Chicago Show 2008 - Quick Thoughts

Please check out the pictures below this post!

Ok, I admit it.  I thought that the 2008 CPCC show would be less than what it ended up being.  I was wrong.  Frank Burla and the gang of several did a wonderful job by making lemonade out of lemons.  Fact is, that was some DARN GOOD lemonade!

The smoking tent was a big hit.  Once I saw the setup I thought that this would be a great place to get together;  bigger than the bar area and quite conducive to mingling.  

Smoking on the show floor during the show?  The mega center was off limits for smoking.  Sounds disappointing - well, it was great.  I could see across the mega center.   Sure, I like to smoke a cigar on Saturday morning at the show but heck, it wasn't a big deal.

The "room hopping" was the only downside in not being able to smoke in the resort.  There were fewer doors open, less people traveling the halls going "room to room" and meeting people.  I missed this part of the show but the smoking tent made up for it.  

Pictures are below.  It looks like there WILL be a 2009 show!

Thanks to all of you who I was able to visit with.  You're the real reason that the show is worthwhile.  

Chicago Show 2008 Pictures

Are Pipe Shows a Thing of the Past?

The picture, at left, is from a friendlier and more "American" time.  More American time?  Yes, this photo is from when the United States was a free country.  The "prime rib" of the world, the best and the brightest.

What is the US now?  Chopped liver?

The US has become more like potted meat - which the character of Carl in Slingblade so aptly describes.  Potted meat is a substance made of the parts that nobody else wants, all mixed together, ground into a puree and then salted and spiced beyond it's original designation as a living thing.  It's glorified confinement loaf.

Confinement loaf?  

Confinement loaf is a concoction of food items sometimes used in prisons as a deterrent to misbehavior. It is similar to meatloaf in texture, but has a wider variety of ingredients, including vegetables, meat, and other ingredients. Some versions may vegetarian or completely vegan. The ingredients are baked into a solid loaf-like form. In some institutions it has no fixed recipe but is simply the regular prison meal (including drink), blended and baked into a loaf. 

Confinement loaf is typically intended to be exceedingly bland in taste, perhaps even unpleasant, but meets all basic human nutritional needs. Prison wardens use the food as a means of punishment for ill-behaving prisoners, in particular prisoners who throw their plates and utensils in the dining hall. They may be punished by being provided with no other form of meal for prolonged periods of time as a means of breaking the prisoners’ spirits and encouraging them to change their behavior.

What the heck does this have to do with pipe shows?  

The Populists have been feeding Americans "confinement loaf" for three or four decades now.  We're not talking about the occasional meal...  no, dear friends, we're talking about a steady diet of it.  

While the money changers, tax collectors and big business went about furthering their hidden agendas, the government (politicians) became their slaves.  When the crap hit the fan, the government pointed fingers in front of the screen while all sorts of maneuvering went on behind the same screen.

Thus, smoking became the reason for all cancer.  All.  This doesn't explain why millions of people die of cancer every year who never smoked...  but it does explain how the confinement loaf (when force-fed to the public) works.

And now smoking is banned almost everywhere.  Big business tobacco lost out to big business _________ (fill in the blank).  Cell phones?  Oil Companies?  Basically it's to whomever has the most money at the time.  That's how governments eventually work - as in, which crook do you vote for?  There isn't a choice, only illusion.

Tear Down That Wall

Once we've allowed our rights to be taken away, we'll have to fight to get them back. Millions have died for their rights and millions have died while suppressing the rights of others.  

What good is a beer show if you can't drink beer?

A pipe and tobacco show without smoke will not exist for long.  Sure, there are some people who will argue the point but let's see in five years what's happened.  Will there still be a core of 150 people go to a pipe show without smoke?  Possibly it will but then it won't be a show, it'll be a gathering.  The support from the retailers will lag as attendance lags.  It'll fold down to nothing.

You're Being Negative....

I'm biased.  I grew up with my parents telling me about how great it was supposed to be.  I've lived a pretty simple life.  My one big event each year for the past 10+ years has been going to pipe shows.  Don't give me **** about negativity.  I'm a realist and I can't smoke my pipe where I damn well please at a pipe show.  Oh, I can go to a "special" place and smoke..... sorry pal, it ain't the same.

Maybe we'll add more to this post, maybe not.  The whole deal has me in a bit of a "funk" and moreover, our freedoms are slowly being taken away from us. 

A soccer mom somewhere is feeling assured that her dear children won't die of cancer from tobacco smoke since the latest smoking ban. Meanwhile, gangs of illegal aliens smuggling heroin are walking the streets of her city.  The water that her children will drink is polluted with flouride but the big company down the street is paying off to keep the pollution quiet.  Their father is smoking crack in a hotel room with a prostitute, not knowing that the prostitute gave him a.i.d.s. during their previous rendezvous.  Mom is calling her friend to brag about the teenager kid next door who can 'play ball' for hours while her husband is working late *giggle giggle*... while her children watch through a crack in the door.

This is an illustration of how our priorities have been changed, as a nation.  

Are pipe shows a thing of the past?  I certainly hope not.  It may be that pipe shows with "free range smoking" will only be tolerated in/at the last bastions of true american freedom;  Native American Reservations with large hotels and conference centers.  Sign me up.

Chicago Pipe Show 2007 - Pics Only

Pipe and Tobacco Collectors Blog

I have been searching for someone to make pipe tampers for me in quantity. So far there have been no takers. If you are someone who has a lathe and would like to make some money with it please contact me at lesbuysorsells@aol.com. Also I will be at the 2006 Richmond show and look forward to seeing all of you there. - Les

Chicago Show 2006

Chicago 2006

Chicago 2006 was a blast.
Kudos to CPCC for their hard work!

We're in the process of adding contributors to this blog. A new, nameless administrator (thank you!) has been added to the team. Please email groatcluster@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming a contributor. The email address above is checked on a semi-regular basis so please, be patient.

The goal of this blog is to be a resource for pipe collectors and as such is a work in progress. With time (and contributors), we'll grow.

The Great Trade Part VIII

Well, I guess you have to be careful what you wish for!
I got the tamper...it's way too big. First I had to go to the town hall and get a permit to build a storage facility in the back yard so I could find a place to keep the darn thing.

Then, what the heck can you do with it while you're smoking? I mean even my magnums are way too short. Then it hit me...I'll use it as a walking stick!

