Latest Pipe Purchases - Pipes, Tobacco and Accessories 2025

Ralph

Ralph

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
321
Location
Greater Hartford, Connecticut
Thought I’d start a new thread since the old one is dated two years ago.

Here are before and after pics of two local antique store finds. The capped pipe is an unbranded Italian Briar and the squat bulldog is a Kaywoodie Campus pipe. They cleaned up nicely!

IMG_5518.jpegIMG_5550.jpegIMG_5553.jpeg

Baraccini Mare Blu 313 I got as a gift from a good friend.

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Edgar Allan Poe tamper set from Larry Blacket made exclusively for LJ Peretti. Birthday gift from my daughters.

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I have been looking for a reasonably priced vintage Nimrod lighter in good condition but couldn’t find one that floated my boat. I picked up this replica from Amazon for $30 and I’m very happy with it. I was comparing with a buddy’s vintage version and we were both impressed. It’s solidly built and much heavier than the original aluminum.

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I found an unsmoked Dr. Grabow Starfire #27 and this crazy Venturi “the pipe” Feather Rock at a local antique store. The Feather Rock seemed to be made of stone and research made me think it could have been a rare Meerschaum. Somebody on Reddit ID’d it. It’s made of resin and has a pyrolytic graphite insert made with a process invented by Thomas Edison. Its application as a pipe insert has its origins in the space program!

Link below if you want to delve a little deeper. Really interesting!

Billie W. Taylor II, Ph.D. Pipe Collector

thepipe.info thepipe.info

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That is pretty cool - it reminds me of the Morgan Briar Cigar - I bet that is where he got some inspiration.

Chris Morgan Pipes

While this pipe has been created to behave like a traditional tobacco pipe, it surpasses the standard in terms of its compact portability, Supreme convenience, clever design, solid performance and interestingly cool appearance. Morgan Pipes uses only the worlds finest briar, procured by Romeo...
www.iwanries.com
 
I remember it had ppwk that said it was perfect for smoking a pipe in the rain. I cannot locate that paper anymore.
 
Captain B said:
Hey guys, I have this pipe that my father had. It's brand new, never used but old. I think from the 60s or 70s. Let me know what you think.View attachment 98285View attachment 98286View attachment 98287View attachment 98288
Click to expand...
Wow! That really is a cool pipe.

There is so very little on Joseph Phillips shop in NYC. I came up with one thread with someone looking for info on a pipe and in it I saw a pic of a tobacco tin. Couldn't find dates of operation or pics.

I'm only getting a partial view, but I think there is a white "M" on the stem, right by "CENTURY OLD BRIAR ITALY". That lead me to think this was "made" by Mastercraft pipes for the Joseph Phillips shop. The reason I put "made" in quotes is that Mastercraft was only an importer, buying their pipes from multiple Italian, French and English factories.

A search on Mastercraft Sparkless brought up several hits on your pipe. I've found notes that the Sparkless was made in the Lorenzo Factory in Italy. Production years are 1954 to mid '60s and sold until inventory ran out in the '70s.

As far as what it's worth, I found a handful of completed auctions of Mastercraft Sparkless pipes that ranged from repair quality at $25 to fully restored at $75, but most were $30-$40. Even being unsmoked, unless you hit a collector with a connection to the original pipe shop, I'm not sure it would fetch much more than the fully restored one. We're talking about a mass-produced, novelty-type pipe, although one with some serious "COOL" factor. If it were me, I'd keep my Dad's pipe and become a pipe smoker because of it!

Here's a couple articles on restoring a couple Zeppelin pipes.

dadspipes.com

Quick Cleanup of a Mastercraft Cigar Pipe Sparkless

The family got together this past Easter weekend, and soon after arriving, my oldest brother presented me with this peculiar object and a request for me to clean it up for him. Our father had a pen…
dadspipes.com dadspipes.com

Sparkless #2 -- Pipes-cigare - Pipes bizarres

www.pipephil.eu www.pipephil.eu

Whatever you decide to do with it, good luck!
 
Ralph said:
that
Click to expand...

Ralph said:
Wow! That really is a cool pipe.

There is so very little on Joseph Phillips shop in NYC. I came up with one thread with someone looking for info on a pipe and in it I saw a pic of a tobacco tin. Couldn't find dates of operation or pics.

I'm only getting a partial view, but I think there is a white "M" on the stem, right by "CENTURY OLD BRIAR ITALY". That lead me to think this was "made" by Mastercraft pipes for the Joseph Phillips shop. The reason I put "made" in quotes is that Mastercraft was only an importer, buying their pipes from multiple Italian, French and English factories.

A search on Mastercraft Sparkless brought up several hits on your pipe. I've found notes that the Sparkless was made in the Lorenzo Factory in Italy. Production years are 1954 to mid '60s and sold until inventory ran out in the '70s.

As far as what it's worth, I found a handful of completed auctions of Mastercraft Sparkless pipes that ranged from repair quality at $25 to fully restored at $75, but most were $30-$40. Even being unsmoked, unless you hit a collector with a connection to the original pipe shop, I'm not sure it would fetch much more than the fully restored one. We're talking about a mass-produced, novelty-type pipe, although one with some serious "COOL" factor. If it were me, I'd keep my Dad's pipe and become a pipe smoker because of it!

Here's a couple articles on restoring a couple Zeppelin pipes.

dadspipes.com

Quick Cleanup of a Mastercraft Cigar Pipe Sparkless

The family got together this past Easter weekend, and soon after arriving, my oldest brother presented me with this peculiar object and a request for me to clean it up for him. Our father had a pen…
dadspipes.com dadspipes.com

Sparkless #2 -- Pipes-cigare - Pipes bizarres

www.pipephil.eu www.pipephil.eu

Whatever you decide to do with it, good luck!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the great information. I agree, it's more of a cool factor than anything else.
 
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