Mystery Freehand Sitter...

[kaitlyn3837]

Got this freehand sitter with a $2,000 pipe lot I bought to flip. The guy has Stanwell, Savinelli, Viking, Peterson, Chacom, etc. etc. etc.

In the lot he also had some Italian basket pipes but this pipe has me puzzled. No maker's name, no branding, nothing. Just one simple "X" on the bottom of the shank near the stem. It's a really nice piece of wood, very nice and neat carving, I feel like this one is worth more than usual no-name pipes. So does anyone have a history with any nice pipes that have an "X" on the bottom of the shank? Thanks in advance!

Oh, and I will be selling this beauty once I get her fixed up. Let me know if any of you are interested.

 

[RDPipes]

Kate, I would say it's someone's second because of the "X" hard to say who though.
But, it's a great looking pipe and can't imagine why they'd "X" it unless there's something I can't see.

 

[kaitlyn3837]

Kate, I would say it's someone's second because of the "X" hard to say who though.
But, it's a great looking pipe and can't imagine why they'd "X" it unless there's something I can't see.

Yeah, it is a great looking pipe! I figured it might be a second as well but usually there is still a brand name, or a seconds line that it's a part of. I'm not a pipe maker of any sort but I cleaned it all up and didn't find a single thing wrong with it. It's a mystery!

 

[RDPipes]

Kate, I would say it's someone's second because of the "X" hard to say who though.
But, it's a great looking pipe and can't imagine why they'd "X" it unless there's something I can't see.

Yeah, it is a great looking pipe! I figured it might be a second as well but usually there is still a brand name, or a seconds line that it's a part of. I'm not a pipe maker of any sort but I cleaned it all up and didn't find a single thing wrong with it. It's a mystery!

Some pipe makers are very picky when it comes to putting there name on things.
Maybe it won't pass a cleaner properly or the chamber may have had a blemish in it or drilled just a little too deep, heck it could just be because they had to rusticate it to hide a pit or two.
There have been a few I wouldn't even sell because I felt they just weren't good enough and a few I have that I wish I hadn't.
And there have been some I "X" out before even giving them away. It just really depends on the maker and how they feel about there work and how much they care about what people may think seeing something a bit less than what they usually produce.

 

[Idlefellow]

Perhaps the rusticated area was done to disguise whatever flaw made it a 2nd?

 

[kaitlyn3837]

Perhaps the rusticated area was done to disguise whatever flaw made it a 2nd?

Could be. I guess I will never have a way of knowing. After searching the interwebs very thoroughly, I still couldn't find info about who it could be from. Oh well!

 

[joshoowah]

The rustication is definitely hiding whatever made the maker not put his/her insignia on it. You will be hard pressed to find anything in regards to just a "X" stamped on it. Not a bad looking pipe; not my style, but still not bad looking.

 

[Brewdude]

Perhaps the rusticated area was done to disguise whatever flaw made it a 2nd?

Quite possible. One of my regular and best smokers, a Randy Wiley Dub, has a tobacco leaf engraved on one side. Probably to hide a pit. That doesn't bother me one iota!


Cheers,

RR

 

[Idlefellow]

Some years ago a bought a no-name Danish shape with nearly perfect straight grain, but it had 3-4 very small fills that bothered the heck out of me.  I decided to "rusticate" it and did so, leaving panels on each side to show the grain.  I have forever after wished that I had just done some spot rusticating but it never occurred to me at the time.  I still have it, and every time I look at it it makes me mad at myself.  Actually, the best thing would probably have been to just leave it alone .