Who Else is Addicted to Algerian Briar?

[Briar Lee]

THAT is an awesome pipe. Any fills?

None. Perfect all over.

As to the scarcity of certain woods, my alcoholic wood cutter friend Red Mauzey was sort of kept by another alcoholic timber mill owner named Carlson.

Carlson owned a thousand acres of Spout Spring Hollow, and we owned 20.

Virtually all the walnut trees were harvested from Spout Spring Hollow probably over a hundred years ago.

Until 1935 there was a spur from a railroad not far from my 20.

But Carlson owned about 100,000 standing white oak trees.

If I remember right, we might have had 5 stave bolt grade logs on the truck when I drove it to Lebanon.

All were accepted.

Remember that when you take a sip of straight bourbon whiskey.

 

[coming to_falling too]

Here's one of my Algerian briars I posted in another thread
It has darkened much over the years. It was NOS when I got it with a natural finish.

 

[towhee89]

Very nice pipes, both of you! The grain on the Marxman is incredible. I am dying to have a Canadian style Marxman.

I might take a chance on some more Algerian Briar stamped pipes in the future. Keeping an eye on the search words on ebay...

 

[Briarcutter]

Every maker tended to mark the extremely rare perfect straight grain pipes as Straight Grain. Even Robert Marx culled the straight grain pipes out.

View attachment 362205

View attachment 362206

That might be the most valuable pipe I own.

If I would have seen that in my collecting days I would have bought it in a second. Congratulations, great shape, beautiful wood.

 

[Briar Lee]

If I would have seen that in my collecting days I would have bought it in a second. Congratulations, great shape, beautiful wood.

It was NOS about a dozen smokes ago, and tan as the table under it.



(And no—-on these really nice ones I never use grapeseed or olive oil. )

That color is only a whisker deep.

It will get pure oxblood reddish dark brown as I smoke it,

It’s as near fireproof as briar ever gets.

If they aren’t marked (or not arrow marked NYC made Marxmans) the best way I know to test for Algerian briar is does it turn oxblood as you smoke it.

 

[Briarcutter]

It was NOS about a dozen smokes ago, and tan as the table under it.

View attachment 362218

(And no—-on these really nice ones I never use grapeseed or olive oil. )

That color is only a whisker deep.

It will get pure oxblood reddish dark brown as I smoke it,

It’s as near fireproof as briar ever gets.

If they aren’t marked (or not arrow marked NYC made Marxmans) the best way I know to test for Algerian briar is does it turn oxblood as you smoke it.

Unsmoked??? You found a real gem!

 

[towhee89]

It was NOS about a dozen smokes ago, and tan as the table under it.

View attachment 362218

(And no—-on these really nice ones I never use grapeseed or olive oil. )

That color is only a whisker deep.

It will get pure oxblood reddish dark brown as I smoke it,

It’s as near fireproof as briar ever gets.

If they aren’t marked (or not arrow marked NYC made Marxmans) the best way I know to test for Algerian briar is does it turn oxblood as you smoke it.

I truly love the Marxmans and this is one of the most beautiful yet. I've grown to love the rusticated ones too, though. I'd imagine these Straight Grains are as rare as 400s, or close? I am glad I bought that Mel-o for six bucks let me tell you! I'm finding out Lee's and Marxmans don't pop up near as much as Kaywoodies and Grabows. Right now, I favor the Marxmans but the Lee I got I love, also.

 

[Briar Lee]

I truly love the Marxmans and this is one of the most beautiful yet. I've grown to love the rusticated ones too, though. I'd imagine these Straight Grains are as rare as 400s, or close? I am glad I bought that Mel-o for six bucks let me tell you! I'm finding out Lee's and Marxmans don't pop up near as much as Kaywoodies and Grabows. Right now, I favor the Marxmans but the Lee I got I love, also.

I can find no advertisements of a Marxman straight grain.

But what that pipe is is an ungraded $15 size Marxman “Big Boy” of which I own maybe a half dozen or more.

Aside from the Mello and Super Briar machine shaped lines, when a Marxman is a Benchmade or Jumbo $5 size it might or might not be stamped A. If it’s a larger $7.50 size it will be stamped B, and if it’s larger yet there will be a C stamp for the $10 size.