All kidding aside, Mike thanks ever so much for offering your unique tamper for trade. The first time was with an unsmoked 3K Greatline Fiammata with a 3" bowl. Using this tamper really added to my enjoyment of the smoke.

I've since used the tamper several times. Each time I think how lucky I am to have friends like you.

In the interest of public health

The Great Trade part VII

Rich is concerned......

"Now, I wonder how big that tamper really is? My mind is somewhat foggy these days and with all that trick photography - well I trust Mike - although I hope the tamper does not end of being the size of my pinky finger".

Not to worry Rich. I'm sure I sent the big one....didn't I? Just to ease your mind, I'm attaching another picture from my archives with some known frame of reference. Here's the pic which ought to ease your concerns.....

Now for those smelly socks. You know McCain and I are pretty tight but even when we room together at shows, I make him take off his shoes in the bathroom and I smoke a heavy latakia the whole show..... what is this about crowbars?

Well, now where is that tracking slip for the USPS???? hmmm

Wishing for smoke rings the size of dunhill tins...
D

The Last Great Pipe Trade - Part VI

Hi Mike,

Since you sent your package I will go ahead and send mine. HMMM...stuff has gotta be old...I just found a stash that says on it Dunhill "Made During the Great War". This has be the older than the tin Mike McCain opened up. I hope it does not smell quite as bad as Mike's old socks.

So, I counted up a bunch of and shoved them into a big box. Before sending, I tried to open up a similar tin to the ones I am sending with a crowbar and the top did not budge. Good luck trying to open those tins!

Now, I wonder how big that tamper really is? My mind is somewhat foggy these days and with all that trick photography - well I trust Mike - although I hope the tamper does not end of being the size of my pinky finger. Let's see what happens...now that things are in progress. Happy Puffing, Rich

The Last Great Trade, Part V

"So Mike what do you say? Will you help out a fellow pipesmoker in his time of need? " says Rich.

Well Rich, I'd say you have quite a predicament. All that tobacco, and no place to store it. I just didn't know gold jewelry took up so much room Though the wife of a guy with magnum tastes may also have magnum tastes. Hmmmm, maybe I should reconsider that based on my likes and dislikes in the pipe world. Someone may construe things that aren't necessarily so. At any rate, friends help friends and you seem to be a friend in need. I reckon I'd be willing to trade the tamper for some of that old tobacco, although the thought of McCain's sweaty socks really gives me the heeebie jeebies, but what's a guy to do when a friend is in need.

Now I'll entrust this irreplaceable piece of Castello work to the USPS...... to be continued.

With visions of smoke rings around his head.
D

These are the Golden Years

This is the "Golden Age" of Pipes and Tobacco

You know, I firmly believe this. This is the golden age of pipes and tobaccos. Things change. Change is possibly one of the only true constants on this ball of dust that we call Earth. Given change we then must look at quality, availability and overall selection before we make a statement such as this. I'm certain that you all will agree that quality, availability and overall selection is at a peak right now - so let's go ahead and proclaim this the golden age of our hobby!

Persecution?

This age is definitely not the golden age for smokers, however. We're vilified, looked down upon, taxed, insurance-premiumed and 'lawed' to tears. While our government allows big business to pollute our enviromnent (read: the air we breathe and the water we drink - the most basic necessities of the human species) they allow the court of popular opinion to regulate and demonize smoking as if a fellow smoking a bowl of latakia is responsible for the pollution of the world. And we smokers have very little choice but to take it and walk on. So for the smoker, we're back to the point of figurative public beheading of anyone that smokes anything in public. For the sake of this missive, let's agree that pipe smokers are persecuted unfairly and move on.

Quality?

There is very little doubt that pipes and tobaccos of today are of superior quality to those available even 20 years ago. No pipe smoker was saddened any more than I when Balkan Sobranie (Sobranie of London) left the business but my goodness, even a prejudiced opinion like mine has to admit that the selection of very fine, high quality tobaccos has never been better. Drucquers is gone but look at what Drucquers produced in it's lineage.. Greg Pease! Many of the older British blending houses are gone but the Germans, Danes and Dutch have done a marvelous job of providing these same blends and countless others to replenish our cellars.

Are good tobaccos gone forever? You bet your sweet bippy they are! I loved Gallahers Rich Dark Honeydew Flake but I have to say that Sam Gawith "Full Virginia Flake" is just as good if not even better. Balkan 759 was never one of my favorites and I prefer Margate. Balkan White, oh the mystical Sobranie... how I lament thy passing.... but I gotta say that while Presbyterian Mixture isn't Sobranie, it's darned good tobacco and is available at most tobacconists or via the internet.

Could you argue that Dunhill blends are now garbage vs. what they are now? Of course you could and in many instances you may be absolutely correct. I don't smoke them all, campers, so all I can pontificate about is what I know. And what I know is this: Some specific blends are gone, many specific blends have changed but the overall quality, availability and selection today is far greater than it has ever been. Is the original Three Nuns available today? NO. Is there something as good or possibly even better available? YES. You may have to (God forbid) step outside your comfort zone and try several different tobaccos... but, they're out there.

Pipes!

Pipes in the last 30 years have evolved dramatically from their elder, Luddite brethren. There is more attention to detail now. Sure, they're more expensive but the attention to detail (overall) is far superior than what the past has given us. The fun part of this 'argument' is that we can look at the evidence for ourselves and see what makes the most sense.

Let's pick on Dunhills. Find me an all original Dunhill that has a tenon that 'kisses' the face of the mortise in the shank. You'll look through 1,000 to find 50 that meet this critical specification. Draft holes on the bottom and somewhat centered? Fit and finish? Funneled tenons?

Back in the day, pipes were to be smoked - they were for the most part consumable goods. Why did Alfred Dunhill put dates on the pipes? Because he knew that most of the folks in Liverpool were going to smoke that pipe daily, many times and knock the pipe out on a brick.. Alfred replaced enough pipes to finally make him think of this dating system. It later turned out to be a great marketing decision but on day one, the date code was to keep abused pipes from coming back across his counter.

Thank you Alfred Dunhill for all that you did! But seriously, the pipe was a very well made utensil for smoking tobacco.

Rather than going on and on and on, I'll close here. We're living in the Golden Age of pipes and tobaccos right now, folks. The past 5 years have seen more people making more improvements on more products than ever before. Are some very good things gone? Absolutely. But 5 more things have rushed in to take their place in the market. Are they the same? No. In most cases, they're different and in some cases better.

