Seeing Double ... Two Or More Of The Same Pipe

ghostsofpompeii

It was love at first sight. As I stepped through the doors of the old Tinder Box at my local mall the pipe seemed to call out to me as it hung from the wall display. The pipe was from an unnamed Israeli pipe maker - but that mattered not one whit. I was attracted to the shape of the pipe ... but once I read the name etched into the body of the pipe I knew I had to have it. The name ... 221B Baker Street ... the address of my favorite sleuth. I've never been able to find out much about the pipe maker or company where it was manufactured. The only markings on the pipe were the name of the pipe and the country of origin - Israel. No mention if it's even made of briar. But I loved it and reminded me of a pipe I'd seen in a later period Sherlock Holmes movie ... possibly "A Study In Terror" or "Murder By Decree". The pipe burned a little hotter than most (and I was not as well versed in the proper smoking techniques) so I was always afraid it might burn through. Not wanting to chance damaging the pipe I babied it and rarely smoked it - saving it for special occasions like a Sherlock Holmes movie night. 

Then one day while skimming through estate pipes on EBAY there it was ... an exact duplicate of my 221B Baker Street pipe, with the 'Buy It Now' price of only $29.00. So even though I already had one ... I bough myself a spare. And now I smoke them both regularly - alternating from one to the other. There is a slight difference in the decorative etchings on the pipe keeping them from being identical twins, as well as a slight thickness of the bowl. And they both smoke fine - now that I've corrected my bad habits. 

Then last year I found a little mahogany colored pear wood calabash I took an immediate liking to, but really wasn't in the market for a new pipe so I passed on it. A day or two later I was haunted by that little pipe and decided to buy it after all. Unfortunately it was gone. But a duplicate with solid black stain was in stock so I bought it instead. I was a bit apprehensive because it was my first pipe made of something other than briar. But it smoked great and was the perfect size to carry around. A few weeks later I was once again scanning the pages of EBAY and that mahogany calabash showed up once again. So I bought it without a second's hesitation. Another pair of twins in my collection.

Seems redundant to have more than one of the same pipe then I happened upon a YouTube video from Pipe Presenter Muttonchops Piper and he had 16 Savinelli 320KS - each one dedicated to a specific blend. Then I didn't feel so odd. I was wondering if anyone here has two or more of the same pipe, and if so do you have them dedicated to specific blends ... or just like the looks of them and wanted a spare?

 

    

TeCarp

Your 221B Baker Street pipes were probably manufactured in the Shalom Pipe Factory in Israel.  Shalom was the only known pipe maker in Israel.  Bernard Hochstein founded the company and his sons, Micky and Dicky, ran it.  They made many private label pipes.  The best known Alpha line in the United States is the Alpha.  They had a distinctive way of rusticating pipes to cover flaws.  Your pipes have that distinctive rustication.

The Israeli-made Alpha pipes are not to be confused with the later Alphas, manufactured in Sparta, NC, by Mastercraft and Dr. Grabow.

ghostsofpompeii

@TeCarp Thanks for the info I haven't been able to find any information of the pipes. Like I said, I'm not even sure if the pipes are made from briar since it's not stamped anywhere on the pipe. I can only assume it is since it looks, feels and smokes like a briar pipe. But I'm far from an expert in wood to know the difference. I do have a few pear wood pipes and they seem to be substancially lighter weight. 

daveinlax

I've tried not to get two of the exact same pipes but I am a Brand/Shape Collector so I have some large groups of the same shape in various sizes and finishes. It's a lot of fun finding the next piece for the collection.