Club Pipes: Generic Value Question

[Cloozoe]

Say Tom Eltang, for example, agreed with the Outer Odense Pipe Puffers to make 10 essentially the same pipes. The shape is his, the process & the quality of work is as good/same as his signature pipes, it's marked the same but with the addition of "OOPP"...in short it's an excellent, legitimate handmade Eltang except that there are ten of them and they have "OOPP" stamped in addition to standard nomenclature.

If one of the OOPPers that got one went to sell it, would he find it would only fetch about 50% of the equivalent, non-oopp Eltang pipe? 75%? 90%?

Pipes analagous to above hypothetical turn up for sale now and then, and I never know what they're worth in a hard, cold monetary sense.

 

[verporchting]

Same as always, whatever it will fetch from a willing buyer.

It might not matter a bit if someone wants a pipe from that maker, might fetch a premium from a particular person to whom the mark means something, might be worth significantly less to someone who doesn’t like the mark.

 

[Cloozoe]

Same as always, whatever it will fetch from a willing buyer.

I'll rephrase: are club pipes, ON AVERAGE, and all else being equal, worth less than non-club pipes? It's a general question about general values.

 

[King Bulldog]

I'll rephrase: are club pipes, ON AVERAGE, and all else being equal, worth less than non-club pipes? It's a general question about general values.

To a collector they would probably be worth more while a random fella would probably just try to get bottom dollar. There is no general about it.

 

[Cloozoe]

There is no general about it.

I'm skeptical--there's a "general" about almost everything if one were to analyze the data--but you state it so unequivocally I'm sure you must be right.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'll rephrase: are club pipes, ON AVERAGE, and all else being equal, worth less than non-club pipes? It's a general question about general values.

Same answer as @verporchting above. If someone wants the pipe whatever someone will pay for it whether it be a club pipe or other. Once I've purchased one though I no longer think of their monetary value.

 

[jguss]

I'll rephrase: are club pipes, ON AVERAGE, and all else being equal, worth less than non-club pipes? It's a general question about general values.

I believe the answer to the question as phrased is yes. I think there being a dozen or fifty of pretty much the same pipe lowers value. Are there exceptions? Always. But as a rule I believe club pipes are less valuable than one-offs by the same maker.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I believe the answer to the question as phrased is yes. I think there being a dozen or fifty of pretty much the same pipe lowers value. Are there exceptions? Always. But as a rule I believe club pipes are less valuable than one-offs by the same maker.

But, if they’re numbered, that might make them more desirable—but, yes, probably not as much as a one-off.

 

[Cloozoe]

I believe the answer to the question as phrased is yes. I think there being a dozen or fifty of pretty much the same pipe lowers value. Are there exceptions? Always. But as a rule I believe club pipes are less valuable than one-offs by the same maker.

Thanks. And I don't even know if you're right or not, but I appreciate your not condescendingly implying how dumb the type of question I hadn't asked was. The other responses would have been perfectly germane if the question were "what will sell for more next Tuesday on ebay my straight Dunhill or my bent Dunhill."

By the way, there is an answer to "do straight Dunhills or bent Dunhills have, on average, more, less or the same monetary value". If you scrounged up enough data and did the math you'd have your answer. But the answer ain't there is no answer. And answering "a thing is worth what someone will pay for it" is true, but a non-sequitur.

 

[Chasing Embers]

not condescendingly implying how dumb the type of question I hadn't asked was.

No such implications were given only honest answers to the question. Never buy a pipe with plans of investment for future resale, you have to find a buyer willing to pay. That's how I've ended up with $50 Giubileo d'Oros and $20 Dunhills.

 

[jguss]

I don't even know if you're right or not…

That makes two of us.

If you scrounged up enough data and did the math you'd have your answer. But the answer ain't there is no answer.

Agreed. If I was seriously interested I’d cough up for a Worthpoint subscription and see if there were enough datapoints to infer a pattern. But lazy bastard that I am I’d be more likely to solicit expert opinion and analyze the results. There are a relative handful of estate sellers who ought to have credible insight into your question.

