Hello All

I was just curious what my fellow smokers thoughts were on whose pipes make great estate pipes. Obviously a lot depends on the smoker, but which pipes seem to last?

Or which pipes seem to hold their value. I am always in the market for a good estate pipe and am interested in all of your opinions.

Plus, this will give me something to look up while the hurricane sweeps across my area.

I think it depends totally on what sort of investment you seek. Italian pipes with acrylic stems "last" with no maintenance, basically, so you are likely to get a good looking pipe that isn't all chewed up, simply because of the stem material.



Pipes with rubber stems (English and American) will often look green and horrible, and if you can clean them up and polish them, you can get a good deal on a bad looking pipe that needs some TLC.



I don't think there's any rules about what makes a good estate pipe - any pipe can be abused to death, and any pipe could be left in a drawer in mint condition.



Budget is another factor - there's a huge difference in a 10 dollar estate Wilmer and a 600 dollar estate Tokutomi.

In looking around it is amazing the huge disparity between brands and prices. I never really have a price in mind when I am estate shopping. Although 600 bucks is certainly out of the question. The wife would not be happy about that investment at all. One thing I don't get, I see certain estate pipes that sell for about the price you can get a nice, new pipe of similar quality. Maybe not exactly the same,but close. What prompts someone to spend $150 on a used pipe when there are quite a few excellent pipes out there for that price and less? Some of it is that people get caught up in bidding on Ebay. ( as a reformed sports better Ebay is still one of the few places I can "gamble" and not get in too much trouble )

On another note, it is quite difficult to smoke a pipe during a hurricane while back washing your pool and avoiding downed trees coincidentally. I just could not resist the urge to smoke stormfront during a hell of a storm.

Ebay can be a silly place at times. If it's something I really want, and the buy it now option is available and relatively fair, I exercise it. Often, that option is in place, but I really don't agree with the seller's assessment of the value, so I bid what I feel is a legitimate value. In the final moments, the snipers move in, oblivious that the item could have been purchased with the buy it now option days ago for a much lesser price. I think part of it is lack of awareness, impulsiveness, or perhaps simple petty greed. That's how the values get confused. Yes, some estate pipes are valuable, but do a little research through some of the online retailers to get a general idea what they are trying to retail various pipes for. Of course, I can see you love the hunt. I also see that you wisely temper that with questions. Happy bidding, I'm counting on you.

I've had good success and pleasure buying a few nice English estate pipes at around the $200 mark (or less). I could never have afforded these pipes (Ashton & Dunhill) as new. For that type of investment, Ebay is a much lower choice than buying one from a member on one of the boards I frequent. I feel like that a board seller will be more honest than many Ebay vendors. If you do watch ebay, follow the purchases made by board members from trusted sellers. There are a many out there, you'll start to recognize names after a bit (coopersark, for one).

Good luck!

Ebay's for bargains.

Lets face it, there's always an element of a crap shoot in buying a pipe online; you can't hold it, feel it's weight or inspect the drilling; I try to keep my bid at about 49% of what I think the pipe is worth.

A reputable dealer or store will let you return a pipe but the rub is that they cannot be smoked; a tight draw or a too-loose stem, an it goes to the back of the rack.

Caveat Emptor.

I don't have much experience in this but, I've got a couple Savinelli and Peterson estates which are very good pipes..I also have a Parker Canadian which is excellent too. However; I've never smoked a Dunhill or Castello etc. etc. to know the difference of smokers.

Ebay is great for old Kaywoodies and the like if you want cheap pipes. There are plenty of other deals out there, but it has been my experience that Peterson's go for much closer to fair value on ebay than other pipes, not too sure why that is. I'm partial to Kaywoodie and Yello-Bole because they tend to be great smokers and they are cheap enough that if you get a bad one it won't hurt to toss it in the trash. Though, I have grabbed about a half a dozen "better" pipes, none for more than $50.

.
Old Wally Frank pipes of the "White Bar" grade appear infrequently on Ebay, but they can be a good buy. In the last 2 years I've found Eight of them at an average price of $27. Wally Frank "Heart of Root" are even rarer and might be a step down in grade, but they are still nice old pipes.









.

Those Wally Frank's are good looking pipes, less than $30, will have to keep an eye out for them.

sstodvictory wrote:

. Old Wally Frank pipes of the "White Bar" grade appear infrequently on Ebay, but they can be a good buy. In the last 2 years I've found Eight of them at an average price of $27. Wally Frank "Heart of Root" are even rarer and might be a step down in grade, but they are still nice old pipes. .

The Wally Franks do look nice. I like the style number 21. Those are exactly what I was talking about. You get a good estate pipe for an excellent price. You can't beat $30 for a good pipe.

As far as the 49% thing, I agree. I usually try and set a price in my mind and go with it during any bidding. I hate to lose a pipe over a few bucks, but it has happened more than once. I was just watching a couple of Savinelli Chubby/Shorty pipes. I figured on about $50. I was surprised when they ended up going for $70 or so. They were sharp pipes if I could have gotten them for $50.