action rifles (A3-03, Mausers, M44, Enfields, etc.)
The other guys are struggling with it to identify it, and I finish up with my customer and wander over to see what is going on.
I get handled the rifel and ask if I have ever seen one before. At first it gets me, too. It had been sporterized, so the stock was way down the barrel, uncommon to most military rifles. But it gets me in the back of my head.
He hands me the bolt, and the bells go off. It is a Swiss K-31.
http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F3K31
They are old rifles, but they got dumped on the US surplus market about 10 odd years ago, similar to the SKS and Mosin Nagant rifles.
What the man had was a $50 rifle that some buddy of his had passed off to him as a rare and unique war bring home.
I'll never say that the first DeLorean, or Shopsmith will never appear on eBay.... I saw the first Veg-A-Matic
in a consignment store in Sarasota, Florida in the late 60's. But I would be VERY Leary of that pipe. Period!
in a consignment store in Sarasota, Florida in the late 60's. But I would be VERY Leary of that pipe. Period!
That pipe(and story) seems like something that "Joker" from the History Channel's Cajun Pawn Stars would walk in with. Not only are the O-Rings a giveaway, but that brass looks like it was manufactured within the last ten years. It's way too shiny. Strange all of his other items look Legit though. I have watched some of his Savinelli's in the past without pulling the trigger. I really wouldn't touch any of his auctions with a 10 foot pole at this point.
Aside from this one pipe, and the fact that he has his prices set a bit higher than I can afford, I think mr.can is one of the better sellers on eBay. So many are either chinese junk pipes, or Eastern European sellers who are selling pipes with no pedigree. If someone bought a whole bunch of the Eastern Euro pipes and found them to be great, I'd totally be down with some of the shapes, but since I've never seen/heard anything about them, I'm not gonna chance it. But this one slip-up (if it is in fact, a fake) won't make me write mr.can off completely.
-Jason
-Jason
And i never said to write him off, but was trying to help him dig himself out of this one obvious mistake. But he is the expert :wink:
I agree with Shain. It's hard enough finding reputable sellers on Ebay let alone removing people from that list for one mistake. Even the best of experts get duped once in a while. Just make sure you watch for too-good-to-be-true Kaywoodies in the future.
Not that it matters but I wonder if the bowl on the Fengshun is removable. The bowl on the Fengshun is also a different color than this KBB version. The seam running down the front of the base looks very similar though. I would think that a prototype would have been made with the up most care and attention to craftsmanship and detail, especially from that era. I would think that someone who has been buying pipes for 48 years(since 1964 in his about me page) would know that but anyway, I'm done beating this dead horse now.
Well I got a message back from the seller. He is still convinced this was genuinely made by Kaywoodie, and that the Fengshun is somehow a knockoff of the design.
I said earlier, there is a possibility this pipe in hand looks/feels different than the Chinese one. There really are some things photographs dont show. He points out that the bowl is a heavy Brylon not just cheap plastic. That could very well be true. The pipe I had, there was no question that it was absolute cheap junk plastic. I dont know.
Since I dont have a dog in this hunt, I'll let it stand as it is.
I wouldnt bid on it though :nana:
I said earlier, there is a possibility this pipe in hand looks/feels different than the Chinese one. There really are some things photographs dont show. He points out that the bowl is a heavy Brylon not just cheap plastic. That could very well be true. The pipe I had, there was no question that it was absolute cheap junk plastic. I dont know.
Since I dont have a dog in this hunt, I'll let it stand as it is.
I wouldnt bid on it though :nana:
I have no interest in the pipe, but if I did, I would ask if he has had it "for many years", I would want to know from where and from whom did he get it?
If he had an opportunity to see and purchase things that were no longer "on the market" from Kaywoodie, it would explain a lot. This would mean a long ago visit to the Kaywoodie factory or similar.
But, again, I have seen a lot of things come through the pawn shop that have been in the family for ages, passed down from great grandma, and from the old country that turned out to be 10K gold with a CZ.
If he had an opportunity to see and purchase things that were no longer "on the market" from Kaywoodie, it would explain a lot. This would mean a long ago visit to the Kaywoodie factory or similar.
But, again, I have seen a lot of things come through the pawn shop that have been in the family for ages, passed down from great grandma, and from the old country that turned out to be 10K gold with a CZ.
If fengshun is doing a knockoff, where would they get the specifics of the obscure prototype that is not in any kaywoodie catalog??? Still, the orings and general brilliant condition of Mr. Can piece don't add up to anything that old. Even Brylon ages and brass as well. Still smells fishy, very fishy.
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