I received an e-mail from a fella here that's been smoking a pipe for a short time and wanted to know why certain pipes are so much more expensive than others.

In short I responded that the carver's reputation had alot to do with it along with other factors such as thin handmade stems, an amazing sand blast (ala' JT Cooke) , the scarcity of a perfect straightgrain and how much a certain pipe maker's pieces are in demand at that time. The old "hot pipe of the moment" perception is very real!

This fella's question is one that I've been asked a hundred times and everyone's answer to it is so totally individual. It would be very neat to hear how some of the folks here would answer it....

What do you think makes an expensive pipe expensive?

A carver takes (often) years to perfect his skills in making an exceptional pipe. As in other professions, when you obtain a product or service from a skilled craftsman or practitioner his skill and expertise level will affect the price of his product or service. Quality high grade pipes are built using many, many steps the average smoker wouldn't even be aware of, minute details that you won't find in cheaper pipes but things that make the pipe so much finer in many different ways. All of this means that the carver puts in a lot of hours and his hourly time put in needs to be compensated at an acceptable rate. Just as a very good mechanic won't be found working for 10 bucks an hour, a pipe carver must justify a living wage for the work he puts into his craft at such a high level and with such intensity and attention to detail.

Then there is the material and equipment overhead. Certainly the costs of a shop setup must be factored into the sale price of the number of pipes leaving that shop each year, and then the cost of the highest grade briar (often $80 a piece just for the raw wood alone) and finest rod stock is built into the price of that pipe.

For example, you buy a Balleby for $1,000 and you're paying for cost of goods, a fair wage for the carver, part of his overhead, often a middle man (the dealer who sold you the pipe), import duties, etc.....

Like anything else, it's a product. Sure, you could drive a Yugo for 10K and it would get you from A to B, but wouldn't you like to be driving a Porsche?

let's not forget artistry,either!

Those ^^^^ are the deconstructed components. The answer to the question posed by the thread title is in how they fit together. Much study has been made of that fitting-together process in recent years by the cogsci guys. They've turned their brain mapping searchlights on the purchase decision itself and discovered it's almost entirely emotion-driven.

Meaning in the case of pipes it is how the wood density, wood grain, finish color, size, shape, craftsmanship, the carver's name, the carver's reputation, who they (maybe) once saw smoking a similar pipe, previous experience with the seller, etc. etc. etc. (ad infinitum) all come together to create a "net reaction" of either want or don't want.

When a particular pipe happens to score highly in many of those ways, and its existence becomes known to a significant number of prospective purchasers, an expensive pipe is the result.

Little white dots on stems seems to drive prices up.

Also, price seems to correlate with how many "C's" a pipe has.

Straight billiards, being inherently better, cost more.

All I know bout it.

Never forget that one man's junk is another man's treasure and as with any collectible it is only worth what the collector (buyer) is willing to pay. Some folks are willing to pay more than others.

I guess you could call my response a justification for cost rather than a reason for pricing.........

So, educate a noob here. What is it that you look for in a pipe that makes it so nice? I mean, I look at some high end pipes and all I can say is, (insert Elvis accent here) "man that's purty". Not being a smart ass - I really want to know what to look for.

P.S. - I understand the higher cost of supporting a private business and all that... I own a photography business plus have worked in advertising/marketing for mom and pop stores for 10 years so I understand that completely. That's not what I'm asking. Just wanting to know what people judge high end pipes by.