 

[Alejo R.]

Say Tom Eltang, for example, agreed with the Outer Odense Pipe Puffers to make 10 essentially the same pipes. The shape is his, the process & the quality of work is as good/same as his signature pipes, it's marked the same but with the addition of "OOPP"...in short it's an excellent, legitimate handmade Eltang except that there are ten of them and they have "OOPP" stamped in addition to standard nomenclature.

If one of the OOPPers that got one went to sell it, would he find it would only fetch about 50% of the equivalent, non-oopp Eltang pipe? 75%? 90%?

Pipes analagous to above hypothetical turn up for sale now and then, and I never know what they're worth in a hard, cold monetary sense.

When a maker or craftsman has a pipe for a club smoke in Europe he can make not dozens, but up to a hundred pipes. When we held a smoking championship in Buenos Aires in 2004 we made 120 Canadian Mastro Paja pipes. I haven't seen many of those pipes come up for sale, in fact only one. As for whether they have less value than a regular pipe, I estimate that smoking championship pipes and club pipes of the year are an Interesting percentage of the year's work, so I would consider them as a regular pipe.

 

[jguss]

When a maker or craftsman has a pipe for a club smoke in Europe he can make not dozens, but up to a hundred pipes. When we held a smoking championship in Buenos Aires in 2004 we made 120 Canadian Mastro Paja pipes. I haven't seen many of those pipes come up for sale, in fact only one. As for whether they have less value than a regular pipe, I estimate that smoking championship pipes and club pipes of the year are an Interesting percentage of the year's work, so I would consider them as a regular pipe.

You bring up an interesting distinction. The OP was, I think talking about POYs, not slow smoke pipes. Generally speaking in America at least slow smoke pipes are distinctly lower in quality (molded stems etc) no matter who makes them; they are part of what's included when you pay to sign up for the contest. For the nominal cost involved (roughly $40-$80 depending on the show) they're a good value but in no sense a valuable pipe or a typical example of artisan work.

 

[Alejo R.]

You bring up an interesting distinction. The OP was, I think talking about POYs, not slow smoke pipes. Generally speaking in America at least slow smoke pipes are distinctly lower in quality (molded stems etc) no matter who makes them; they are part of what's included when you pay to sign up for the contest. For the nominal cost involved (roughly $40-$80 depending on the show) they're a good value but in no sense a valuable pipe or a typical example of artisan work.

Yes, but in Europe the pipe may be Viprati, Ser Jacopo, L'anatra or, as I already said, Mastro de Paja.

 

[jguss]

Yes, but in Europe the pipe may be Viprati, Ser Jacopo, L'anatra or, as I already said, Mastro de Paja.

What’s the entry fee? And what do you think the approximate value of the pipe is?

It sounds like either participants are paying much more than in the States, or someone is heavily subsidizing the pipe.

 

[kcghost]

Assuming you are talking but a known carver it will bring what it would always being,

 

[Cloozoe]

Assuming you are talking but a known carver it will bring what it would always being,

Thanks.

 

[Cloozoe]

There are a relative handful of estate sellers who ought to have credible insight into your question.

Yeah, I think it's likely that if I inquired about selling the hypothetical Eltang to Smoking Pipes they'd see the club stamp and either say "doesn't matter" or "too bad", but they'd have seen a few such situations and have an informed opinion. Or maybe seen lots and thus knew.

 

[jguss]

Yeah, I think it's likely that if I inquired about selling the hypothetical Eltang to Smoking Pipes they'd see the club stamp and either say "doesn't matter" or "too bad", but they'd have seen a few such situations and have an informed opinion. Or maybe seen lots and thus knew.

Also reputable eBay sellers like Rodrigo Garza, Todd Becker, Chance Whittamore, et al

 

[Alejo R.]

What’s the entry fee? And what do you think the approximate value of the pipe is?

It sounds like either participants are paying much more than in the States, or someone is heavily subsidizing the pipe.

It depends on the club and its profile. But it should start at around a hundred and a little more Euros.