Buying Estate Pipes on eBay

[NeverBend]

That Quaint is truly amazing. Am I correct in believing my NB Barling is pre-transition?

Hi Jim,

The seller has a billiard listed that he likes better but I, too, prefer the Quaint.

All of the Barlings that I've given away are post-transition (> 1962). The post-trans pipes are comparable in quality to the better lines of GBD from the same era. The pre-transition pipes were (generally) better quality and are more expensive as estates.

If I give a pipe as a gift it's either a good smoker or I've never smoked it. If a pipe smokes poorly I will sell it or trade it accompanied by my opinion of it. Of course I've had guys take this as a challenge, believing that they can make my pipe smoke better than me. :yawn:

Pete

[NeverBend]

This is a link to a seller that has (and has had) a lot of pipes for sale, as of this writing over 600!

Home Vintage Supply

I searched on this link for “pipe” and sorted by “ending soonest” in case the link doesn’t reflect my search.

Most of their pipes are offered with a ‘starting bid’ and a ‘Buy-It-Now option’. From the descriptions I don’t assume that they have expertise in pipes and the sheer number of offerings suggests that there are pipes here from several collections.

I have two points in referencing this seller.

1 - There are some solid values to be had if you know what you’re looking for (and at).
2 - Look for similarities in condition across pipes offered by a seller, especially those from a specific collection.

I found this seller a few months back when I saw an Urbino, a second line of pipes made by Massimo Palazzi (L’Anatra), formerly of Ser Jacopo, but unfortunately the bowl was cracked. When I (and I suggest you) see any seller with cracked, damaged, abused or broken pipes or mistreated stems, etc., you should tread carefully because smokers bad habits are exhibited across all of the pipes that they ‘enjoyed’. Any pipe that came from that collection may be similarly compromised.

At that time I noticed several other pipes that were in similar condition and correctly, (in all the listings that I read), the seller noted the damage and showed pictures. The prices, starting and Buy-It-Now, didn’t (and don’t since many are still for sale), reflect the seriousness of the damage. Since the seller describes the problems in word and pictures I have no problem with the offering but you, as a potential buyer, need to make sure that a pipe is in the condition that you require.

Urbino (damaged pipe)

I don’t find anything amiss in the pipes being sold by Home Vintage Supply and in fact I purchased a pipe from them today, a Ben Wade (?) handmade Reject, for $19.97 plus $4.54 shipping (this was the minimum bid).

Though a reject, this pipe was handmade by Charatan from exceptional briar and at the price it represents an excellent value. There were two (2) other Charatan handmade Rejects offered, one that also sold for the minimum and the other went unsold (below).

Post about the Charatan handmade Reject that I purchased (10:31pm, August 2nd, 2015)

(Ben Wade?) Reject handmade by Charatan Re-listed

(Ben Wade?) Sandblast Reject made by Charatan (probably handmade)

I listed the only two Rejects that I believe to be handmade by Charatan. If you search for “pipe reject” you’ll see the above two pipes as well as several others but only one of those others may be a handmade (better briar) while the rest are just ordinary and not good values at the starting price.

This seller’s pipes, from several collections, show (from the Ben Wade (?) Rejects that many smokers bought similar pipes during a definable range of time. Based on these Rejects I can conjecture that they bought several of the same type of piped from the early 1960s through the mid 1970s. That’s helpful in generalizing about other pipes that seem to be (or definitely are) from the same collection.

Happy hunting!

Pete

[fastnbulbous]

I have been spending a lot of time on ebay searching for estate pipe lots.

Thinking about diving in.

[NeverBend]

I have been spending a lot of time on ebay searching for estate pipe lots.

Thinking about diving in.

Hi Adam,

(My son's name is Adam too).

I'd suggest taking it slow, setting limits and so forth. If you like I'd be happy to evaluate pipes that you're interested in.

Pete

[Aguineapig]

I too look in on the estate pipes on ebay from time to time. The problem is, with everything else in life right now, I don't have the time or energy to put into learning about the ins and outs-- for someone like me, I wouldn't know a good deal if I saw one, which defeats the point of looking for deals in the first place. I can't tell if nobody has bid on it because it's crap, or if I'm looking at the deal of a lifetime because I accidentally spelled "Sasieni", "Sassinei" and nobody else found it, or something.

That, and I really "don't need" more pipes. Although, like with antique tools (another hobby of mine), that really isn't the right philosophy. I don't like 5 draw knives, or 60 axes, but I'm glad I have them anyway. So a few more pipes someday, in some favorite shapes, will be what I'll settle on.

[NeverBend]

I too look in on the estate pipes on ebay from time to time. The problem is, with everything else in life right now, I don't have the time or energy to put into learning about the ins and outs-- for someone like me, I wouldn't know a good deal if I saw one, which defeats the point of looking for deals in the first place. I can't tell if nobody has bid on it because it's crap, or if I'm looking at the deal of a lifetime because I accidentally spelled "Sasieni", "Sassinei" and nobody else found it, or something.

