Hazards of Ebay buying

The estate (used) Dunhill that was going to be my first and long-lasting friend in the smoking world finally arrived only to break down at the first inspection. It had a hole throught the stem on the overside of the button and the whole thing sort of swayed and gave way to pressure. I noticed the hole and the crack running alongside of the top part of the button and intended to take a picture showing the seller what he had sold me. I put the narrow end of a pipe cleaner through the hole and laid the pipe down. The cleaner stood up at a strange angle so I tried to push it back a little but then the top part of the button just popped out... Ouch!!
Am trying to get hold of the seller and start a discussin with him what he considers to be "bitemarks" (or Gebissspür as he wrote in German)...

Combo drink/read/smoke (Wednesday)

Today I forgot to take a picture before I started, then suddenly remebered! I then enjoyed about half an hour in the company of this : Liv och död i Antiken Rom (as below), Zlatopramen and a lovely, lovely bowl of Mc Baren's Dark Twist in the Big Ben Brandy that was gifted to me by P.

This evenings read/smoke/drink combo (Tuesday)

This evening I enjoyed about an hour in this company: Tillbaka till stjärnorna (app:"Back to the stars"), McConnell's Oriental Mixture in my Big Ben Lectura and a Fuller's ESB.

This evenings smoke/drink/read combo (Monday)

This evening I spent a good hour in the following company:Liv och död i antikens Rom(app:"Life and death in Rome of Antiquity"), Dunhill's Standard Medium Mixture in my Peterson Emerald XL 31 and a Falcon Ale.

Balkan Sobranie from Roma

THE tobacco - I got it !

T returned from Rome with a small package of two pouches. They were white and had crude depictions of Balkan women by the side of a road packed with mule carts heavily loaded with crates of Balkan Sobranie tobacco...

I'm into E-bay!

Just in time for the weekend, My Peterson arrived. Man, it was pretty! It had a few knock-offs in the rim though and some oxidation left on the P-lip. I decided to clean it up a bit and color those bare wood spots with black dye.

I doused a cleaner with pipe sweetener and showed it all the way throgh the stem and let it lie for a half hour, then repeated with new doused and dry cleaners til they came out white(ish).

Took some cleaning paste and went to work on the button of the P-lip and the stem. Wiped it off and smeared with a drop of olive oil and let that rest for a few hours.

Wiped the entire pipe off with a clean cloth and lo and behold... it was a beauty!

I'm into E-bay(help me somebody) II

Yep, I got my first cheap-o pipe, and it looked okay, only I'm not even sure it's made of briar wood or some weird plastic or sumthin'... I'll use it as a knockabout pipe 'cause it smokes well, was cheap and the rustication forgives any damage and scratches.

BUT. The E-bay possibilities of buying has gotten its claws deep in my soul, and the other day I bought my very first Dunhill (the "Rolls-Royce of pipes") on a German/Swiss Ebay auction... It is a rare '73 Size 4 Author in Bruyere finish, but it cost me what I pay for a Stanwell in my B&M...

I have paid and the seller claims to have shipped, but I'vve yet to see my pipe... Holding my breath for the Peterson as well.

I'm into E-bay(help me somebody)

For the last week or so I have suddenly realised that I can buy "estate" (fancy word for "used") pipeson E-bay at a fraction of the prices I get to pay for new ones.

A lottery? Sure. Russian roulette? Not quite that drastic, but yeah I guess you could suffer some losses buying used stuff off of the Internet. Considering I bought my current CAR that way without hesitation, I feel FAIRLY content with doing it this way.

My first buy ("Bay"?) was a really cheap new rusticated Canadian under the name of "Golden Bark 7001" and I've yet to see it in IRL, even though I paid 182 SEK in the Nordea the day before yesterday...

My second one was for a Peterson Emerald XL 31 from the UK, only ten minutes ago and I'm still excited from the "sniping" session at the end of the auction...

Let´s see where this leads, I am a lamb in the jaws of global Internet consumetristic ultra capitalism :O

L.O.F. now it's happening

I am reluctant to write down details as I suspect that the "other party" may be reading this, but... I today fulfilled the "Leap of Faith" part II.
The package is in the mail so to speak. I might get back with details later on depending on the outcome. *hush hush*

Tobacco pass finished

G left his reviews today and I answered with the true identities. G liked the Sweet Dublin more that the KongFredrikIX, contrary to how I rank the two, but there you go...
Tried to cross-post the pictures below to the smokersforum but it wasn't all that easy it turned out...

Smokers cabinet

Here's how I store my tobaccos and pipes at home.

Pipe collection

Here's my collection of pipes. Clockwise from top:
1. Nameless meerschaum
2. Bjarne Golden Apple (semi-rusticated)
3. Chacom Prince
4. Brebbia First Gala spigot Bulldog (my 1st pipe!)
5. BigBen Lectura semi-churchwarden
6. HC Andersen III smooth Dublin churchwarden
7. Chanterelle churchwarden (Own production)
8. Booklet churchwarden (Own production)
9. Li'l Abners Mom (Own production)
10. Alco Meerschaum lined Golden Algiers + briar Algiers bowl
11. Peterson smooth Tankard (P-lip)
12. Big Ben Brandy (Thanks P)
13. Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob
14. Big Ben Bora Flair horn
15. Gigi collection pocket pipe

Almost got a Dunhill

On a business trip with colleagues T and J, we visited Uppsala an ancient Unversity town up North. On the way to the meeting we passed a B&M and I just slipped in to have a look. Among all the Stanwells and Ratos was a single Dunhill Bruyere size 2 Billiard in a lovely condition, oxidized stem and a "20" marked as Year. This was labeled 595 SEK (App 80 $)!

With a slight tremor in my voice I asked the young lady behind the counter whether that was actually the price of "the pipe with a white dot" as I sneakingly innocently put it. -Sure, she answered at picked it out of the cabinet. Does it come with a sock or bag or something, I continued. "Sure" was again the answer, "I just gotta check for it" and she went behind the counter. She soon returned with a wrinkled little taped paper note in her hand. "I found another price in the bowl" she said. My spirits sank. "995" she said (app 130 $). "OK" said I, still thinking it would be a bargain at app half the prize, and at the same time a bit less of guilty conscience.

Then she folded the note up once more "Oh, its 1.995 SEK!" (app 275$). Blast. No more bargain, even though the pipe surely was worth it...