But if it’s unstamped and huge, it’s a $15 “big boy”.

Above that at the top is the fancy $25 Marxman 400 which is marked as a 400.

 

[telescopes]

I can find no advertisements of a Marxman straight grain.

Yes, they are in the advertising book. Marxman carried a large selection of traditional smooth straight grain pipes in most traditional shapes.

I'd imagine these Straight Grains are as rare as 400s, or close?

I have 6 brand new ones from the pre54 era, all in their boxes with the certificates for lifetime warranty as well as the original price tags. They are very, very common. For whatever reason, because of their ability to blend in with any ordinary regular pipe, I think they simply don't register with people and get trashed.

 

[Briar Lee]

Yes, they are in the advertising book. Marxman carried a large selection of traditional smooth straight grain pipes in most traditional shapes.

I have 6 brand new ones from the pre54 era, all in their boxes with the certificates for lifetime warranty as well as the original price tags. They are very, very common. For whatever reason, because of their ability to blend in with any ordinary regular pipe, I think they simply don't register with people and get trashed.

Thanks for the information!

What did an extra large Straight grain cost?

Actually, a half dozen brand new Straight Grains in boxes means unsold stock, or unused gifts.

And a gift pipe might likely have the price sticker removed.

Another suspicion confirmed.

Mama wanted Daddy to be the rugged outdoor man of action, not the professor with the straight grain.

In tbe 70s the makers of Venuri pipes (The Pipe) did a survey and over 90% of their high end pipes were bought by women for their men.

 

[telescopes]

Thanks for the information!

What did an extra large Straight grain cost?

3.50

 

[telescopes]

Thanks for the information!

What did an extra large Straight grain cost?

My unsmoked Marxman collection are all traditional Marxman pipes of the appropriate era. They go up to 5 dollars. They have straight grain and beyond that are unremarkable pipes. They are pipes of that era in which they were made. The rusticated Marxman pipes were obviously another side of Marx that he was much more interested in and it shows. Although he made some ugly ones along the way. In all seriousness, the 400 is really an ugly pipe - an overweight welfare queen shopping at Walmart in her daughter's yoga pants.

 

[telescopes]

That last comment felt mean. Was it? I can never tell with all these sensitive types always melting down and getting their feelings hurt whenever someone steps on their moment.

 

[telescopes]

Belch

 

[towhee89]

Did anyone notice the pipes look added to the photos via editing? Pretty funny. Some of them look real though, but the guy 2nd from top right no way. You can tell it's a Marxman still at that size and distance xD. Maybe a 400? Or a Jumbo ? Or a super duper Jumbo 400 Straight Grain?

You gotta admit, they are distinctive looking pipes.

 

[paulfg]

well that smooth straight grain is the first marxman pipe I have liked the look of,the rest have looked fugging ugly to me.
But thats a belter

 

[huntertrw]

The most-favored pipes in my collection are made from Algerian briar. All that I know is that they smoke extremely well, and that's enough for me.

Those pipes include all of my Dunhill Shell billiards, my Marxmans, and a Rogers Select prince.

 

[towhee89]

The most-favored pipes in my collection are made from Algerian briar. All that I know is that they smoke extremely well, and that's enough for me.

Those pipes include all of my Dunhill Shell billiards, my Marxmans, and a Rogers Select prince.

I really like mine also, and will be buying more in the future. I'll keep an eye out for Rogers and Edward's.

 

[Briar Lee]

As to how Rogers and Edward’s could use geniune Algerian briar of the grade that colors to oxblood until very recent times, they used old stock.

As wars go, the 1954-62 Algerian War was insanely brutal, but the French had 8 years to remove the briar from Algeria to France. After that it wasn’t advisable to be a Frenchman in the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria. But Algeria won all the briar fields, just not the organized system of grading, inspection and exporting, and any old stocks left the French hadn’t taken off.


Dunhill used it until 1968. There’s still a trickle exported today.

The Italian, Greek, Spanish and Corsican briar exporters took up the slack in a market where less briar was sold each year.

 

[telescopes]

Here is a random Marxman I pulled out today. An unsmoked $5 Benchmade. Yes, @Briar Lee, you heard that correctly. Benchmade.