Question about storing your pipes for a LONG time...

[pepesdad1]

Stored mine for over 30 years. Leave the stem in the pipe, as others have suggested, for the reason they posted. The wood will change over time and you want the stem to keep it in place. I would NOT use a leather or any other organic medium to store them in. Mold will set in with any humidity. I just put mine in a shoe box and they were fine...pulled them out 30 years later and fired them up...perfect!

 

[Zeno Marx]

I wouldn't be worried about a lack of oxygen, just the opposite, I'd be concerned about trapped moisture causing mold and corrosion. I'd take the pipes apart, separating stem from stummel, find a nice comfy container or box that protects them but still breathes a little, and tuck it into a nice dry dark spot somewhere. If you leave it in a dark, somewhat controlled and dry environment, but one that can gradually breathe with the changing conditions, the wood will live like it always does in your local atmosphere but still be protected while not trapping potentially destructive moisture or odors.

I'd clean the heck out of them first too.

agreed, though I have left stems in the pipes and had no problems after 11+ years of sitting; both vulcanite and lucite. I stopped smoking for more than a decade. I would not try to put them in something air-tight unless maybe something vacuum sealed and constantly monitored. oh, and no leather. thoroughly clean cotton in boxes worked well for me. meaning, if you're going to get OCD and maybe bleach it prior, be sure to rinse it really well.