what do i have?

[blueschmoke]

Sorry in advance for the newbie questions.
I recently got given a bunch of pipes for a collection. I however know nothing about them, or even how to clean them for that matter. Any information on them would be great. They are older and are fairly used, but do people still pay money for these? Just for personal knowledge it would be nice to know what i have. Thanks again. I assume typical pipes even if old go for around 10-100$?

 

[papipeguy]

The pipe with the elephant logo was made by the Tanganyika Meerschaum Company while the one on the right is a Peterson. The gourd calabash is nice and the meer in the case may also be collectible.

We'd need to see picture of the nomenclature on the pipes to give you more info.

 

[jruthledge]

AHHHH! Why oh why does a collection like this land in the lap of someone who can't appreciate it! :lol:
I'm really jealous about the Peterson meerschaum (upper right). I've been wanting one of those for a while. That one is very cool, in my opinion. The meerschaum on the top left with the elephant logo may be a Kiko, and there are collectors of those too. The meerschaum pipe on the bottom left looks like it might be older. I'd want to figure out if it's got an amber stem. Those are vintage and really cool. The calabash (big, bent, Sherlock Holmes movie looking pipe) probably has a meerschaum insert in the top and they are traditionally made with a gourd, but can be made from other materials. The rest are briars that will all have their own stories depending on the maker. You'll be able to unravel some of that when you research the markings. Some of them may remain a mystery forever.
As for value, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the search feature on ebay that lets you search sold items. If you find a similar pipe on ebay, you can just disregard the "buy it now" or asking price. They are more or less meaningless. But if you search sold items, you can find out what someone actually paid for the pipe, which will be much closer to the current value of your pipe.
For cleaning, get some strong drinkable alcohol and a few big bundles of pipe cleaners. You might want to get a reamer too. Watching a few youtube videos on pipe cleaning and restoration might save you from ruining these, so that's a pretty good investment of your time.
You have quite a little research project and a lot of fun ahead of you if you get into that sort of thing. Congrats!

 

[aldecaker]

Forget the pipe cleaners and reamer. Your best bet is to sell them "as is". To us. Immediately.

 

[averagegent]

What aldecaker said! If you were ever going to sell them, this is the best place to start! :D

 

[shaintiques]

Yes some nice pipes. If they were cleaned up you could probably get around $350 for the lot. Though that is not knowing what the briars actually are. If you are wanting to get into pipe smoking this looks like an awesome collection to start with. Tell us the story of where they came from.

 

[jpmcwjr]

What shaintiques said, and welcome to the forum, though it doesn't sound like you intend to smoke them.....?

 

[gloucesterman]

The value of an individual pipe is tied to the maker or brand. Without knowing who made those pipes it is hard to assign a value. The Kiko (elephant logo) and the Peterson were not expensive pipes and are probably in the retail range you noted. The cased Meerschaum appears to be banded and has the makers logo on it and inside the case. The briars can only be valued with makers information. The gourd Calabash would probably bring something in the $150 range if the bowl and stem are in good shape. There is a cork liner around the inside top of most of them and it too should be intact. If the bowl can't be removed easily don't force it as that will undoubtedly break the cork and devalue the pipe considerably.

 

[cortezattic]

Or...

Put all of them in a box and ship them to SmokingPipes.com to see what you can get for them.

Unless you're an enthusiast, they probably aren't worth the hours of cleaning and eBay-ing required to unload them.

Of course, you can offer them on eBay as is, and you'd probably get around $200 if sold individually.

 

[mcitinner1]

You have SHIFT-KEY-OPHOBIA.
what do i have?

 

[pruss]

Of the briar pipes in the photo, I'm seeing the look and feel of Brigham and Trypis and I'd warrant that they are pre-2000 made in Canada pipes. To be sure, you'd want to check the left side of the stem for brass pins and to check the shank of the pipes for the words, "Brigham," and, "Made in Canada." The four briar pipes in the left column look like Brighams from the days when Trypis was running the shop, the two on the right look newer and perhaps more like the stuff Trypis was doing on his own. If I was a betting man I'd lay odds on the part smooth bent acorn being a Brigham.
That gourd calabash has a wonky looking shank.
Photos from multiple sides with close-ups of any stamping or hallmarking will help us help you better.
Welcome to the forum.
-- Pat