This is the second Silver Match that I’ve worked on. Both came to me in what I’ve called the French Lot of 50 that I acquired in August 2018 from a seller in Paris. My wife and I were still living in Sofia, Bulgaria and I found a lot of treasures while living in Europe. …
Continue reading Diving Deeper into the Provenance of a Silver Match Safari Saint-Claude France
The Bulldog now on the worktable came to me from a very generous donor who did the leg work for me. Nancy and her husband Mark are from Johnson City, Tennessee and attend Westminster Presbyterian Church, a church that prayerfully and financially supported our work in Europe for over 30 years. Over the years, we …
Continue reading A Pipe for Commemoration: Breathing New Life into an Unbranded Bent Bulldog
It’s been a long road getting back to the worktable to work on the next pipe. I DO appreciate the patience of pipemen waiting for their commissioned pipes. The trip my wife and I finished the beginning of the February took us to Southern California where we celebrated Christmas and New Year's with family and …
Continue reading An Upgrade for a Whimsical Lorenzo Hourglass Matera Studio 807 Italy
The next pipe on the worktable came to me in November 2021 when my wife and I were on a road trip. As we were cruising through Des Moines, Iowa on I-70, we saw the sign for the Brass Armadillo – a huge antique mall. We decided to stop and see what treasures we could …
Continue reading New Life for a Barontini Lite 22 Italy Bent Dublin
Another interesting pipe has been commissioned coming from the Lot of 68. I saw this Lot of pipes on the eBay auction block in February 2019 from a seller in West Hartford, Connecticut. The time ran out and my bid was the last one standing. These pipes eventually made their way to the For “Pipe …
It has been fun and a privilege to restore pipes commissioned by Justin which he chose as gifts for 3 good friend in his church home group and his father. All these pipes were ‘picked’ by me in August 2021 in the coastal city of Burgas during a visit to our former home in Bulgaria. …
The next pipe on the worktable is the second of 4 pipes commissioned by Justin who is a fellow follower of Jesus and lives in Alabama. These 4 pipes Justin commissioned are gifts for 3 good friends in his church home group. The other pipe is going to Justin’s father. I told the full story …
Continue reading The Second Gift of Four From Bulgaria: A Denicotea Absorba 2164 Bent Rhodesian
Even as I begin this project, I’m not sure if this Big-Ben Crosley is going to come out on the other side ready to go again. It came to me in February 2019 as part of a Lot of 68 pipes from a seller in West Hartford, Connecticut. My final bid was sufficient and the …
The next pipe came to me as part of a Lot of 68 pipes in February 2019. The seller in West Hartford, Connecticut, had the Lot on the auction block and my bid won the day. There were 3 pipes of the same unbranded series with the COM Italy that stood out with their ‘Seahorse’ …
Continue reading Refreshing a ‘Seahorse’ Rusticated Dublin of Italy
The next pipe on the worktable came to me from a pipeman in nearby Lakewood, Colorado. I met him when I responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad for a Zero Gravity recliner. When I went to his house to eyeball the recliner, I pulled up to the driveway and saw a pipeman in his comfy …
Continue reading New Beginnings for a Preben Holm Ben Wade Deluxe Hand Made Denmark Freehand
The Pipe Steward 