Sprucing Up a Classy Savinelli Silver 111 KS Italy Billiard

It’s fitting that the next pipe on the worktable is another well-known Italian pipe name, Savinelli.  Pipe man Gary from North Carolina added this Italian to the Brebbia Portofino, which came out great.  In the research drilling down to understand the origins of the Brebbia Portofino line, I discovered that this production line was an …

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Reviving a Kiko Countryman Genuine Block Meerschaum 7 Billiard of TANGANYIKA

The Kiko on the worktable came to me on a pipe picking expedition on December 27, 2019.  My wife and I were still living in Sofia, Bulgaria, where we had lived for 15 years.  In the center of the city is erected a majestic Orthodox church called Nevski Cathedral.  Just a small distance from Nevski …

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A New Beginning for an Elegant Orlik Royal Sovereign Made in England 188 Prince

The next pipe on the worktable is an elegant Prince shape commissioned by pipe man, Mike, who has commissioned other pipes as well benefiting the Daughters of Bulgaria – helping women and girls who have been trafficked and sexually exploited.  Mike is the founder and administrator of the FB group, Brothers by Briar, and currently …

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A Fresh Start for an Unbranded Italy Slightly Bent Oval Shank Billiard

The next pipe on the worktable got my attention when I saw it in January of 2018 on the online auction block from a seller in Hillsdale, Indiana.  Even though the only clue to its provenance was the stamp, ‘Italy’, I liked the oval shank and that gentle, slight bend that lends itself to the …

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Overcoming a Cracked Bowl and Button Rebuild for a French GEFAPIP 2500 Rusticated Dublin

The next pipe on the worktable came to me in what I have called the St. Louis Lot of 26 which my son, Josiah, discovered in a local antique shop.  He sent pictures to me in Bulgaria where we were still living, and I liked what I saw.  Josiah had one caveat regarding the purchase: …

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A Fresh Start for a Savinelli Oscar Aged Briar 102 Billiard of Italy

The next pipe on the table has some sentimental value to me.  It came to me in July of 2018 as a gift from a dear friend in Bulgaria.  Svetly actually gifted me 3 pipes on this occasion with the bones of one more.  A ‘Nelson’ quarter bent Billiard, London England, a Churchwarden Bruyere Garantie, …

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Uncovering the Origins of an Early 1900s French Aspir Fabrication L.M.B. Petite Billiard

It doesn’t surprise me that this unique, petite French Billiard came to me in a lot of pipes I purchased from a seller in Paris.  The French Lot of 50 was on the French eBay auction block in August of 2018 when my wife and I were still living in Sofia, Bulgaria.  A pipe man …

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A Stately Stanwell Handmade Canadian of Denmark Comes Back to Life

I acquired this attractive Stanwell Handmade Canadian from a seller in Kallithea, Greece, just south of Athens.  The final bid was sufficient and the Canadian made its way to Sofia, Bulgaria, where we were living, and it joined other pipes in the ‘For “Pipe Dreamers” ONLY!’ where pipe men and women can commission pipes that …

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Reclaiming a Wenhall Futura 87 Fancy Rusticated Miniature Billiard from a Shank Crack and Crushed Stem

The next pipe on the worktable I found on the online auction block in December of 2017.  I was drawn to the pipe by its unique shape and deeply carved rustication which could almost pass for an ‘extreme’ blasted surface.  As often is the case with online sellers, the pictures don’t always tell everything, and …

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