The Last Great Trade, Part IV

Well, here I am again trying to do the right thing by helping Mike Davis get rid of a big tamper that looks so out of place when he displays his collection of hawkbills. Think about it Mike, you will have a lot of free space to put more hawkbills on the table once that big tamper is gone!

I do have some vintage tobacco... I bought this tobacco, again, trying to help some other poor fellow to make room. He had a bunch of these old Dunhill mixtures that he had not smoked in 35 -40 years. Of the couple of cans I've opened, these mixtures do smell a little better than Mike McCain's stuff - more like 10 year old sweat socks that have washed at least once.

I should also note that the Dunhill London store needed to clear out some stock to make room for $3,000 suits and the like. That tobacco sure took up a lot of store space - so much space in fact that Dunhill ran out of room for those $600 shoes and $200 ties. What's a poor company to do? I helped out Dunhill and bought some of that tobacco too.

Now, I am running out of space! My wife keeps asking me why do I have so much tobacco around - she needs space for more jewlery, china and other stuff. So what can I do...!?

I have to get rid of some that old tobacco to keep the peace with my wife. Mike, you can take some of that 40 year old stuff or the Dunhill store mixtures - whatever. This tobacco has got to go pronto or else I will be sleeping in the car.

So Mike what do you say? Will you help out a fellow pipesmoker in his time of need?

The Last Great Trade... or... Sweaty Socks?

Well, it looks like Rich might be interested in my "crappy tamper".

"Fitting in and improving"? Hmmmmm…… In the development of my collection, I tried to establish a representative collection including all finishes available and in most sizes and from all eras of production. In doing this, the preponderance of the collection is 4K to G size and a good variety of finishes and colors. Of course, I only have a single epoca and it's a drip wax (as opposed to the Rock or Shingle style). And I only have a few large pieces… a GGG Old Antiquari, a GG Trademark, and a GG Sea Rock. Even so, there's a good sampling of the finishes, colors, sizes and periods representing Castello production.

What would "fit in and improve" this collection of mine… Now that is an interesting question. Being that it's almost Christmas time, I'll make a list and check it twice...

My number one, without a doubt want to add piece would be a "mi reserva' 84. I'm not even sure they made one, but if they did, that would be my numero uno (I mean, where else 'should' a mi reserve 84 be than in this collection!! ). After that, an 84 with an ivory inlayed logo would be high on my list of improvements. Of course, that would also be a very early piece for Castello. AND, to think of a Rock or Shingle Epoca or even another Drip Wax version…that's just too much for me to imagine. I have quite a large number of pipes from the 80s and on but older pipes interest me a lot. Smooth pipes with an SC and registration number stamping would be of interest… “large K” pipes.. things of the older vintage are surely interesting to me specially if one was to have the green marbled stem. I have 5 of their colored stems but nothing in the green. Another way I could improve this collection is to expand the larger pieces. Such as other GG and GGG sized pipes in finishes I currently don't have such as the Castello, Collection, Perla Nera type finishes. Even with the maturation of the collection, there are always ways to improve it. Finding the right piece is always the challenge.

But what good are pipes without tobacco? I don't mean average, contemporary production tobacco, but rather, excellent, balanced, smooth blends from the golden age of pipe smoking. Now that's something that could be of interest. Even though I don't smoke straight VA or VA/perique blends, I bet there are still some excellent blends with orientals and latakia out there that I have not experienced. Although, Rich's remembrance of the 'old sweaty socks vintage' that he shared with my pal McCain does make one squeamish at the thought of old rare tobacco.

Well, Rich has quite a bit of thinking to do and so do I. Won't it be great if we pull this one off?

While visions of 84s danced in his head...

Regards, PipeStem

The Last Great Trade?

The Last Great Trade?

First off, I do not know if I want Mike McCain at a show. The last time I saw him was Chicagoland 2002. He had just opened up this big green can of Exotic...something. I asked how was old it was - something like 40 years old. (I like Mike but asking me to smoke some stale tobacco - I mean after 40 years you figured he would have smoked it already.)

So being polite, I took a bowl. Knowing that Mike was trying real hard to get rid of the stuff, I helped myself to another bowl. But Mike, next time, you have to offer me some of that nice black sweet tobak instead of stuff that smells like old sweaty socks!

Well Mike (Davis) is certainly offering me a most interesting trade offer. As everyone can see, this is a very long, giant tamper. I know the Castello factory has one other tamper that is at about as long but that's it (so far as I know). So the tamper is rare. I have a number of tampers and only one is almost as long as this. I like tampers but do not collect them. All tampers that I have are actually used so his big boy would be dirtied up by me as soon as I got it.

The next question - what is is it worth? Since there are so few - we ask to look at the other Castello tampers. A rather ordinary large smooth Briar one could run me say $150 to $200. This is one is so much larger - but I am not sure if it is briar. Even so it is still a very rare and worth owning.

Without knowing more I would say that if offered to me between $500 to $600 I would add it FOR SURE to my collection. However, it could be "worth" even more to Mike than that.

Now the next step - the trade. First off, obviously Mike values this tamper a lot. He wants something that will fit in and improve it. This makes sense. The question is what does this mean? I must determine if Mike's value is so high that it will make a trade impossible. Or do I want the tamper so much, I will be willing to trade whatever it takes?

Mike has an outstanding collection of Hawkbills. I would say he has everything in that shape there is. Mike D, if we're at a show and you offered this to me as a trade - I would ask what pipe would of interest that would want "add" to your collection that you would want in trade for this "crappy" tamper? I mean who would want a tamper this big anyway? ~ Rich Esserman

"The Last Great Trade….Maybe . . . Or, Does Rich Really Want a Giant Castello Tamper?"

I read with great interest, Rich Esserman's latest contribution to "The Pipe and Tobacco Collectors Blog". Below is an excerpt of the cited commentary.

"Ah...the good old days. First let me say that Mike Davis has a tremendous collection of Castello 84 hawkbills as does Mike McCain (we missed you in Richmond). When they display either separately or together it is wonderful to view. The best part is that these guys love their pipes so much and it shows. But Mike...what the heck do you need that long Castello tamper for...I mean it does not fit in and I have the perfect pipe to break it in! (I mean what are friends for?)"

The good old days. . . Friendship, camaraderie, excitement, wood swapping hands. If those are the good old days, I say, let's bring them back. In the spirit of the 'pipe swap' I am offering up a challenge.

