Pipe identifaction for the collector

[Wayne_Teipen]

Hey fellas, I'm working out how I want to stamp my pipes and would like some feedback from you. I want it to be collector friendly. I see a lot of posts on pipe forums of folks working hard to find out as much information about their newly acquired estate pipe and would like my pipes to be easier to identify. I currently use a four digit stamp with the first two digits being the pipe number made for a certain year and the last two digits being the year the pipe was made. So, 1010 would indicate the tenth pipe made in 2010. Does that make sense? Also, I'm curious if it would be helpful from a collectors standpoint if a pipe came with some sort of certificate of authentication. I'm also tossing around the idea of adding a registry section on my website that would list all the pipes I've made in order including the ID number stamped on them. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas of what you, the collector, would like to see.

Thanks.

Your Brother of the Briar,
Wayne Teipen

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, this is really what I wold like to see personally.
First the markings must be clear and neat!
Pipe number for that year, eg #02/2010.
Your name and country of origin.

Some of the other guys might have other ideas but that would just about do it for me,
Hope this may help Wayne,
Check out pipe markings on Pipedia.org

 

[jhuggett]

The idea of a register seems pretty cool to me. It would create a lineage of the pipe, giving it's complete history. If you decided to give it a certificate perhaps on the back you could provide a space for the previous owner to put their name and notes of the pipe.

 

[Sasquatch]

I think your stamp should say "Handcrafted with care, for your personal longterm enjoyment by the one and only Wayne Teipen" Granted, this will take a bit of room on the shank, but it will be well worth it!

I'm not sure that certificates of authenticity etc are really necessary - if your work is THAT collectible and THAT valuable, it will also be THAT recognizeable. Anyone who can "fake" a Bo Nordh creditably is a pipesmith of SOME significant skill in their own right, hmm?

From a sales point of view, it's probably cool, and dating a pipe strikes me as a good idea.

 

[pipetongue1]

Larry Rouch does it, Ken :tongue:

 

[Wayne_Teipen]

I think your stamp should say "Handcrafted with care, for your personal longterm enjoyment by the one and only Wayne Teipen" Granted, this will take a bit of room on the shank, but it will be well worth it!

I'm not sure that certificates of authenticity etc are really necessary - if your work is THAT collectible and THAT valuable, it will also be THAT recognizeable. Anyone who can "fake" a Bo Nordh creditably is a pipesmith of SOME significant skill in their own right, hmm?

From a sales point of view, it's probably cool, and dating a pipe strikes me as a good idea.

Good idea, Sas. I'll have to see if Paul can fit all that on one stamp or if it would have to be a couple. :lol:

Obviously, a pipemaker's reputation is dependent on the quality of his pipes. That, of course, would determine the collectability and value of his pipes. It certainly wouldn't hurt to be proactive in the event one's work does end up being highly collectible. Where would Dunhill be if they didn't have high aspirations? What if they dedicated themselves to making mediocre pipes? Would they be as collectible now?

 

[Sasquatch]

Whaddya mean "what if?"


:cheers: