Today called for an early morning walk, just over a few miles. I stopped at the turnaround point with some Jackknife Plug in a Savinelli 673.
***What Are You Smoking, June 2025?***
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Prince Albert in a Dr Grabow Adjustomatic Golden Duke Bulldog
In the late thirties Kaywoodie advertised they sold 11 million pipes a year and only a tiny, minuscule number were $10 Flame Grains.
In 1965 Dr Grabow at Sparta sold 3.6 million pipes and who knows how many were as fancy as this $5 Golden Duke
Today Grabow makes two hundred thousand pipes a year, still likely the largest maker on earth, but only 15% of the 1965 peak. They are all beautiful pipes but not an Adustomatic Golden Duke level of fancy.
Where did Grabow source hundreds of thousands of briar blocks as fancy as fancy gets?
Granted that Grabow varnished and stained every pipe and there are a few tiny fills, but it was an accomplishment that won’t ever happen again.
In the sixties in Humansville both restaurants, five full service filling stations, both feed stores, the drug store, the pool hall, all three grocery stores, the beer joint and package store, the hardware store and the lumber store all had a display of Grabows and all sold cigarettes, cigars, and Prince Albert, Velvet, and Half and Half, and penny boxes of matches.
In 1968 Walmart opened in Bolivar and my parents and even ten year old me, knew it was morally wrong, to shop at Bolivar instead of Humansville. But Daddy decided to go around back of Walmart, so people wouldn’t see us going in the front. Back there in the parking lot were lots of our friends.
Humansville today has one gas station, one Dollar General, one cheap booze and tobacco shop, and the beer joint, there since 1886,
In the late thirties Kaywoodie advertised they sold 11 million pipes a year and only a tiny, minuscule number were $10 Flame Grains.
In 1965 Dr Grabow at Sparta sold 3.6 million pipes and who knows how many were as fancy as this $5 Golden Duke
Today Grabow makes two hundred thousand pipes a year, still likely the largest maker on earth, but only 15% of the 1965 peak. They are all beautiful pipes but not an Adustomatic Golden Duke level of fancy.
Where did Grabow source hundreds of thousands of briar blocks as fancy as fancy gets?
Granted that Grabow varnished and stained every pipe and there are a few tiny fills, but it was an accomplishment that won’t ever happen again.
In the sixties in Humansville both restaurants, five full service filling stations, both feed stores, the drug store, the pool hall, all three grocery stores, the beer joint and package store, the hardware store and the lumber store all had a display of Grabows and all sold cigarettes, cigars, and Prince Albert, Velvet, and Half and Half, and penny boxes of matches.
In 1968 Walmart opened in Bolivar and my parents and even ten year old me, knew it was morally wrong, to shop at Bolivar instead of Humansville. But Daddy decided to go around back of Walmart, so people wouldn’t see us going in the front. Back there in the parking lot were lots of our friends.
Humansville today has one gas station, one Dollar General, one cheap booze and tobacco shop, and the beer joint, there since 1886,
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Good morning! Coffee, burley, cob.
Been awake and reading for a while. Earlier, I smoked a bowl of year 2020 Watch City Original Crumb Cut in a 1950s-60s straight smooth brown Bertram 07 octagonal paneled billiard with a square shank and a tapered black vulcanite stem.
And I just finished smoking first release Watch City Rhythm & Blues in a straight smooth brown 1920s-30s Sasieni patent 8 dot Marborough lovat with a black vulcanite saddle stem. The only feral outside is Tomato the Brave. Dunno where he is. I brought the others in, and dried them off, although Abner the Eager wasn't so eager to come in. I brought him in to get him out of the rain, and because he hadn't eaten in hours. But, he didn't once he was inside. He's found a safe spot to snooze instead.
And I just finished smoking first release Watch City Rhythm & Blues in a straight smooth brown 1920s-30s Sasieni patent 8 dot Marborough lovat with a black vulcanite saddle stem. The only feral outside is Tomato the Brave. Dunno where he is. I brought the others in, and dried them off, although Abner the Eager wasn't so eager to come in. I brought him in to get him out of the rain, and because he hadn't eaten in hours. But, he didn't once he was inside. He's found a safe spot to snooze instead.
