Do You Still Have?....

[bronxbill]

No, mine was a cheap no name that came with two pouches of Half and Half back in the early 1960's. I snapped the stem about two years later and threw it away.

 

[kilted1]

Unfortunately I don't have any of my first pipe collection, or my Meerschaums (they were all damaged when shipped with my 'hold baggage' when I rotated our of AF assignment over seas). Many tears and a goodly amount of anger over that deal. stereo equipment also damaged be DAMNED! MY PIPES!

My very first pipe was a Yello Bowl 1/2 bent version of the Yello Bowl in this picture.

Hey, we all had to start somewhere ...

 

[Stefanos]

I haven't heard anyone admit to owning The Pipe yet. :x

 

[mark]

Yes, I bought a squat bulldog bent in 1970,,stamped Oxford Made in London 206,,,five bucks, fourteen fills, the buffer/ finisher guy went crazy and rounded half the straight lines and the rim,,,,,I had only smoked it five or six times,,,,,I found it last spring going through a toolbox I keep micrometers in,,,cleaned it up and broke it in properly,,,,it is UGLY, the drilling is off and a pipecleaner laughs at my attempt to pass it through,,,,it's probably a practice piece some rookie was training on and displays all the mistakes that could possibly be made,,,, but it honestly smokes like a dream,

 

[kilted1]

I haven't heard anyone admit to owning The Pipe yet. :x

Do you mean the super duper aircraft grade graphite thing? Yeah, thus far no one has admitted owning one. :lol:

 

[Puff Daddy]

I had a string of drugstore Grabows that spanned a good portion of my life. I can remember buying one when I was in my late teens. Never could understand why I didn't enjoy them or the pipesmoking experience as much as those grizzled old dudes I'd see. I mean the stuff smelled wonderful, why didn't it smoke so great? Did that off and on several times over the years, buy one, smoke it a bit, throw it away. Had no idea - No Idea - that better pipes and tobaccos existed. Oh I saw some more costly pipes in the occasional Tinderbox shopping mall store, but they registered to me to be the same as gold plated screwdrivers so I didn't pay any attention to them. No way I could have afforded one anyhow, so why ask. Who the hell would buy one unless they had money to burn, I mean it's a freakin pipe! Obviously those were just prettier tools that did the same job, couldn't be any different. And those tins of pipe tobacco? Well, they're kinda expensive, I'll just take some of this here smelly stuff from the big jar on the counter.

So fastforward to to my early forties, stanky old Grabow in hand, bitten tongue, looking around this here newfangled internet to mebbe find some information what might get me a bit better smoke........

Yeah, I didn't save any of those grabows, just like I didn't save that unused condom I bought at 15 and still had in my wallet at 19. Why remind yourself of the failure and embarrassment :lol:

But even after making some earth shattering pipe and tobacco discoveries on the world wide web - discoveries that would eventually make me a broke but happy man - I had some dues to pay. Because of my cheap-ass ways I received a pipe for my fortieth birthday that I picked out and my wife bought for me with my money, the cheapest pipe I could find at same said Tinderbox that was officially not in the 'Basket Pipe' bin, a Viking Classic 3/4 bent dublin with more blemishes than a chocolate addicted teenager during a Clearasil shortage and an airway that was more off center than Lyndon LaRouche. Pass a cleaner? Hell, it barely passed oxygen! But I still have it, cuz every now and then my wife still asks me "Where's that lovely pipe I bought you for your birthday?" .... "Right here darling" (momma didn't raise no fool. Hard headed and stubborn maybe, but no fool). So I keep it cuz the ol lady did buy me my very first non disposable pipe and I learned a lot from that piece of.... And from several successive pieces of..... But I eventually realized that yes, you do get what you pay for (usually) in the pipe and tobacco world and I'm all better now.

I still smoke that Viking classic every now and again too. When I get the odd craving for an aromatic I'll fill it full and get a solid 5 minutes of smoking pleasure from it before it begins to gurgle and bubble like poor plumbing, which is usually just about long enough to get my aromatic fix as well, so it works out just fine 8)

 

[ftrplt]

Never owned one ( The Pipe, that is!), but sure sold a bunch back in the 60's when I worked in a pipe shop. Folks either loved'em or hated'em; mostly the latter! I remember a long-time customer chewing my a$$ out about "letting" him buy that POS!! FTRPLT

 

[kilted1]

Never owned one ( The Pipe, that is!), but sure sold a bunch back min the 60's when I worked in a pipe shop. Folks either loved'em or hated'em; mostly the latter! I remember a long-time customer chewing my a$$ out about "letting" him buy that POS!! FTRPLT

LOL, hence my personal revision of the adage "The customer is always right" to "The customer is always the customer" :lol:

 

[adauria]

Still have mine... Bought in the early aughts at Barclay Rex on Broad St. I had been doing some consulting work there and got the employee discount. It's a Curtis President, Italian made basket pipe, smooth, 1/2 bent, I guess it's billiard-like in shape, light stain finish.

I still keep it around as my only dedicated aromatic pipe. I don't think I'll be getting rid of it any time soon.

-Andrew

 

[Bub]

Pipe smoking may have bad health effects, but it certainly doesn't cause memory loss.
Bub

 

[Buddy Springman]

A Dr. Grabow. Long gone...no memory of it. I still recall worrying about being busted trying to buy the Capt. Black pipes without the requisite number of receipts. How times have changed...

Buddy

 

[paddy-boy]

I still have mine
Savinelli Alligator shape 904

 

[Cruiser]

I still have it. A little Dr. Grabow apple caked to the point a wood pencil won't fit inside the bowl. Got it before learning cake maintenance but it smoked cool while I was using it.

 

[Wet Dottle]

Yeap, I still have my first pipe, a Ronson that first belonget to my Father.

 

[Number 6]

My first was a Brebbia pocket pipe. My second was a meerschaum-lined something or other. I don't have either anymore. I think the pipe I've had the longest is a bent Brebbia I bought in Italy in 1999. (For $35 USD! Exchange rates then were very favorable.)

 

[Number 6]

A Dr. Grabow. Long gone...no memory of it. I still recall worrying about being busted trying to buy the Capt. Black pipes without the requisite number of receipts. How times have changed...

Buddy

Receipts? This is a bit of pipelore I'm not familiar with.

 

[scottyb]

Actually my first 3 pipes were stolen when my house was broken in to - two Petes and an Aldo Velani. I don't miss them now, but at the time I did.

 

[PipeRanter]

infact my first pipe was a Dr Hardy New eara model 0034 i picked up in a antique shop its a lil rugged lookin with some large fills in it but its always been a solit pipe its the one with a white circle with a red dot in the midle of it. Its one of my best smokes for having a huge stinger in it.. and ive never seen another pipe like it.

 

[Joseph76]

Yes, and I actually just smoked it last night. It's a Brigham system straight apple, probably about 12-13 years ago and it smokes better than ever. I should of bought more of the Brighams when they came with the aluminum tenons.

 

[Funn]

A corn cob bought at the local Drug Fair. I still have it. The bottom isn't wood so I rarely smoke it anymore. It's a small pipe that's painted yellow. Can't remember my 1st briar but that was a drug store buy also. Grew up in a rural area.
Went to college and bought a Wellington,couldn't afford a Peterson at the time.

Funn