Your Fourth Best Pipe

[mso489]

It's always hard to pick out my favorite pipe, and it changes from day to day. Often my

favorite pipe is the one I am smoking at the moment, when all is going well. However,

your fourth best pipe is a great pipe, good looking, a fine smoker, and one of your

favorites ongoing. So what's your fourth best pipe?
This reminds me, Shakespeare left his (maybe somewhat estranged wife) his "second best

bed," but that's a different subject. She was somewhat older than he, and they'd lived apart

for most of his playwriting and acting career in London.

 

[anglesey]

My fourth favorite pipe is the first clay I got which was a gift from my brother. It smokes fine, its my dog walking pipe, and eventhough it's clay I can clench it and it survives.
Oddly, I thought of shakespeare and his second best bed too. I remember reading somewhere that the second best bed was actually their marital bed, and the best bed would be a worse legacy as it was used for guests. Odd trivia.

 

[mso489]

My fourth best pipe is a Peterson Around the World series pipe commemorating Ireland itself. Others honor

France, China, USA, Italy, and other nations. This is a bright red-orange smooth bulldog with a bead line

and a silver band inscribed with the Celtic Cross. It's a fishtail bit and the perfect size and weight for

Virginias. It has a slight bend and a nice broad stem and bit. It makes me feel good every time I heft it,

and every time I light it up. It might some day take the gold medal, but for now, it's just on the heels of

bronze, and always a favorite.
(Shakespeare died at the age of 52. That's really young by today's standards in the U.S. and Europe,

but at the time, 1616, it was probably a pretty advanced age, especially in light of the immense toll

among infants and children because of infectious disease and other causes. He'd retired and left

London by then, so his health must not have been good. He has amazing sustained influence in

current thought, and certainly in theater. Few attain as much in a lifetime of any length.)

 

[foggymountain]

To whom did Shakespeare leave his best bed?

 

[mso489]

foggy, good question. I've never seen his whole will quoted, but if they have that tidbit,

perhaps literary historians have the rest, unless that detail was recorded at the time, but

the will isn't still preserved. If I have the time, I'll snoop online. It's amazing what isn't

available on the all-glorious net. I think there were children of the marriage, and if they

survived to his death, maybe they were the heirs.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If I understand the question... My fourth favorite are all of my Savinelli Piumas, which are hard to find online, because I think that they are sold mainly to B&M's as starters. They are .6" x 1-1.5" chambers, and the ones I have are all straight to slightly bent, dublins, billiards and princes. I have several, and they are great for Virginias on an hour commute in traffic (I smoke very slow). I use two of them a day as to and from work smokers. I have tapped all of the local B&M's in my area out of the ones that I like (all that's left here are bent ones), and I will continue to look around for more. They smoke great.
I think that a lot of times we place historical figures under the light of today's morals. During the Elizabethan era royalty, nobility, and achieved rank in society would have married for heirs, not love, nor sex. Most would have had a mistress on the side, and the lower cast would have frequented brothels. Not that this was not seen as scandalous to some degree, but like many things that are immoral to some degree might be considered merely mischievous within the time frame. Sort of like premarital sex of today. We know it's not moral, but we don't expect anyone to adhere to such a virtuous standards as staying virgins till marriage today.
I think I'll start referring to my Piumas as my mistresses :wink:

 

[bryanf]

Hmmmm....tough question. I only smoke 4 pipes with any kind of regularity. One gets smoked every single day, and one of the other 3 gets smoked each night for a treat. I have 6 other pipes which only get smoked every once in a great while. They are just too big, even if they smoke okay. Since making the switch to small pipes, I never went back.
So...I'll just list them in order, by how much I like them- not necessarily by how well they smoke.
1) Peterson 317 Smooth Bent Billiard

2) Savinelli Petite 202 Black Rusticated Straight Apple.

3) No-name Italian Lovat Group 3 (Straight Blasted billiard with saddle bit)

4) 1970's Yello-Bolle Centura, semi-bent rustic Apple.

 

[swampmouth]

This stopped me in my tracks. Even slept on it. Given my favorite pipes are rotting in a box in the AHXs' attic, my pipes are largely utilitarian. A logical conclusion is appropriate. 2&3 can be switched with 5&6 etc. depending on circumstances. 4th took on an immutable place and turned out to be my #1 driver. Sacrificed repeatedly to weather conditions in the car. Reliable, large bowled(without being overall large), and always waiting. A GBD bent with an orangey brown, rusticated, calabashish bowl. Recently came inside for a good reaming and smoking better than ever.

 

[tobyducote]

My 4th favorite is my Missouri Meerschaum Corncob....damn thing smokes perfect no matter how badly I abuse it or drop it...and it's very inexpensive to replace when necessary...it stays in the center console of the car so it's always within reach...