| Author |
Message |
    
Richard Phillips
Member
Username: Sculptor
Post Number: 2
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Monday, August 03, 2009 - 04:30 pm: | |
Hi all,
I've been smoking pipes for a few years now, and one of my best smokers is an Astley's Tudor Rose rusticated panel billiard, found cheap on eBay about 3 years ago. 'Tudor Rose' makes it a second, as apparent in the tiny fill on the front, but the number of satisfied hours smoking makes forgiving that little blemish easy.
Anyway, less of the digressions. In the last couple of weeks I thought to replace a busted bent bulldog (I'll save that story for a rainy day) and in the course of browsing eBay, saw many as-new unsmoked Astleys, being sold by the owner of James Upshall. Many of you have probably seen them for sale. Going by the descriptions, these were acquired en masse when the shop was bought. Many, though not all, are described as being from a lot made by Dunhill. They date from the early '80s.
Two questions come from all this. First, I haven't seen the 'made by Dunhill' attribute applied to Astley's pipes anywhere else in my readings online. I'm inclined to trust the seller since buying a lovely little Upshall Canadian from him a couple of years ago, but can anyone corroborate this?
Secondly, these pipes seem very cheap at around 65 pounds, and yet are still not getting too many bids--I saw a few that didn't sell and were relisted. Why is this? Is the economy so bad? Are the pipes not great? Has the seller flooded the market?
Any other reminiscences from satisfied Astley's smokers would be welcome, of course, and apologies for not keeping such things in the lounge... |
Todd L. Platek
Member
Username: Lawyersmoker
Post Number: 41
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 04, 2009 - 02:14 pm: | |
Richard, although I can't answer most of your questions (ok, I got the disclaimer out of the way first), I have several Astley's and am very satisfied. Prices from different eBay sellers may vary. Overseas sellers may not be selling as many as American sellers due to a disinclination to buy from abroad and risk loss during foreign mailing; personally, I think it's a poor reason as that rarely occurs (it did happen to me once recently, I admit) however some people have this concern. Even though I have such experience, I would not hesitate to buy from the UK or Germany again. |
Todd L. Platek
Member
Username: Lawyersmoker
Post Number: 42
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, August 06, 2009 - 08:02 pm: | |
Richard, I have it on very good authority from a deeply revered pipist (such a word?) that Dunhill did indeed supply Astley's of Jermyn Street, as he used to frequent Astley's when they were in existence and purchased from them. Dunhill may not have been the sole supplier, and in that regard, the owners of Upshall are a prime authority. If you have an opportunity to visit the NY Pipe Show in September, you can see and buy some great ones. |
Richard Phillips
Member
Username: Sculptor
Post Number: 3
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Saturday, August 08, 2009 - 05:23 am: | |
Thanks Todd,
Indeed, I take it from more than a few sources that Astleys also sourced pipes from many other reputable manufacturers. I've placed an order and will report back when it's arrived and I've kicked its tyres and taken it out for a spin.
As far as location goes, I'm based in Central Europe and have bought a few pipes online from the US and UK without any problems. NY is a few miles further than I can get on public transport, but I hope you and any other visitors have a good time there. |
Richard Phillips
Member
Username: Sculptor
Post Number: 4
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 08:10 am: | |
Hi all,
Well, the pipe arrived and is a beaut. When I took the stem off I saw a small shallow groove cut into the shank, a few millimeters in diameter and very slightly off-centre...
I've never seen anything like this before, so I called up the James Upshall company and spoke with the owner, who explained that this is often done to guide a pipe cleaner for those who clean their pipes without taking them apart. Nice guy--if any of you have questions about their pipes, you can find the number on their website.
Any comments on this little innovation? I can't say I've noticed any effect on the smoking qualities.  |
Robert C Chambers
Member
Username: Black_mallory
Post Number: 2
Registered: 07-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, September 10, 2009 - 03:04 pm: | |
Hello,
This "shallow groove" was doubtless the result/ of drilling the air passage through the shank. You can probably prove this to yourself by taking a 5/32 drill bit and inserting it in the air passage hole...I think you would find when the drill bit was engaged in the air passage hole it will also fit perfickly into the "shallow groove." The cause of this is that, for a half-bent pipe, the air passage hole *must* be bored at an angle off of the axis of the mortise hole in order to hit the tobacco chamber in the desired location at the bottom of the bowl. If you stop and think about it, you will realize that the "guide a pipe cleaner for those who clean their pipes without taking them apart" theory is BUNK, since the pipe cleaner comes out of the tenon a half inch or so beyond the location of the "shallow groove", i.e. beyond the shank-stem interface. So much for the "innovation."
Regards,
RC in VT |
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