Recent Purchase Unusual BBB Pipe 1892

[Raywli]

I was wondering around an antique fair on Saturday and came across this silver mounted BBB pipe measuring 10.5 inches long. Not really my thing but could not refuse it at £20. Its a strange thing for sure but as you'd expect lovely quality.

Ray

 

[jguss]

An unsmoked BBB from the late 19th century for twenty quid? Brother, you were robbed.

 

[sablebrush52]

Beautiful! It looks unsmoked! You could make 20 to 30 times what you paid for it.
Should you decide to fire it up, please be aware that an unsmoked pipe of this age presents a high risk of cracking on the first bowl.
The wood will be overly dry, and if stored in someone’s attic could take on the consistency of particle board.
If you want to smoke it you can reduce the risk by first coating the chamber with silicate, then super slow smoking, a few sips, let it go out, a few sips, let it go out, rinse and repeat, for the first dozen or more bowls while building up a carbon insulator over the chamber walls.
Always smoke slowly and don’t let the bowl get above warm and the pipe will likely be fine.

 

[Raywli]

Lol I knew my luck would change eventually

 

[Raywli]

Beautiful! It looks unsmoked! You could make 20 to 30 times what you paid for it.
Should you decide to fire it up, please be aware that an unsmoked pipe of this age presents a high risk of cracking on the first bowl.
The wood will be overly dry, and if stored in someone’s attic could take on the consistency of particle board.
If you want to smoke it you can reduce the risk by first coating the chamber with silicate, then super slow smoking, a few sips, let it go out, a few sips, let it go out, rinse and repeat, for the first dozen or more bowls while building up a carbon insulator over the chamber walls.
Always smoke slowly and don’t let the bowl get above warm and the pipe will likely be fine.

Thanks for the information. Lots of issues I had not even considered. Will probably leave well alone. Cheers

 

[EchoPlex]

Meanwhile the people at my antique mall want $50 ea for roached Medicos and Grabows.

Once in a lifetime find, man! Giveaway price for such a rare unsmoked example. Congrats!

 

[runscott]

That's incredible. I always try to talk sellers down at antique stores, but even at 100 I would have kept my mouth shut and given them my money as quickly as possible.

 

[woodsroad]

@sablebrush52 Would humidifying the pipe help reduce the chance of cracking? Maybe seal it up in a tupperware with a 49% Boveda pack or two?

 

[sablebrush52]

@sablebrush52 Would humidifying the pipe help reduce the chance of cracking? Maybe seal it up in a tupperware with a 49% Boveda pack or two?

I don't know, though I doubt it. George might know. I'm relating the suggestions that George gave me before I fired up the 1883 Magnum.

 

[jaingorenard]

That's an incredible find at that price (or, indeed, at any price). I've found some bargains over the past few years, but nothing as good as that...

 

[pappymac]

Interesting pipe and find.
I have a Salmon & Gluckstein with a silver band hallmarked for 1896 but the pipe could have been made as late as 1915. I smoked it one time and decided to not risk smoking again because of how hot it got.

 

[kcghost]

You have a real treasure there, my friend. Treat it very carefully!!

 

[sablebrush52]

Interesting pipe and find.
I have a Salmon & Gluckstein with a silver band hallmarked for 1896 but the pipe could have been made as late as 1915. I smoked it one time and decided to not risk smoking again because of how hot it got.

You bring up an interesting, though unrelated point, dating a pipe based on it's sterling hallmarks. All the hallmarks tell you is when the sterling was assayed, not when the pipe was made. We assume that the two events are concurrent, but they're not, and could vary by years.

 

[runscott]

Interesting pipe and find.
I have a Salmon & Gluckstein with a silver band hallmarked for 1896 but the pipe could have been made as late as 1915. I smoked it one time and decided to not risk smoking again because of how hot it got.

It's good to see someone state this and have a respected member agree with him. I used to keep a spreadsheet of Peterson silver hallmarked pipe dates, and there were often years where loads of bands were stamped, and then years where I couldn't find any examples.

 

[pappymac]

It's good to see someone state this and have a respected member agree with him. I used to keep a spreadsheet of Peterson silver hallmarked pipe dates, and there were often years where loads of bands were stamped, and then years where I couldn't find any examples.

This was explained to me by a real antique dealer (as opposed to one who one who runs an antique mall, which is just a step up from a flea market.)

He said that it was common for companies to order hundreds of silver fittings at a time and then wait until they had used most of them before ordering again. As @Sablebrush said, the hallmark just tells when the silver was assayed.

 

[Raywli]

Sounds quite likely. Ordering silver fittings in small numbers would be expensive in comparison to bulk buys. The speed of use would be dependent on the production of pipes. I can see them lasting a couple of years but surely not 15 or 20 years.

 

[runscott]

Sounds quite likely. Ordering silver fittings in small numbers would be expensive in comparison to bulk buys. The speed of use would be dependent on the production of pipes. I can see them lasting a couple of years but surely not 15 or 20 years.

True, but if someone was looking around for something and accidentally found a box of 15 year old silver ferrules, I bet they brought them out and used them.

 

[runscott]

True, but if someone was looking around for something and accidentally found a box of 15 year old silver ferrules, I bet they brought them out and used them. Peterson supposedly quit stamping the faux-hallmark nickel ferrules in 1963, but I've found pipes with them that I feel were put together closer to 1970.

 

[beerandbaccy]

Wow - what an amazing find, and what a great price! Did you feel a pang of guilt walking away only paying a measly score?

 

[AroEnglish]

What an amazing find! I don't ever plan to leave pipe unsmoked but if I owned this I might make an exception. Or I might get a shorter stem made and smoke it daily. One or the other.