$3500 pipe

Subject: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:16 pm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=230303177530

A most interesting and (apparently) historically significant pipe. Lovely and intriguing to say the least. Rob Cooper is without a doubt as reputable an EBay seller as you'll find, so the following comment isn't intended to question his credibility or the credibility of his auction (an honest disclaimer) but I ask out of genuine curiosity. Anybody else notice that this baby sure looks to have a slight lighter/char mark on the rim? Would a dark spot like this come about from handling and not necessarily from smoking?

I ask purely out of curiosity. Again, this pipe - though way out of my league - intrigues me Suspect

Must be nice to have the dough to collect museum pieces like this, and I say that genuinely. How nice it would be to be able to collect such wonderful jewels Cool

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Joined : 19 Aug 2008 Posts : 244

I simply clicked on the link without reading your post. I noticed that it looked smoked. I am no pipe expert, but that was my initial reaction....wow, this thing looks smoked. Then I found it odd that I finished reading your post and you noticed the same thing. Did dunhills of that time have the bare briar bowl?

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:37 pm

I dunno. Waiting for LL to chime in, he'll know Cool

_________________
These are horrible times and all sorts of horrible people are prospering, but we must never let this disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to annoy and hinder them at every turn.
I BLATANTLY ENDORSE

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:38 pm

I'd guess that it would go for close to the same coin smoked or not, maybe a lot more in better financial times.
_________________
These are horrible times and all sorts of horrible people are prospering, but we must never let this disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to annoy and hinder them at every turn.
I BLATANTLY ENDORSE

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:56 pm

There were a couple there last week for over $10K.
No bids, go figure. Laughing

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Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:58 pm

Seriously, in light of those who invest in the stock market, and have lost thousands over a few weeks, buying something that might make sense. Jack Nicholson buys art. Seth MacFarlane(Family Guy), age 35, just got $100 mill and says there's no way he could possibly spend it.

This pipe obviously will be a part of a private collector's possessions.

It would be nice to build that museum so other's could enjoy it.

Typical socialist Canadian talk.. "Hey this guys got money... Lets spend it for him."

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:58 pm

That is an awesome pipe PD but I too immediately thought the pipe looked smoked. Not only because of the discoloration on the rim but down in the bowl itself. I don't want to question Coopersark's integrity because he always has very nice pieces and we don't really know for sure without seeing the pipe in person. Still a very nice piece either way.
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"Man is the only religious animal. In the holy task of smoothing his brother's path to the happiness of Heaven, he has turned the globe into a graveyard."

Mark Twain

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 2:39 pm

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 2:48 pm

I hate to admit it, but I'm the one that bought it. Smoked it immediately. Boy, that rim is really charred now! I knew I shouldn't have lit it with my propane plumbing torch Twisted Evil

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 4:54 pm

P, First off that is an amazing Dunhill with a very interesting history. The grain and cut of the pipe alone are almost worth the price of admission. I do agree with you that the slight discoloration on the rim leads one to think its been lightly smoked. That said someone sure did get a really nice pipe....
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United We Stand, Brothers Of Briar

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:21 pm

'tis a beauty, for sure. Also (probably) smoked a couple times long ago. Doesn't matter a bit, of course. Such a pipe doesn't fit the profile of a "used or not" piece of recent manufacture. In this case condition is what counts, not technicalities.

Regarding Rob, he is definitely an honest and trustworthy seller. He will initially "take up any slack in ambiguous situations," though, such as this Dunnie. He's an agent representing someone else's property, remember---the pipes he sells are consignments---so sees a certain responsibility to the seller to do it that way. A best foot forward / best interpretation sort of thing. Also, he was a high powered trader/broker for many years, so such an approach in business matters is probably habitual. But if the slack is removed by credible evidence to the contrary, he doesn't dig in. Not at all. (There was some confusion regarding the uniqueness of a pipe he was selling a few months ago that I was involved with, and withdrew the claim immediately and graciously when shown it wasn't literally the case.)

Joined : 28 Feb 2008 Posts : 184 Location : Wake Forest, NC

I tell ya what... If the person who won that bid gets the pipe and decides they don't like it because they suspect it really has been smoked, don't bother asking for a refund. That's a hassle. Just send it to me and I will ensure it receives a proper disposal.

-Andrew

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:19 am

I'd put that baby in my regular rotation!
_________________

"Man is the only religious animal. In the holy task of smoothing his brother's path to the happiness of Heaven, he has turned the globe into a graveyard."

Mark Twain

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:25 am

Subject: Re: $3500 pipe Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:45 am