What's Your Oldest Pipe That You Bought New?

[mso489]

Mine is the first pipe I ever bought, purchased new at Tinder Box in the late 1970's, stamped as a Tinder Box St. Ives, a bent pot sitter with light chestnut stain and an unusual vertical saddle stem. This pipe is still a fine smoker at about 42 years of age. I wrote Tinder Box to ask, and they said this was probably sourced from Chacom. The shape code is 7345.

 

[verporchting]

Bought an unsmoked Kaywoodie from the 1933-36 period at a junk shop and an early 1930s NIB Linkman’s Dr. Grabow off eBay if either of those count.

 

[ashdigger]

I purchased this 1888 Meerschaum that was new.

 

[verporchting]

I purchased this 1888 Meerschaum that was new.
View attachment 60797

Wow! I wouldn’t mind finding that one either!! Nice.

 

[hauntedmyst]

My oldest pipe I bought new is probably this James Upshall P which I bought around 1987

 

[jpmcwjr]

6-8 pipes I bought new in NYC in 1965-8. Several of them basket pipes.

 

[danish]

I have lost or tossed the first pipes I bought. Since then I bought the same Stanwell model (at the bottom) again in the nineties, from Tom Eltang, when he had a shop in Tårbæk. The much older Stanwell (sixties) at the top, was only smoked once and as new in the box, when I bought it a few years ago.

 

[samuelgawith01]

This American Briar Bulldog (Curt Rollar) from the Barclay - Rex pipe shop on 7 Maiden Lane ,NYC , in the mid 80's. I think it cost me $120 at the time.Not my earliest pipe, but the earliest one that I still own.And a piece of wood it is.

 

[FurCoat]

Country gentleman and Grabow Savoy in the mid 90's that I still have and smoke. I started smoking pipes around 1988 but used my dads pipes.

 

[stokesdale]

All of my estate pipes were relatively new when purchased (a couple of years old at the most) . Probably the only reason I would buy a truly old pipe is to either use it as decoration because it has some historical significance or it wasn't smoked...neither of which I have had the ambition to search for. As for new pipes I've purchased a long time ago (been smoking the better part of 40 years now), being a farmer, fisherman and avid RV'er, you can really only view pipes as utilitarian...I lose or break several pipes every year, I have nothing left that's over probably 5 years old.

 

[simong]

I think the oldest 'new' pipe I bought is a Leeds era Ben Wade. Not sure of it's exact age, but seeing as their Leeds factory got flattened by the Luftwaffe I'm guessing 1930's.

 

[sablebrush52]

It would be the unsmoked 1907 cased Barling companion set.

 

[tschiraldi]

This one hurts! I had an unsmoked Sasieni One Dot Specially Selected pipe circa 1919 - 1924 that I very foolishly sold. I would trade half my pipes to have that one back!

 

[Scottishgaucho]

The pictures were so poor I hadn't a clue what it was when I bought it and obviously judging by the very low price I paid neither did the seller . I just liked the shape of it.

It is this Sasieni Prince which the knowledgeable pipe forum members date as being made around 1920.

 

[kcghost]

I bought a Ben Wade in 1974 from the Tinder Box in KC.

 

[Scottishgaucho]

The pictures were so poor I hadn't a clue what it was when I bought it and obviously judging by the very low price I paid neither did the seller . I just liked the shape of it.

It is this Sasieni Prince which the knowledgeable pipe forum members date as being made around 1920.

Ignore my above post....missread the thread title.

 

[condorlover1]

Here is an unsmoked meerschaum 'cutty' pipe age unknown but if I was to hazard a guess probably late 19th century. It has a silver and amber mouthpiece and still has the carvers mark inside - I have never got around to firing it up for some reason.

 

[tbradsim1]

Top pipe carbon dated, Becker, over 5000 yrs old!

 

[ChuckMijo]

The pictures were so poor I hadn't a clue what it was when I bought it and obviously judging by the very low price I paid neither did the seller . I just liked the shape of it.

It is this Sasieni Prince which the knowledgeable pipe forum members date as being made around 1920.

Sweet Christ that’s beautiful!! A great example of Sasieni.

 

[mso489]

If you hang onto pipes long enough, you have an estate pipe without having to depart this life. It has all the history and no damage not inflicted by you, or if you maintain pipes well, no damage at all. It's fun to see them kicking along and in some cases unavailable in any current form, one of a kind. This is intensely pleasing. If you ignore inflation, they were always at prices unimaginable today.