Several times in my pipe life, I've been offered a pipe because "it belongs in your collection". Well, I think my giant Castello tamper belongs in your collection. Rich, I proffer up, my giant, never used (only displayed), not refurbished in 'as I procured it" condition (the business end is a smidgeon loose), for trade only, giant Castello tamper. But it won't be easy.

This trade will hereafter be referred to as "The Last Great Trade".

The tamper in question is shown in the above photo. Rich is well aware of this tamper, however, so that others can understand the magnitude of this massive piece, it is shown in comparison to a GGG OA Hawkbill and a G Epoca Hawkbill. This is obviously a very unique piece as I have never seen one to compare with it. I have heard of another but it was described as smaller if my memory serves me well.

Here are the parameters:

I'm not sure what I want, but I'll know it when I see it. "The Last Great Trade" must 'fit' in my collection and improve it. I'm not looking for routine. Our esteemed colleague's commentary on 'rare' is on target. (Wood Swapping Hands)

The more participants in "The Last Great Trade" ring, the better. But if it comes down to us, mano a mano, and the article in question is just right, then a trade is a trade. (Friendship and Camaraderie) (Bonus points for getting Mike McCain involved in the trade. We must figure out how to get him to a pipe show.)

Of course, an invitation such as this can't be open ended. The deadline for "The Last Great Trade" is the C.O.R.P.S. Expo for 2006. (Excitement)

The location for the consummation of "The Last Great Trade" will be the smoking lounge at the C.O.R.P.S. Expo for 2006 at a mutually agreed upon time. (Should one of the parties be indisposed due to circumstances beyond their control, this provision is waiverable upon the agreement of all parties.) (Friendship and Camaraderie, Excitement)

"The Last Great Trade" participants present at the final hour will be captured forever in history by photograph. (The Good Old Days)

As with any good pipe swap, the rules may change to fit the circumstances. (Excitement)

What do you say Rich? Are you up to the challenge? "The Last Great Trade" train is waiting to pull out of the station and you are the Engineer. I get chilly bumps just thinking about where this train might go and what its destination might be. Now this is pipe collecting!!!

RARE! RARE! RARE!

Rare is overdone!

There are tons, thousands, more than one person in the world that doesn't know diddly from daddly about pipes. To these folks, "mea culpa". It's Saturday, I've got chores to do around the house. I've finished my morning coffee (percolated, thank you..) and I'm wading through the drivel on ebay just to get a look at what's happening.

People with real lives probably don't head to their computer first thing in the morning, before the first sip of coffee. Stock brokers surely check the markets many times daily - Store owners check the receipts many times daily - yet I'm a working stiff who can't keep away from looking (rarely bidding!) at how the pipe market is rolling on ebay. It's my hobby. Not EBAY.. but pipes. It's in my blood. It's a sickness.

To those ignorant souls who think that any pipe grandpa had in the front pocket of his overalls - which grandpa wore last in 1963 - which they just found in an old trunk in the attic after 40+ years - these folks are allowed to be ignorant. There is no culpability here. It's old, grandpa was too, it's a rare pipe and I'm going to list it on ebay and retire from the profits.

BUT.....

Not all pipes are rare. In fact, most are NOT rare. Pipes used to be rare because they were hard to find. Now, it's easy to find pipes. I've got a selection of Dunhill ODA's, Castello White Bars, Celius, Ilsted... I can buy until my credit card melts! Not just one - no, countless numbers of them.

I'm just at a point where I'd like to "mammy slap" some of these folks who know better - or, should know better... nope, I'm convinced that they DO know better and that they're simply attempting to polish the proverbial turd in hopes of getting $300 for a $50 pipe from some unknowing bidder. I'm turning these ebay listers off and have been for some time now. Why do I feel some moral obligation to warn others of this stuff? I'm a schmuck sometimes, I suppose.

RARE, PRISTINE, AWESOME....

When "knowlegeable" people list pipes as RARE on ebay it makes me want to scream. Some are worse than others. Some YELL at me when I'm looking at their listings. Heck, I'll go one step further; There are some listings I never bother to even review! There are other collectors who turn people like this off, when every machine made pipe that's over 3 weeks old is RARE... and every estate pipe is PRISTINE... that's just not true. "Minty" would be a better adjective to use if indeed, the used pipe is sincerely like new. Anything Pristine is supposed to be new.

I'll go a step further in hopes of driving a little debate amongst the small but growing group posting here - Dunhill Magnums (registered/old pieces) ain't rare. They're scarce, to be sure, but they're not RARE. A Castello Ecpoca Hawkbill is RARE. A Dunhill Magnum Canadian from 1925 with a 7" shank would be RARE. A Charatan carved portrait pipe of Adolph Hitler would be darned RARE. But a Sasieni pipe from the 1950's, when they made them by the thousands, isn't rare. If it's unsmoked then it's RARE. Most 55 year old pipes that have gone unsmoked are rare. Back then, people bought pipes to smoke. If it's unsmoked in the original box then it's VERY RARE.

FWIW, "mammy slap" is a term meaning 'the kind of slap that your Mother would give you in hopes of getting your brain to function correctly'. Motherly love, you understand.

I'd rant some more but I've got work to do. I'd like to "mammy slap" the guy who keeps producing these dirty clothes that I'm forced to wash weekly.

TRUE RARITY is about the only thing, pipe related on ebay, that's RARE these days.

Do others tune these "carnival barkers" off like I do?

What has happened to the "old" Charatans?

I'm not a collector of Charatan pipes though I do have one that is a great smoker. The question I have is, "What has happened to the 'old' Charatan pipes"? Where have they gone?

You don't find many 'old' Charatans on ebay! It amazes me that there are numbers of old Dunhill pipes to be found on ebay. Some may be in less than good condition, mind you.. but, they're out there. An authentic, old Charatan? I don't know that I've ever seen one!

At a pipe show in 1997, Fred Janusek had some of the oldest Charatans I have ever seen in person. These pipes were fantastic, smaller pipes (not the large freehand models that are sometimes seen on ebay) with phenomenal grain.

How to date Charatan pipes?

The following is part of an article by Ivy Ryan:

Dating Charatans

The way to date Charatan pipes is to be aware of the minor changes that were made during the years that Charatan was in business. With a bit of information as to the dates of some markings and stem changes, I introduce this approximate dating guide. A lot of these dates are going to be "about" or approximately," and I am only able to cover the times from the mid 1950s to the sale by Dunhill to J.B.. Russell circa 1988. My information is approximate because I do not have access to factory records. I am working from memory, stories I heard It the Prescott Street factory, and pipes I have owned over the years.

