The Novice's Guide on How to Buy Estate Pipes

 

(Passion for Pipes) ... I love estate pipes. Many of my favorite smoking pipes were owned and smoked by someone else before they came into my collection. There is something special about enjoying a beautiful object that was made and used over thirty, fifty, or a hundred years ago.
To me, a pipe that was well-smoked, but still in remarkable condition, reveals that it might have been well-cared for, perhaps even treasured by its prior owners. Perhaps its owner passed away shortly after acquiring it, or maybe he preferred to smoke other pipes in his rack. It is impossible to know why a pipe survived in good condition, but we do know that relatively few pipes have. Most estates survive in poor to moderately good condition. A great many have serious issues - issues that are very difficult to detect absent a real-time inspection. Continued