Below is a pipe that I own that will NEVER get smoked (by me anyhow). The reason being that with the way the rim is made it would undoubtably discolour and darken up in a hurry. Why smoke it when I own dozens of pipes that can be lit up and enjoyed without fear of devaluation? Mark Tinsky owned it before I did. He couldn't smoke it either

Is that a Walt Cannoy pipe or one of Marks?

Winslow

Now THAT is a work of art,,,

I'd still smoke it...

The thought of of buying a pipe with the intention of NOT smoking it is anathema to me, but I can understand why someone would do it. That makes them an investor, not a collector, IMO. The hallmark of a collector is a theme or themes & expert knowledge around those themes. Otherwise, one is an accumulator. I have a few themes that I'm pursuing, but not avidly or with any great wealth of knowledge. It's very much a side line. I guess that makes me a pipe smoker first & a collector second.

At one time, I would have answered an enthusiastic: smoker! This was back when I wanted pipes just to smoke. Had a 7 day rotation for most of my life.

Bout three years I kicked up my collection, gradewise, I guess. At that point, I was reluctant to smoke some of my pipes due to the money investment. But then I thought to myself, "Self, you just paid that much money to LOOK at a pipe and maybe hold it in my hand." This makes no sense. I immediately smoked any pipe that was unsmoked on my rack. I almost want to say that I was becoming a collector.

Now, I have pipes I bought because I knew the smoking characteristics would be good when I bought them; I also have pipes that I bought because they were aesthetically pleasing to me. Does that make my a hybrid to?

I only have 1 unsmoked pipe in my house; a Tinsky 2000 Christmas pipe (I have 2 of them). Not sure why I haven't smoked it, but I'm not purposely letting it sit there unsmoked.

I think I would be considered a smoker....


As a P.S.:
Same thing happened to my gun collection. I got rid of anything I could not bring myself to discharge and replaced them with shooters. (Things are different in Texas)

It think "smoker or collector?" is the wrong question. Better is, "pipe collector or pipe accumulator?"

A collector can explain why he bought a certain pipe, while an accumulator can't (beyond "I just liked it," anyway)

I collect smokers and doubt that will change. I have seen pipes that I would not smoke but one has never made its way to my collection.

I have about 50 pipes, but that number is growing every month. Having said that I'd never buy a pipe and not smoke it, and the more I spend the more it must be smoked to justify the expenditure.

I have an 1879 hand-carved Peterson cherry wood pipe which my son caught me smoking the other day. He couldn't believe his eyes, as it's worth a substantial sum, but that is almost the appeal: to smoke the best I can afford.

If I purchase a pipe it's always with a view to how well it might smoke. And does anyone here think you can have too many pipes?

part of the art of pipes is how well crafted they are inside and out. the ability of a nice looking pipe to smoke well is an art in its self. its easy to make a pretty pipe. its art to make a good smoker.

you can not know the art of a pipe until it is smoked.

im a smoker and a collector... no pipe I have will be unsmoked.

As a person of a mixed background I have a BA in Art and design and have done studio work from painting to sculpting and such i can appreciate some pipes for there purely aesthetic and artistic interpretations.. yes they can be a functional piece of art and such.. But then there is the other half of me I also grew up in the Midwest were alot of my family is still hands in the dirt mud on there shirts farmers who drive pickup trucks and the like.. even my job is a mechanic.. Yeah a mechanic with a degree in art.

So for me its like this.. With pipes I'm strictly a smoker and even if i had one that for some would be seen as a piece of art id probably still smoke it.. Also Sometime down the road i do plan to try my hand at carving a few pipes here and there and hopefully some will look really nice. But in the end i'll still see them as a pipe something to sit in a study and be contemplate and handled and smoked..
when it comes to collecting things that i just look at.. Thats what paintings and various sculptures or antique items or yore are for.