Wally Frank : 2 Blue Dot Stem

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fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
I've got a Wally Frank Rhodesian, picked up years ago on an eBay buy, that has two blue dots on the stem. It's a nice smoker but can anybody clue me in on the two blue dots? I know that WF bought tons of private makes and seconds, plus over runs, from premium companies but the dots are curious. Can anybody clue me in?

 

scotrob

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 24, 2011
178
0
a guess would be that they serve the same purpose as the white spot on a Dunhill stem does: to allow the user to correctly orientate the stem and not smoke it upside-down
just a guess though...can you post a pic so we can see the dots

 

ohin3

Lifer
Jun 2, 2010
2,454
26
Sasieni has a very light blue dot system on their pipes. 4 dot being the most common. I lost a great big Sasieni Billiard in a move years ago and I still weep for it. What a great smoker.

 

rigmedic1

Lifer
May 29, 2011
3,896
75
Wally Frank used to buy and remarket factory overruns and seconds. I believe my Garrick pipe was a Comoys made in the 30s, though I have no way to really check that. Yours may well have come from Saseini.

 

papipeguy

Lifer
Jul 31, 2010
15,778
35
Bethlehem, Pa.
I used to shop at wally Frank's in Paramus, NJ but never bought a pipe there. I thought most of their pipes were from Mastercraft but that's just my impression.

The following link does have the double dot WF pipe listed. Just scroll down to Wally Frank but check out the Savinelli listing for their 2 dot pipes as well. The symitry of the Sasieni does not look quite right to me but you never know.
http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/dots/do-2dot.html

 

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
Another mystery of the pipe world. I own several, and I can say they are excellent smokers! Smoking one right now.

:)

 

piffyr

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 24, 2015
782
80
Wally Frank Natural Unvarnished pipes had two, light blue dots on the stems. That's really the end of the story. They were not made by Sasieni, but I don't doubt that the dots were an attempt to capitalize on the confusion. Wally Frank did rebrand pipes made by other manufacturers, but they never used the original manufacturer's logos. Sometimes, you'll see an original COM stamp or shape code stamp, but that's as far as it went.

 

theloniousmonkfish

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 1, 2017
943
497
Got a picture of the ones you've picked up, particularly the Weskit? Have a hunch it may be a Weber. Mine smoke exceptionally well, congrats.
On the subject of dots here's a pipe of the month, all of which I believe had a green dot on top. Anthony?
20171017_020441-600x337.jpg


 

piffyr

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 24, 2015
782
80
Most threads people are unsure.

Despite no evidence to support the idea other than a couple of dots. I have a bit of a thing for old Wally Franks and that particular myth is one of my peeves, especially when repeated by sellers to bolster their price. It's one of those cases where speculation, repeated often enough, begins to be taken as fact.
Those Weskits are neat little pipes, by the way. Made sometime post-1960. Not sure if they were Weber products per Alex's hunch, but maybe.
On the subject of dots here's a pipe of the month, all of which I believe had a green dot on top. Anthony?

Not all. Only those with the "Sweet Root" designation. Sweet Root briar was, according to Wally Frank literature, "flavorful and mellow because it has been aged for years". Wally Frank had a great marketing team back in the day. So, take that info with a grain of salt.
I don't think I've seen that particular PotM shape with a beveled rim. Is that your work or done at the factory?

 

theloniousmonkfish

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 1, 2017
943
497
Thanks for the clarification, it is stamped Sweet Root. You caught me, it's not factory. The previous owner had made alterations to the rim with something not so very sharp and a less than accurate hand. Think a bevel is what they were after. Hard to tell in the photo but it's more a cupped scoop than bevel. Great smoker with a generous chamber and pocket friendliness.
20171017_015743-600x337.jpg


 
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