The keys for dating post-war to 1960-era Charatan pipes are the presence or absence of serifs (i.e., short lines stemming from and at an angle to the upper and lower ends of a letter) on the CP stamp, the presence or absence of the Lane "L" on tapered and early saddle bit stems, and the presence or absence of the renowned Double Comfort bit.

After 1960, the dates may be determined by the stamping on the right side of the pipe. (Note: I was a 20-odd-year-old, pipe-smoking woman when I hung around Charatans. I was not a researcher, though I sure wish I had been. I have been told since that all pre-WW II records went up when the "old" factory was destroyed in the bombing, but I was just not interested. I really regret that now. I let a lot of history go, but all I can say is that I was younger then.)

The Lane Limited florid "L" is on almost all Charatans imported into the United States from somewhere after WW II until 1988. (Lane bought Charatan in 1960, but it began importing Charatan pipes in 1955, when it got the contract from Wally Frank, who had been importing them.) If the pipe in question has a tapered or saddle bit without the "L", then it is probably very old, possibly pre-war. Or it may not have been stamped. This did happen, and no one knows how often, but I think it was fairly infrequent.

Pre-1955 Charatans--possibly back to the beginning--had pronounced serifs on the CP stamp and either a taper or saddle bit. Pipes made in 1955 or later had the same types of bits but without the serifs on the CP. The block letter "FH" marking, for "Free Hand," on either side of the stem was used from the 1940s or so until about 1958. The problem is that all pipes were not stamped "FH," even though all the pipes were actually hand made.

The block letter "MADE BY HAND" stamp on the right side or bottom of the shank came into use in early 1958 to replace the "FH" stamp and was used until late 1965. The letters were about one millimeter tall.

The Double Comfort bit came into use in 1960 and is still in use. The original design was supposed to produce a strong stem with a thin bite. It was also supposed to be a distinctive point about the brand, giving instant product recognition. ~ Ivy Ryan

So - Where are all the old Charatan Pipes?

I'm curious. Has any individual collector taken pictures of the different stamps, clearly defined, in order for collectors to accurately or semi-accurately date these older Charatans?

According to Tad Gage, in an article written in Pipes and Tobaccos magazine, December 2003, Tad wrote that, "in 1955, he (Herman Lane) struck a deal to become the sole U.S. distributor of the Charatan pipe". Thus, the Lane "L" came into being during this time. Further, Gage writes "until 1957, the company had four primary smooth-pipe classifications that featured varying degrees of straight grains; Supreme, Selected, Executive and Belvedere".

I guess I'm just a curious sort.

Where have these old, Pre-Lane Charatans gone?

The Pipe Swap Versus The Pipe Show

Ah...the good old days. First let me say that Mike Davis has a tremendous collection of Castello 84 hawkbills as does Mike McCain (we missed you in Richmond). When they display either separately or together it is wonderful to view. The best part is that these guys love their pipes so much and it shows. But Mike...what the heck do you need that long Castello tamper for...I mean it does not fit in and I have the perfect pipe to break it in! (I mean what are friends for?)

My first pipe get-together was a pipe swap in St. Louis in 1982. I am proud to say that I made the first trade of the swap with the late Ed Lehman (who I still and will always miss). Over the next day or two at least $25,000 + changed hands - almost all of it was in swaps. That's just what people did - make trade. I used to have intense trades with the "Carolina Flash" Jerry Ballard. One time we spent 5 hours working out a deal in his hotel room when he visited Northern NJ. Trades at shows between "brother" Chuck Rio and me are somewhat legendary.

Most major collectors in the late 1970's to the perhaps 1987-1988 did a lot of trading in particular at shows/swaps. Some of it was quite friendly but some not. There was a clique of elite collectors who would trade among themselves but if you were a 'newbie' it was hard to deal with these folks. The exception was if one had a great pipe then they would try to suck it up to be circulated among the group. I dealt on the fringe of the elite group but generally traded with friends who were interested in "win-win" trades.

As the 1980's moved on trading sort of become less important. One reason is that there were finally collectible pipes being offered for sale. In the mid to late 1970's, the pipe world was radically changing for the worse. Everyone bought pipes in pipe shops (where else would you go) and as quality declined and prices climbed radically the marketplace shifted. Collectors began buying/selling/trading among themselves. Then Dave Field and others were offering high quality pipes, Larsens became available directly and through Barry Levin, Bob Hamlin was bringing in a lot of Castellos from Italy and so on.

Cash and carry became the mainway of doing business at Pipe Shows when in the early 1990's, Barry Levin dominated the marketplace - who was mainly a pipe seller. Plus many of the old mainline collectors dropped out and began selling off their collections. New folks came into the hobby who were more into buying so attitudes changed a lot. This did bring the demise of the pipe SWAP, the last one for me being the 1995 Indy Briar Friars.

With the advent of the internet and eBay, there is no functional need for a pipe show. Heck in Richmond, I bought several pipes from dealers that I just could have picked up the phone or sent and email. But the ultimate point of the show is see in person the many various pipes being made today, talk to the pipemakers and mainly to see my friends. Because smoking a bowl with my friends are what pipe shows are all about.

The Demise of the Pipe Show

I've been attending pipe shows for about 9 years now. I'm probably the junior member of the blog in this respect, but I've been attending long enough to see a significant change in the atmosphere and focus of the local pipe show. I am not referring to shows such as the RTDA which I had the great fortune to attend recently. I'm talking about the local club show such as those sponsored by the likes of CPCC, C.O.R.P.S., and others.

When I first attended pipe shows, there was a wide variety of exhibitors from the fully commercial exhibitors ( McClelland, McCranies, PCCA, and others), to the individual pipemakers ( Mark Tinsky, Lee Erck, Clarence Mickles, and others), to the hobbyist with items to sell or trade (Mike Penix, Mike Hagley and others) to those attending a show with the sole purpose of putting their pipes on the table to engage in conversation with other enthusiasts about the merits or lack thereof of a particular make/style/finish/shape or its match up with a particular tobacco. Some of the gentlemen exhibiting their pipes when I first started attending were Fred Heim, Mike McCain, Bill Kotyk, Tad Gage and many others I didn't even know but I stopped to talk with them about their exhibit. I could easily stop and talk at a table for half an hour exploring their thoughts about their collection, what made it unique, why they chose 'that' to collect, how it was displayed, what they thought was the 'best' piece and why. They were always happy to share their thoughts and experiences with me.