That, and I really "don't need" more pipes. Although, like with antique tools (another hobby of mine), that really isn't the right philosophy. I don't like 5 draw knives, or 60 axes, but I'm glad I have them anyway. So a few more pipes someday, in some favorite shapes, will be what I'll settle on.

You make a very good point about the difficulty in isolating a good value or, put another way, a pipe that has a good chance to smoke well at a price point that one wants to afford. As I've mentioned elsewhere, briar is the best material to make superior smoking pipes, but it's also inconsistent and no one can guarantee performance of any given piece.

There's a lot of mythology surrounding brand in pipes but I've never read any posts on the Internet (or elsewhere) that have (even) a fundamental understanding of what gives one (briar) pipe better opportunity to be an excellent smoker compared to another, and it has nothing to do with brand other than some companies do it better than others. Many smokers incorrectly interpret fancy shaping as the mark of a superior pipe and buy them on aesthetics, whim and hope.

The best smoking pipes are made that way by using superior materials and craftsmanship. It's not an accident that Barling has maintained a brilliant reputation for superior smoking pipes even though it's been over 50 years since they made pipes that way.

The best that anyone can do is to learn how the best pipes are made and select from that pool. I've picked up a steady stream of high quality pipes at reasonable prices (~$10 to ~$100) but not all pass muster for me. When they do, there’s great satisfaction and your taste buds will know the difference.

Regarding your excellent example of Sasieni, the question should be when the pipe was made because they changed processes over time. Collectors may purchase Sasieni pipes from the late Family Era (roughly 1950-1980) and some may be fine smokers but they made their best pipes before the mid 1930s. I recently picked up a damaged, but smokeable, little Sasieni from the 1920s for $6.00 (shipped) and though it’s not really my shape, it’s a very good smoker. The nomenclature is fun for collecting but if your goal is to get serious smoking pipes then there are other considerations and knowing what to look for is the key.

[Aguineapig]

The nomenclature is fun for collecting but if your goal is to get serious smoking pipes then there are other considerations and knowing what to look for is the key.

That is what I more or less guessed at, and that it'd be more work than just learning brand names. With axes, for example, I can probably do what you do with pipes-- pick out ideal candidates for putting to use, independent of the "big names" that fetch ten or twenty times despite no guarantee they they will be geometrically or metalurgically as sound as the ones that are ten or twenty times cheaper, with no bids. But it took me years to get to that point!

Right now, I am an avowed cob smoker of D&R and C&D blends. Plain, good, consistent and no nonsense smokes. I'm happy with that, and down the road in life I'll enjoy the more attuned side of it (that one blend, in that one pipe that just sing, made in that one factory, etc) when I have nothing better to do (which is a wonderful thing to look forward to!)

[Alligator Gar]

That is what I more or less guessed at, and that it'd be more work than just learning brand names. With axes, for example, I can probably do what you do with pipes-- pick out ideal candidates for putting to use, independent of the "big names" that fetch ten or twenty times despite no guarantee they they will be geometrically or metalurgically as sound as the ones that are ten or twenty times cheaper, with no bids. But it took me years to get to that point!

Right now, I am an avowed cob smoker of D&R and C&D blends. Plain, good, consistent and no nonsense smokes. I'm happy with that, and down the road in life I'll enjoy the more attuned side of it (that one blend, in that one pipe that just sing, made in that one factory, etc) when I have nothing better to do (which is a wonderful thing to look forward to!)

Let me give you something to think about. You can buy lots (as in groups) of estate pipes for less than a new pipe would cost. Sometimes people know what they're selling, sometimes they don't. More importantly, sometimes I know what they're selling and sometimes I don't. I have enjoyed finding the kernel of wheat in the barrel of rat shit. Some don't. I never let my ignorance of any given pursuit stay me from participating in that pursuit. I've found and restored and now enjoy "that one pipe" many times over because I didn't wait to get attuned... I just dove in. Not trying to make money, not even trying very hard to avoid getting screwed or overpaying. Just trying to have some fun and learn some stuff. If you're moderately handy, and I imagine an axman would be, make it happen! Just don't bid on my lots!

[fastnbulbous]

The lots are the most intriguing posts.
Seems like you can easily get a dozen or 2 for a few bucks a pipe.
Gotta be a good one in there somewhere, no?
Most of them look to be in decent enough shape.

I may take you up on your offer to review pipe bids @alligatorgar.
Looking forward to learning from you.

[NeverBend]

When you see a band that's not original (this is a Barling) it's usually an indication that the shank was repaired. Generally the pipe will still smoke well but you should discount the value, especially on valuable pipes. I only know SJV (the brand on the band) in nickel although this looks like it may be sterling. The value of sterling bands is not very much in and of itself.