If we add to the equation the fact that old pipes, again, if well cared for, have already been thoroughly broken in, we are likely to find some true gems amongst the antiquities. So, when we find old pipes, at least those from the makers with good reputations, they are more likely to be accidentally curated specimens rather than overall representative examples. Only “special” pipes, the favorites, the best of the best, would be lavished with sufficient care to allow them to survive the decades in relatively good nick. Even if a pipe was good and smoked heavily, it would eventually reach the end of its useful life, either through just being “smoked out,” or suffering a broken tenon or bitten through stem or other misfortune, and find itself cast aside. It’s probable that the worst of them simply never survived to share their horror with us today. Pipes then, especially those in lower price categories, were seen as tools, simple items to buy, use, and occasionally discard. Of the millions of pipes made each of those golden years, some were certainly exquisite, many were likely dreadful, and the majority fell somewhere in between these extremes. The smoking machine could mitigate the potential harshness of those early bowls without suffering the torment a human smoker would, allowing lesser quality briar to be made into acceptably good smoking pipes. Grabows was arguably not especially consistent or well cured, which would result in at least some pipes tasting bad out of the gate. Inexpensive as they were, the briar used to make Dr. This was, if nothing else, a stroke of marketing genius. Linkman in 1933, finished pipes were filled with tobacco, smoked gently to the bottom by his Automated Smoking Machine, the process repeated several times. Grabow “pre-smoked” pipe, employed what is likely the most dramatic “curing” method. Of the more budget friendly brands, the Dr.

Sasieni was said to “oven-cure” turned bowls, subjecting them to tortuous heat over a prolonged period those that survived the ordeal were reputed to be very dry smokers. Additionally, various techniques were often employed after the pipe was machined, such as Dunhill’s famous “oil curing,” used as part of the finishing process for their legendary “Shell” sandblasts. The final processes of sorting, grading and finishing was sometimes a closely guarded secret amongst makers, with only the finest pieces finding their way down the line to being sold as top grade pipes.

Some air dried their briar for long periods, others force-dried their briar more quickly in klins. Manufacturers across all quality levels procured briar by the ton, not by the piece, and the best makers performed whatever magic they felt appropriate to ensure a good smoking result, always with an eye towards differentiating their pipes from those of their competitors. At the zenith of the pipe’s history, at least with respect to popularity, pipes were made and sold by the millions. Let’s look a little closer, first at pipes of olde, and see if we can make some informed speculations. How often have we heard, “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to?” There may be some validity to this, but I’m not convinced this sort of universal statement is true, or even necessarily a positive one. Some collectors I’ve spoken with have insisted that old pipes are better than new ones. Depending on how poorly it’s been treated, this can make an old pipe rather less than desirable, but a well cared for briar from eras past can be, or can become, a cherished favorite.

Sometimes, this history is evidenced by the knocks and dings they show, or the aromas and tastes of tobaccos long since forgotten. They carry an unspoken history with them the places they’ve been, the tobaccos they’ve seen. Like a well broken-in pair of jeans, there’s something they bring with them that makes them sort of special.

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