I remember a gent who displayed his collection of "The Pipe". While not my cup of tea, it was an interesting and informative display. This was exactly what I thought the show was about. However, the last few years, I've noticed a definite decline in the numbers of hobbyists displaying their collections. At the most recent C.O.R.P.S expo, I believe there were 2 or maybe 3 collections on display, purely for the opportunity to display and I wondered why. It was the part of a show that I most looked forward to… talking about different collections. While it is always nice to find that perfect addition to your collection, the real value of the show was talking to people and learning about facets of our hobby I just didn't know about.

While discussing this with Mike McCain, I mentioned to him that pipe shows were no longer about the hobby, but were now about buying and selling pipes. He lamented that we no longer got excited about putting together a four-way trade, finding that last person who had the key to complete the ring. No longer did we trade a fine piece of wood to gain another to fill that hole in our collection. The focus now was about selling enough merchandise to cover the expenses of the trip. No longer did we work to make a trade, we just wanted the quick sale. I remember Mike Penix telling me long ago, "Wood is harder to find than money" and I fully understand what he meant. Buying a pipe is easy. Making a trade that benefits both (or all) parties to the trade is much more difficult. And I believe this thought of instant gratification will be the ultimate demise of the pipe show. No longer is it a forum for exchange, education, and camaraderie, it is just a different venue for the local flea market.

I encourage all to think about this the next time you plan to attend a show. Do you take your pipe bag full of smokers and a few pieces you hope to move, or do you take the extra effort to box up that superb collection and show it off to the world. We need a new generation of pipe smokers. There's a lot to learn. They need to learn. I need to learn.

MHD

More Thoughts on Reconditioning and Making a Pipe Pristine

First let me say this Blog is really great. I hope it continues for a long while. Without the Ephemeris, for 'hard copy', I am going to do some writing for The Pipe Collector.

The issue of reconditioning versus refinishing has always been around. In the somewhat old days of the 1970's and 1980's, condition was very critical in terms of value. To have a pipe in prisitine condition could mean hundreds of dollars difference in the price. Many collectors would refurbish or have their pipes refurnished by a repairman to make them look pristine.

Even if you could see a pipe in person, it could be very difficult to tell if a pipe was worked on. One thing I learned to do was to understand the typical measurements of pipes that I was interested in. For instance, I would stick my left index finger down the tobacco chamber of every ODA 835 I could saw. After a while I knew if a pipe was redrilled just by how my finger felt inside the bowl. This type of checking is of course not possible from a photo.

I also looked at the wall thickness from the top. That's why I always ask for a photo of the top. Do the walls look a bit thin, does the top show some smoothing (on a blast), is the top out of the round, etc. This can be seen from a photo.

The profile can also be a tip off. I look toward the end of the stem. Many times when a stem is sanded down, the whole stem is not sanded just the end so it looks thinner than normal. I also look at the lip to to see if it is crisp or rounded. From a photo this can be seen but it is harder than viewing the pipe in person.

So we do the best we can from photos.

When I get a pipe I prefer to try to keep it as close to original as possible. The late Clarence Mickles showed me how to take a simple paper match and bring up many bite marks. This is in lieu of sanding down the bit where I take off material. The same thing applies when a stem is green or brown with sulfur. I want to remove the sulfur by dissolving it not by sanding or buffing where I am removing bit material. This allows me to maintain the lines and feel of the original bit.

Recently, I got a great pipe and it had a handling mark on the bowl. I steamed it up a bit but it was to a lessor degree still visible. So I live with it. The alterantive is to have someone sand it down and then restain the pipe. I prefer to 'live' with the mark rather have the pipe 'made pristine'.

Most folks disagee with this view and would rather have a pipe that looks like new even if the lines or the stain are(is) changed from the original. I wonder what other bloggers think?

What a long, strange trip it's been....

Pipes on the Internet: Has availability ever been better?

Do you remember the time when if you were looking for a Castello pipe to buy then you'd either have to have a lead on where the Castello might be - or, simply call shops that you knew until you found one?

Pipes are more easily available now than they ever have been, without a doubt. Believe it or not, there was a time when finding a particular pipe was tough! It may take a year or two to find what you were looking for if there was a particular shape or finish that you wanted.

My experience in collecting pipes started in 1981. I was fortunate in that PCI Magazine started to be published during this time and a magical insert in one of those early issues stated that: "New and Presmoked Pipes from only the Finest Craftsmen...LEVIN PIPES INTERNATIONAL. YES! I would like to receive the NEXT color mailer." So I filled out the card and sent it. Lo and behold, every month or so I would receive a magical parcel from a man named Barry Levin that had high quality pictures of many high grade pipes with a price sheet that corresponded to each pipe. This was literally "pipe manna"!

There may have been other mailers in the mid 80's but Barry Levin was the first to heavily market this concept and it took off like wildfire!

You see, before PCI magazine carried this insert many of us would simply dream of seeing an old Charatan or a specific shaped Caminetto or Castello! There were not any other ways to see these pipes if they weren't at our local tobacconists (B&M's as they now refer to them online).

If one was well connected enough (and I certainly wasn't) then there did exist a coterie of collectors who knew each other and would stay in touch via letter or phone but for the most part, we unconnected pipe collectors were relegated to finding those particular pieces by less than easy methods. And the phone bills were astronomical.

Fast forward from the early 1980's to 1996: Ebay. Even before the proliferation of the many web pages dedicated to pipes, ebay was incredible for finding pipes. The first person to tip me off about ebay was Mike Hagley. To say that I was like a kid in a candy store doesn't do my amazement justice. I had never seen, in person, a Charatan Supreme or a Dunhill Magnum. And then the web pages started popping up. My first web page was text on a grey background with no pictures! Pictures (digital cameras) were just coming about (in 1996) and the first pipe pages on the internet were text with no pictures! How far we've been allowed to advance in 9 years is considerable when taken in context. I'm still a bit amazed by the whole phenomenon.

Back to the 80's - I can remember gentlemen who were obviously traveling through town who would come into our tobacco shop and say in a hushed voice, "Got any Castellos"? I didn't know about this... of course, I knew what Castello pipes were but had seen only a few! I'd ask, "What do you mean..."? The gentleman would then say something like, "Well, I know that if you have any Castellos then you probably keep them behind the counter in a drawer and save them for your best customers. So I'm asking, if you have any Castellos then I'd like to buy them".

