How do you feel about estate pipes?

Subtilis87

What are your feelings on estate pipes? I only own one, and it was from my grandfather. It is very important to me and I love it dearly. That being said I feel weird owning a pipe to which I do not share some connection with the previous owner. Maybe I will get over it, but I can't see myself shopping online for someone's old Peterson anytime soon.

crapgame

i have a few estate pipes and i have no problem with them..maybe because the shop where i picked them up from did the cleaning of them before i left the store with them

dstrib

Majority of my pipes are estate pipes. Nothing special or expensive. Personally don't mind after a really good cleaning. If you think about it every time you go to a restruant you use utensils that many others have already used prior to you. I expect I clean my estate pipes better than most dish washers in a restruant. Sheets in a hotel are used over and over. Medical devices are reused after being cleaned. Who knows how many times the dental tools your dentist uses on you have been in others mouths.

dstrib

Rebornpipes.com has a lot of examples of what can be done to an old pipe to bring it back in to smoking condition.

LostMason

All of mine are estate pies,and whether the seller cleaned them or not
I did.As to a personal connection to the previous owner,we both share
an interest in pipes and pipe smoking.As is stated on many forums.
We are Brothers of the Briar.Estates are a wonderful means to
filling out your rack and with a little salt and alcohol they can be
safer than that scapel mentioned earlier.

daveinlax

I could never have built my collection if it weren't for estate pipes. Besides the price most of my greatest pieces were carved before I was in the hobby including  a couple of unsmoked Dunhill patent pipes that were carved long before I was born.

PipeProfessor

@subtillis87, I too was a bit uneasy about getting estates in the beginning. But I have slowly been getting over it and have begun to seriously consider getting a few. Think of it like this...When you go to a resturant, you are using the same utensils and glasses that others did. They were washed and now clean to use. Make sure you 'wash' out any estate and make it as good as new. I think that I will be able to get some really nice pipes that I could not afford new. 

judandhispipe

I have several estates in my collection,and have no problem with buying that way. If you shop carefully, you can often find unsmoked estates, and that can get you some great bargains.

piperdave

I really enjoy estate pipes, have quite a few myself in my collection. I totally agree with you @dstrib whenever someone asks me about estate pipes I mention the same facts as you.

drac2485

I love estates.  About half or more of my collection is estates.  I normally get them through smokingpipes.com and they clean them up before selling them but I normally give them a good alcohol (Everclear) cleaning anyways.  I have picked a few from antique stores and eBay and if there is anything left to kill me after the amount of Everclear used to clean them after the reaming (I normally completely ream them out as the cake disintegrates after the everclear soaks in it) I think I have it coming.   Most of my favorite pipes in my rotation were estate pipe and some even unsmoked.

thesubcon

I love estate pipes! I have a dozen that I have bought and referbed. I most of the ones I've gotten them all from between $2-10 each and they are all great. A little everclear, cotton swabs, pipe cleaners and a buffing wheel can really do the trick. There is something about smoking a pipe that is over double my age that makes me really feel like I am connecting to history. To me it's about getting more involved and it is totally worth it.

drac2485

@thesubcon  I know how you feel about smoking the pipe older than you and having to clean it up makes more personal as well.  I found a Peterson African Rock Meerschaum Oom Paul on eBay that I was very surprised hadn't cracked due to the cake build up.  It took me a few hours (taking my time) to get the cake out, clean and polish the overly oxidized stem, and get it ready to smoke.  Research taught me that it was from the 60s-70s and the fact it is in as good of shape, now, as it is I feel the history when smoking it.  It is my go to favorite pipe, even nicer that it is meerschaum as I smoke several bowls at a time sometimes.

tomatobodhi

I just picked up a few estates at my local B&M and one of the regulars recognized one of them and said, "Hey, that one is from my collection!" Another regular suggested that we all just give each other a deep, wet kiss and get it over with. LOL!

TeCarp

I like estate pipes very much.  Every time I smoke one of mine, I enjoy reflecting on who might have had it before me, what kind of person he (or she) might have been, why they chose that particular pipe, and myriad other things.  The best estate pipes, in my opinion, are those with the most carbon in the bowl, a beat-up finish, and a deeper color than when new.  Those were the ones the previous owners must have thought of very highly.  Because, they sure smoked the sh*t out of them.

