Chicago Pipe Show 2013

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I attended my first "Chicago Pipe Show." Wednesday I went to the Charatan Collectors Club meeting. I had my required five. They are all good smokers and special to me. I was not aware of the specialized extra large behemoths carved by Charatan. Today I went for the Smoke and Swap. Tables were available for free for those who wanted to sell their pipes. Some were carvers, some where divesting their extras, and some were in business. Some were selling old cans of famous tobaccos. A tin of "Three Nuns" was priced at $50. I could not tell how old it was, but if you order the current blend from Denmark or Switzerland and include the shipping it is pushing $25. I'm a newbie to Pipe shows. There were several things that struck me. First, BIG is in, small is out or just isn't there. Whether estate pipes or new pipes, big is where it's at. And I am talking huge. I was chatting with one smoker who showed me his purchases. He pulled out three with bowls that filled my hand, and I wear an XL glove. I noticed that he did not hold his pipe in his mouth by his teeth, but held it in hand as he puffed. I know personally I'm just not sold on the "Bigger is Better" idea. Maybe it just takes some time to get use to it. The second thing that struck me was unconventional shapes are in. Classic shapes are for the Estate Pipe crowd. There were new pipes that had some variations on the classic style, but bold, wild, crazy, and unconventional are the spirit of the times. It also made me think of its parallel with many other social ideas. Ideas about absolutes is out, do your own thing is in. Classic ideas are old ideas, we can reinvent the wheel, think outside the box, let's go in the opposite direction of flow to seek out new worlds. I've always associated pipe smoking with a certain tried and true conventional view of life. But it seems the spirit of the times has made it's mark on this area of life as well. There were some pipes that were avant garde, they were exploring the Zomby theme. Another had huge blocks of carved brier and what looked like deer antlers worked into the design. I would be afraid I could harm myself while having a bowl. It was all very educational. My best moments were conversations with other pipe smokers just sharing likes in pipes, tobacco, and things of life. I'm looking forward to Saturday.