This happened more than once. I use Castellos in this missive because this actually happened to me various times when I was in the shop! There was no internet, there was no HUGE circle of collectors that would know each other and had easy access to speak with each other regarding where a particular pipe might be. I'm not making this up.

In this environment it was very tough for collectors to find particular shapes in brands that they may collect. You may collect Sasieni 4 dot pipes.. but Lord help you if you only collected Sasieni 4 dot Canadians. You'd be extremely happy to own one or two of these pipes - and you would tell every other pipe collector that if they ran across a 4 dot Canadian then to please buy it for them.

So, condition of the pipe wasn't at a premium at this time. It was rare enough to find one, much less find a NEW one. Grain wasn't an issue (of course, good grain was a big plus!) and even original stems weren't as much of an issue. Just to find that shape in that brand was a triumph!

And then came Barry Levin. I remember getting phone calls from fellow collectors (locally) regarding Barry's mailer! "Did you see that Caminetto, #8? Man, that's a rare pipe!" Barry did very well with that mailer and one of the upsides of the mailer was that it put people in contact with each other. In addition, the PCI Magazine did a good job of hooking people up and also in promoting The Pipe Smokers Ephemeris.

Rick Hacker saw this happening and wrote a book in the mid 1980's and the whole hobby started to snowball because collectors (the masses) were finally finding out who to network with!

Prior to this there had always been a "hardcore" group of collectors. These were the Basil Sullivans, Ed Lehmans, Ken Coffelds, Portor Loring Jrs., Sam Highsmiths, Bill Bagleys, Jerry Ballards, Edsel James and many others. Countless names, I'm not even going to try and capture them all - these are the names that first came to mind. These guys all knew who collected what and they (for the most part - I'm being a bit generic here) knew how to contact each other if need be.

But for the "masses"... this was the breakthrough! And guys like Barry Levin, Bob Hamlin, Jack Ehrmantraut took this breakthrough and popularized the hobby and helped us all to get connected. Bob Hamlin was probably the first to utilize the internet so he's arguably the "father" of what we now know to be the mass availability of pipes on the internet.

Well... since Al Gore invented the internet we'll have to give him props too.

Burnout or Buyers Remorse?

With the proliferation of pipes on the internet, what do you in order to insure that you're getting what you pay for?

Recent threads and subsequent emails currently circulated on the web are those of an ebayer who didn't "get what they paid for". This predicament has drawn the attention of those (most of us) who are buying and selling pipes on the internet. Without going into detail or naming names, this missive is intended to help both buyers and sellers of pipes understand that what they may be getting is not really the same product that left the pipe makers workshop.

It's tough to tell "what is what".

Buying a pipe on the internet can be a joyous occasion or a nightmare. Most often than not, the pipe you buy on the internet will be exactly as described. The number of folks that recondition pipes is pretty small; However, once the pipe has been changed from it's original condition then the pipe is no longer "as new".

I don't own a buffing wheel. Sometimes I wish I did - but if I did then my stems wouldn't be as crisp and sharp as they were when they left the craftsman's bench though they would undoubtedly be a lot shinier than they are right now.

So, what does 'reconditioning' mean?

There are a few sellers (websites/ebay/combined) who do recondition pipes. Reconditioning is a very broad term! This reconditioning could mean that the pipe has been boiled out with a retort, the cake trimmed and the pipe buffed with carnuba wax. Traditionally, this has been the reconditioning method used.

As pipes have become a more active "trade" on the internet, there have been a very few who will recondition pipes in more drastic measures; Shaving the tops of bowls to make them look crisp, completely refinishing the pipe and sanding down dings and fissures; Replacing stems that have teeth marks or scratches - or even sanding down the original stem. This is altering more than reconditioning because you're removing significant wood from the pipe. But, the term "reconditioning" still covers (in part) what has happened to the pipe.

The question you must ask yourself is, "Does this matter to me"?

If the answer is "YES, it does matter to me" then you have a pretty big dilemma on your hands. The dilemma is to deduce whether or not the pipe you're looking at has been buggered with - and that is a pretty tough call to make.

Let's use a Dunhill Shell LB as an example. Earl's ebay shop has a Dunhill Shell LB that is advertised "as mint". Chances are that Earl is a reputable guy! If I was interested in the pipe then I'd shoot old Earl an email and ask about the pipe: Has the pipe been "topped or shaved"? Are there any stress marks or cracks in the bowl? Is the stem seemingly original? Is the pipe "in round"? Where did he get the pipe? Can I return the pipe should it not meet my expectations?

Earl may have bought that Dunhill from a collector - and the pipe may be exactly original with a slight round in the bowl rim, otherwise mint. Or, Earl may have shaved the top until it's crisp, back in round and then took a dremel tool to the top, roughing it up a good bit in order to give it a sandblasted look and then refinishing the top to make it look "mint". Or, Earl may have sent this pipe to a repair shop and had the work done.

There is very little that you can do to tell the "original" from the "reconditioning" if the person who did the reconditioning is good. The only way you could tell, from a picture on the internet, is to have seen enough of these pipes to be able to tell if the picture (pipe) "looked right". Some are obvious, most are not so obvious.

A dremel tool will NOT look like sandblasting. A dremel tool will look more like a sea rock finish with indentions in the wood, not "bringing the grain out" like a sandblast does. If you look at the color of the pipe and then at the inside of the bowl then you will normally be able to deduce whether the "like new finish of the pipe" is in equal proportion to the number of times the pipe has been smoked. When a pipe has been heavily smoked, the inside walls of the bowl will show this. Wood is a natural product and there will be softer areas (small areas) that will burn a bit - so in other words, the inside of the bowl will not be completely smooth if the pipe has been smoked a good bit.

And if the pipe has been smoked a good bit then the finish will not shine like new - it will be dulled a little bit and will not look like it came right out of the box. Again, we're talking about a Dunhill Shell LB here, a sandblasted pipe.

With regards to stems, it's tough to tell a well done Dunhill replacement bit from the original. The older Dunhill bits had registration marks stamped on the underside of the bits - but many of these reg. numbers have been buffed off over the years. Well done replacement bits are very, very tough to discern from the originals. But, if the pipe has been smoked then one should expect a few teeth scratches and possibly some light dents in the end of the stem. And to get even more technical, if the pipe is indeed from the 1930's then one should see a bit more of an oval shaped tip on the bit vs. the flatter bits made today. Alas, a fine stem-maker can make an oval or "orific" bit to match the original so this (again!) is a very tough call to make.