PipeProfessor

Has anyone every bought any lots of estate pipes on eBay or similar? If so did you find any gems?

judandhispipe

I have not purchased from eBay. I know there are some folks who sell through there who are pretty reputable,and others who are less so. I've bought mine through established etailers, and one from BriarBlues, who is well-established as a seller of estate pipes.

PappyJoe

Over half of my collection are estate pipes that have been well cleaned before smoking. Most of mine were found at antique/collectible/junk shops and street fairs. I have two or three I bought off of ebay but only from sellers that are pipe shops. Otherwise you never know what you are going to get on eBay. 

Some things about finding estate pipes that I have learned:

1. The wife doesn't blink an eye when I buy one at an antique/junk shop because I haven't paid more than $25 for one. 

2. My wife will actively look for pipes when you go visiting antique/junk shops - something we do at least one weekend every month.

3. You have to really do research so you have a basic understanding of what is a collectible Kaywoodie as opposed to a piece of crap. And you have to be able to recognize which English seconds are worth the effort to clean.

My best buy so far? At a local antique street fair I found a La Savinelli Giubileo d'Oro 510KS Bulldog. I paid $3 for it. After cleaning it good, I sent a photo to Savinelli and received a reply that it was made in the 1970s and would have sold for around the same as a mid-line Dunhill back then and that it is probably worth between $200 - $300 now. (I have been offered $200 by one friend but I'm not selling it.)

So, that wasn't a bad $3 investment.

thesubcon

PappyJoe & @drac2485 I am there with you. I bought 1936 Yellobole for $5 and it's one of the best smokes I have. I also bought a crown logo Ben Wade for $10 and recently sold it (the only one I've sold) for $175. It's fun to hunt them down.

thewanderingdude

@thesubcon beautiful Ben Wade! I agree those old KBB yello boles are great smokers

drac2485

I wish there were more pipes in my area. I'm always scrounging around in antique stores and other flea markets but I can only find broken pipes or no names. Hopefully I will get lucky one of these days. Until then there is always eBay.

thesubcon

@drac2485 weirdly enough my best luck has been random ones on craigslist. Old guys cleaning out their drawers, hypsters quitting, and the like.

PappyJoe

@drac2485 - We often take a weekend and will drive 200 miles or more just to find new shops to visit. It makes for a good overnight trip and keeps the wife happy.

PipeProfessor

I didn't even think of Craigslist. I will have to check that out. I pop into antique stores when I pass one and flea markets every now and again...but no luck yet.

drac2485

@pappyjoe I haven't gone that far on purpose. I do a lot of driving with the civil war re-enacting that I do and hit shops up when I can out of my normal range but I may just have to take some serious road trips for that purpose

drac2485

@thesubcon craigslist... I never thought of that. Since I have never used that any advice?

thesubcon

@drac2485 just search "pipe" and search frequently and a broad range. You'll have to fight though "drain pipes" and marijuana pipes, but it's worth it!

CretinDan

Strange question, maybe. Is there a section on here of users looking to sell or trade pipes ?

dstrib

Did a search for pipes on Craigslist in my area and a pawn shop has a few. The shop is 30 minutes away. Thinking I may take a look one of these weekends. Interesting to see them listing an estate corn cob pipe for 5 dollars but if I can find a yello bole or a hardcastle for that price it may be worth the trip.

Just received an estate hardcastle in the mail today. Ran a pipe cleaner through it and came out pitch black and smelling less of tobacco and more of other smoke able products. Getting a good alcohol and salt treatment. Will see how it goes from their.

pipeman83

Most of my pipes are estates, I can't afford to buy brand new or handmade pipes to often, so this is my best option, a lot of them I cleaned myself , others were already restored, I found a lot of my collection on ebay, but I always read the description because they have to have a 2 inch or more bowl ht.

Darmon

Most of mine have been off ebay, if I can get them cheap enough I enjoy trying to fix them up.  And if I can't I didn't waste too much money on them.  Just clean/sanitize them really good.

Mangoandy

I've only purchased two "new" pipes. The rest have been estate pipes from my local shop or eBay. The process of cleaning was totally worth it. I love that there is an unknown story behind the pipe I'm smoking. 

Having one handed down from a dad/grandfather or even a friend - that's super cool!