Post by sablebrush52 on Jun 25, 2017 3:52:15 GMT -5
I would have posted this earlier but I've been away for a few weeks, first attending the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, then heading up to Ashland Oregon to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
May was a pretty good month for vintage Barlings. Shortly after I acquired the 1872 Barling Magnum, a friend offered to sell me this pipe. First a little backstory.
Last year, several pipes went up for sale on eBay that were of special interest to me. All were from 1926 and all had model numbers stamped on the shank that matched the model numbers in the pre WW1 Barling catalog that I had restored and published several years ago. I had never seen Barlings from this period that were stamped with model numbers. 1926 is a significant year as it was in 1926 that Barling resumed exporting pipes to the US, and I suspect that the model stamps were added to distinguish Barlings meant for the domestic market from those being sent to the US. It was about this time that Barling developed the four digit model numbering system that they continued to use on pipes intended for the British market. Naturally I wanted one for my collection and to add to the Pipedia Barling page.
When these pipes went up for auction on eBay, my friend called me to ask if I planned to bid on this pipe as he really wanted it, but wouldn't bid against me. I told him to go after it, that I wouldn't bid on it, and wished him good luck. I bid on one of the other pipes, which went for a stratospheric price, and he won his auction. So no 1926, model number stamped, Barling for me.
Late in May, my friend contacted me to find out if I was still interested in buying this pipe. He had been given a 1926 Dunhill and figured that he didn't need two pipes from 1926, so it was mine if I was willing to reimburse him for what he had paid for it.
When the pipe arrived I found it to be barely smoked. The chamber was solid, no scorching or spider webbing. The bit of tar on the rim cleaned off in a couple of minutes. There was almost no residue in the shank airway, mortise, or stem airway. All told it took me about 15 to 20 minutes to thoroughly clean, sanitize and polish it. The pipe is a model 31, also known as a "Montreal" in the pre WW1 Barling catalog. I apologize for the pix as I took them on the fly, but they're good enough to show the pipe.
May was a pretty good month for vintage Barlings. Shortly after I acquired the 1872 Barling Magnum, a friend offered to sell me this pipe. First a little backstory.
Last year, several pipes went up for sale on eBay that were of special interest to me. All were from 1926 and all had model numbers stamped on the shank that matched the model numbers in the pre WW1 Barling catalog that I had restored and published several years ago. I had never seen Barlings from this period that were stamped with model numbers. 1926 is a significant year as it was in 1926 that Barling resumed exporting pipes to the US, and I suspect that the model stamps were added to distinguish Barlings meant for the domestic market from those being sent to the US. It was about this time that Barling developed the four digit model numbering system that they continued to use on pipes intended for the British market. Naturally I wanted one for my collection and to add to the Pipedia Barling page.
When these pipes went up for auction on eBay, my friend called me to ask if I planned to bid on this pipe as he really wanted it, but wouldn't bid against me. I told him to go after it, that I wouldn't bid on it, and wished him good luck. I bid on one of the other pipes, which went for a stratospheric price, and he won his auction. So no 1926, model number stamped, Barling for me.
Late in May, my friend contacted me to find out if I was still interested in buying this pipe. He had been given a 1926 Dunhill and figured that he didn't need two pipes from 1926, so it was mine if I was willing to reimburse him for what he had paid for it.
When the pipe arrived I found it to be barely smoked. The chamber was solid, no scorching or spider webbing. The bit of tar on the rim cleaned off in a couple of minutes. There was almost no residue in the shank airway, mortise, or stem airway. All told it took me about 15 to 20 minutes to thoroughly clean, sanitize and polish it. The pipe is a model 31, also known as a "Montreal" in the pre WW1 Barling catalog. I apologize for the pix as I took them on the fly, but they're good enough to show the pipe.