Still getting to know the new Sav in the stable. This time its some White Horses with a cup of tea.
KBV Raven Eye Flake in the Dublin, fog:
Now smoking Wilke Lizzie Blood Virginia in a straight black with a burgundy undertone sandblasted early 1960s Lane era Charatan 420 billiard with a tapered black vulcanite stem.
June is always hectic, and free time is scarce. For my first pipe of this month, I’m loving every puff of Tashkent in my Falcon meerschaum chimney bowl
There’s nothing like a quiet spring morning in the Michigan woods. If there’s time before the morning team meeting, I’ll follow up with some Kendal No.7.
There’s nothing like a quiet spring morning in the Michigan woods. If there’s time before the morning team meeting, I’ll follow up with some Kendal No.7.
73s in a bowl of Charatan's Make Special tall billiard with a comfort stem. Of course.
OJK in a BC Big Bowl #1553. 
Carter Hall in a Savinelli Dry System Natural Military Mount 2101 I’ve owned for over thirty years, I bought from Just For Him in Springfield Missouri for about $75 during it’s heyday when the owner who was a dead ringer for the crooner Charlie Rich sold more CAO meerschaum pipes to the recently coiffured wealthy matrons of the Ozarks who patronized the most expensive and exclusive beauty salon in the Ozarks next door, than any other retailer on the planet.
Afterwards they would go to his shop for the show and pick out a fine meerschaum pipe from about $150 to $1,000 personally with him assisting them, and his young son who was his sidekick.
If he ever missed a sale I never saw it. The entire south wall of his shop was a glass case full of meerschaums from $150 on the bottom shelves to huge $1,000 ones way on top with the $250-500 pipes all at eye level for the ladies to be presented.
He kept a small selection of briars and estate pipes for us hairy legged boys waiting on our mothers and wives.
I own two of these, exactly the same.
Here’s to you, Charley!
Afterwards they would go to his shop for the show and pick out a fine meerschaum pipe from about $150 to $1,000 personally with him assisting them, and his young son who was his sidekick.
If he ever missed a sale I never saw it. The entire south wall of his shop was a glass case full of meerschaums from $150 on the bottom shelves to huge $1,000 ones way on top with the $250-500 pipes all at eye level for the ladies to be presented.
He kept a small selection of briars and estate pipes for us hairy legged boys waiting on our mothers and wives.
I own two of these, exactly the same.
Here’s to you, Charley!
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Hamborger Veermaster in a Pete Meer. The stem was custom poured and then cut. Great pipe and I’m grateful for the work people with skills put into it.
Sir John's Flake Virginia in an Altinok.
Some GLP Chelsea Morning in the Rattray's Fudge Dublin. This is one of the models with the stem by Eldritch Pipes. Have to say this pipe is a fantastic smoker and wish they’d do another run, as I’d love to get another one. This shape 14 has a larger bowl than the Dublin Rattray’s/Kopp sells currently.
Haunted Bookshop Cake in a Geppeto Eximia. 
Super Value Amaretto in my gigantic cracked Marxman 400 attempt Benchmade.
This was absolutely an attempt at a 400 that failed. The band is gold, not marked, but it’s 14K gold.
No leaks I can tell, and the stem fits tight.
This thing is a moose, one of the largest pipes I own.
This was absolutely an attempt at a 400 that failed. The band is gold, not marked, but it’s 14K gold.
No leaks I can tell, and the stem fits tight.
This thing is a moose, one of the largest pipes I own.
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On the menu for my morning commute was a bowl of KBV Burley Morning Pipe - now with added umph! Loaded in my Grande Morez (Ropp seconds) and paired with a black drip coffee.
Hope you all have a great Thursday!
Hope you all have a great Thursday!
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You seem to be enjoying Briar Fox, it’s one of my favorites for natural tobacco flavor.
Have you tried C&D Pegasus or Riverboat Gambler?
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