| Author | Message | ||
     seth clark Member Username: Warmseth Post Number: 1 Registered: 09-2009 |
I'm a new pipe smoker. The first pipe I bought a month ago was a $50 Comoy estate pipe with a nice smooth briar bowl and a short straight stem. Then I got a new Savinelli that is a sandblasted bowl and curved stem. I bought this pipe for $60. Now that I've smoked the new pipe, I feel odd about the used one, even though I like the way it smokes. Also, I'm smoking everyday and want a selection of dry, aired out pipes to choose from. So I found myself looking for another. Yesterday I bought an unsmoked Yves St. Claude that has a gorgeous smooth briar bowl and a longish straight briar stem. I believe I probably paid way too much for it ($100) based on "used" prices. So, long winded paragraph later, I ask, how do I know what the real "value" of a pipe is without just spending the $ and trying the thing out? I'm not looking to "collect" pipes per se, nor do I care that my pipes are expensive. I just want to know that I'm not getting ripped off and that when I buy a pipe, it's "worth" what I've paid for it. Sorry for the rambling. I've had a bit of buyers' remorse about it. | ||
| Pete Jorstad Member Username: Fazby Post Number: 69 Registered: 06-2006 |
Well, you have purchased two good smokers for similar prices. Not bad! Ignore the 'estate' aspect as long as the pipe is in good shape. (No burns, cracks or other disfigurements.) Once you smoke your new pipe, it falls under 'estate'. You don't have to die first - it just means used. By the way: $100 is not expensive. Google for an S Bang pipe... Be sitting down. | ||
| Todd Bannard Member Username: Sasquatch Post Number: 701 Registered: 05-2006 |
Seth I think there's a few benchmarks in value that you can judge most pipes against. First, is the pipe a factory pipe or an artisan (hand made) pipe. An artisan pipe in general will have better smoking properties than a factory pipe, and probably be made from better materials to boot. Therefore, even just judged as a "smoker", it has higher value. There are good quality factory pipes. Stanwell, Peterson, Savinelli. These pipes, from say, 50 dollars to maybe... 120 dollars, offer a pretty decent smoke and are generally made reasonably well. There are other brands that some love and some loathe (Chacom, Comoy, Bjarne, Nording) that don't seem to "hold" their value as much. Check out a used Peterson vs a used Nording on ebay and you'll see what I mean. If you are buying pipes around 60 or 70 bucks, be happy if the bit is comfy, and the smoking properties are good. If you paid 73 and could have got it for 69 up the road, who cares. It's still 2 cents a smoke over 20 years. The real value of a pipe is how much you like it and how well it smokes. As a newbie you are going to have a difficult time ascertaining whether you are looking at a pipe that has an acrylic, ebonite or vulcanite stem, let alone whether the pipe is mechanically perfect and made from good briar. My suggestion is that you stick for now with Peterson, Stanwell, Savinelli, maybe Bjarne or Johs, possibly Mastro de Paja if you have the money. | ||
| Bob Davison Member Username: 51flgoose Post Number: 4 Registered: 02-2009 |
Seth, I'm relatively new to the pipe thing - and have decided that I am definitely a collector. I have 35+... for now... When I look back to my first purchases I know that I paid too much for a couple of them. The best suggestion I can make is to monitor pipe values on eBay (selling prices, not asking). While not a perfect barometer, it at least lets you know what others are willing to spend for certain pipe makers. Also, check the web for pipe retailers - find out what they are charging for their estate pipes. It's like anything you buy - research is the best cure for bad decisions. In general, I don't feel too bad for any pipe purchased from a Brick and Mortar pipe store. They are going to charge you a realistic price. I have found that antique shops are the worst for pipe purchases. While I know there are possilbe bargains, in most antique shops, they seem to think that because it is old, it must be "valuable"... Oh - talk to other pipe smokers in your area - join a club if possible - lot's of good information comes just from listening... Pipedia can also offer insight as to the reputation of a pipe maker: http://www.pipedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page Hope this offers some help. | ||
| seth clark Member Username: Warmseth Post Number: 3 Registered: 09-2009 |
Great suggestions. Thanks gents. I was half wondering if I'd try to bring it back. But to heck with it, I'll smoke the darn thing and enjoy it! It's sure to be one of many more pipes I pay too much for (and hopefully a few I pay too little for). | ||
| W. A. Lanman Member Username: Blenheimbard Post Number: 153 Registered: 01-2009 |
Seth I am an "estate" pipe smoker, partially through necessity, there simply aren't many pipe stores around where I live, and partially because I love the thrill of seeking out the bargains in fleamarkets and antique stores. Supposing you have the funds to buy new and the access, go for it. But realize that the dealer has to make a profit or he won't remain in business. for his profit he is providing you with the selection of his stock, and hopefully sound advice on the selection of a pipe to suit your needs. In all likelihood you can walk into a store and ask to see a medium sized bowl, in an apple shape, with a lucite stem, partially rusticated and the next thing you will know he will have several sitting on the counter in front of you. And if you then add you wanted it with a bent stem, the selection is changed! You can look at the pipes, check the grain see how they feel in your hand, etc. And you end up walking out of the store with a new pipe, probably filled by now, with a free pipe nail,some free tobacco, and pipe cleaners. This is the same satisfaction the new car purchaser gets when he gets to decide the model, color, and features wanted in a new vehicle, although he generally has to wait for the car to show up unless there happens to be one on the lot that meets his criteria. But what happens when he drives it off the lot, the value drops, and drops dramatically. Now I am a pipe smoker, not a "collector" in the truest sense of the word. Last week in a small flea market I bought three pipes, including a nice smoking GBD. If I had been a collector I probably would have bought an Indian artifact pipe which was there, and quite possibly a nice underpriced Meerschaum. What did the pipes cost me, well I paid $8 (in total)for the three pipes, but that doesn't account for the time I spend looking around. Since I do this looking while traveling around my sales territory, I don't have to account for the time and travel expense, but it is hidden in there. And if I were looking for a bent rusticated, bulldog by a particular maker, I might never find that pipe in my travels. Are you a smoker or a collector? If you are a collector then you might very well want to pay the premium for a premium pipe, they do tend to hold more of their value, and some even appreciate over time. With an "estate" pipe you gain in the hidden flaws tend to show up with use. By this I mean the flaws in the wood that are hidden even from the manufacturer, not those which have arisen during production and filled with putty and covered by a dark stain before being shipped out to sell. Even with good briar sometimes the wood will develop stress cracks over time, simply from the heating and cooling in use. And while it is true I have to clean up my purchases before smoking, I never have to go through the horrors of breaking in a new pipe. :-) |