Likewise, the finishing is the same. Jim Benjamin (who is one of the finest men in our hobby!) has a re-finishing method that looks better than the original Dunhill shell finish! Jim can bring out the red highlights and undertones superbly. So - if the pipe is a 1930 Dunhill Shell LB and looks like it's been smoked a good bit yet the finish is sparkling like new and there are no tooth scratches on the stem.. well, you hopefully get my picture.

With regards to refinishing the inside of the bowls, let's just make this general statement: If it looks too smooth to be true then it probably has been refinished if the outside of the pipe looks less than sharp and there are toothmarks on the stem. This is akin to playing Sherlock Holmes and looking at the pipe as a whole and deducing if (as they used to sing on Sesame Street) "one of these things is not like the other".

Let's get away from the Dunhill Shell. We'll now look at a smooth Castello.

On a pipe like this, it's tough to tell if the top has been shaved unless you've seen so many Castellos that you have an idea of something that seems "out of whack". But I use this illustration to talk mainly about the bowl. If the pipe has been smoked and the inside of the bowl has been sanded to look almost like new then you'll know that the pipe has been fiddled with. This too takes an eye for the pipe and some Sherlockian deduction. Of course, if the pipe was smoked once then there may be just a spot or two of black in the bowl - but generally this blackening will be at the top of the bowl and not at the middle. If the previous owner has smoked one "half bowl" to break in the pipe then there may not be any black at the top, only in the middle. Again, you have to talk to the seller and more often than not the seller will tell you what reconditioning has been done.

Let's examine a Bang pipe. Most Bangs come from the bench with a bowl coating. When you see a used Bang (or other pipe) where the pipe has been "reconditioned" and a fresh bowl coating has been applied - well, you don't know what's under that new bowl coating, do you? No, you don't know what's under the fresh bowl coating! On many "high grade" pipes there are no shape charts or good abilities to tell what may look out of the ordinary. This is indeed a tough call. One could shave the top, refinish the pipe, sand out the bowl of any "spots" and make a new stem and it would be hard to tell from the original if the job was done well. Yes, this is kind of scary.

So - I bought that LB from Earl and it came in today's mail. I love the pipe, it looks great and every piece of the puzzle seems to check out: The bowl has been smoked a good bit, there is a little rounding on the rim of the bowl but nothing that Earl didn't tell me about. The finish is very nice (for it's age) and doesn't look like it just came out of the box, so that's all in synch with the age of the pipe. The top looks like a sandblast and follows the grain in the wood - it doesn't look like Earl took a dremel tool to the top and tapped some rough spots into the rim and refinished it. The bowl walls are as thick as they should be and have a little irregularity to them - so I don't believe that the bowl has been sanded out. The stem is as it should be though it's hard to tell an original Dunhill stem from a well made replacement. I do look in the shank and the dark spot in the shank (from moisture) correctly fits with the placement of the current tenon... KEEPER!

I send Earl an email and accept the pipe.

Two weeks later it burns out.

Guess what? I bought the pipe, was happy with it and now I'm stuck with it. Earl has no obligation once I've accepted the pipe after close and thorough inspection. It is my decision whether to email Earl and tell him of what's happened - but I should certainly not expect Earl to do anything about it. Once you take ownership of an estate pipe then it's your pipe, your problem.

One can, of course, send the pipe to Jim Benjamin or Ronni Bikacsan and have them work their wonders! However, it is up to you to mention these things if you choose to sell the pipe to another owner.

Last tidbit - I once traded for a Barling EXEXEL Apple, a beautiful and large pre-trans model. The pipe was scuffed severely on the outside but I knew that this would be a keeper for me, not something that I wanted to get rid of. I sent the pipe to Jim Benjamin (I didn't know Ronni at that time) and Jim made that pipe look like new! He shaved the top, removed the scuffing, resanded the stem and completely refinished the finish. I could sell that pipe tomorrow on ebay for upwards of $500.. but it wouldn't be right UNLESS I mentioned the complete refinishing job.

Would it be wrong to list this Barling as "reconditioned"? No. In fact, the pipe has been severely reconditioned! That's the point that drives this whole article.

However, without a detailed mentioning in the ebay listing that the pipe had been topped, sanded, refinished, etc. then I'd not be telling the full truth.

Altering the pipe significantly, removing wood, changing the wood.. it's more than reconditioning - it is severely altering the pipe from it's original state.

And that, my friends, is the difference between "reconditioning" and "reconditioning". Caveat Emptor, Caveat Lector. When in doubt, email the seller and also email a friend or five friends and ask their opinions before buying.

A pipe is just a pipe?

Who says a pipe is just a pipe?

A pipe is a friend, something to cherish when enjoying it. That's not to say that a pipe must be "this or that" with regards to how much one spends for the pipe, the maker of the pipe or what others may think of the pipe.

Simply put, a pipe is an extension of the person smoking it. To some, a pipe may merely be a "nicotine delivery device" and a tool for obtaining smoke. However to many pipe smokers it is the shape of the pipe, the feel, the size and the overall ambience of the smoking experience that determines how an individual enjoys the pipe.

For example, the utilitarian smoker may prefer a more conventional style of pipe. Nothing wrong with that! The collector, on the other hand, may enjoy a particular shape, brand or size of pipe. While the utilitarian pipe enthusiast may desire a good smoke, the collector will factor other interests into the equation of what a "good smoke" entails. This is a highly personal statement and while there is no wrong or right answer as to what each person may prefer, there is a difference as to the criteria that each pipe smoker uses to determine what satisfies their desires with regards to each pipe.

A good illustration of this would be an automobile. In this case, I am the utilitarian who desires a bit of comfort yet I'm not able nor willing to buy a Mercedes coupe. If the Ford Pinto that I bought (used) from Chuck Stanion satisfies me as much as the Mercedes would (in getting from point A to point B) then the Pinto is satisfactory. To me, it is satisfactory. And that's all that matters. To me.

There is no doubt that the Mercedes would probably ride better, would probably be a more aesthetically pleasing vehicle to be seen in.. and would obviously be worth more money (vs. the Ford Pinto) should I wish to sell the Merceces - BUT, I paid more for the Mercedes so I should expect it to be worth more.

But from getting to point B from point A...
well, I'm the doing the driving.

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