Happy New Year

I would like to wish all of you a very happy, safe, healthy and exciting new year. May your medical tests come back clean...may your jobs remain secure...may your bills be paid...may your pipes be full...may your coffee be fresh and hot...may your cats be well-fed.

New Acquisition 12/23/2008 Stanwell 190

I really like Stanwell pipes so when I saw this new panel billiard shape I knew I was going to have to start collecting them. This one will be the first one in what I hope to be a series of one in each finish. This one is in the Legend finish. The brass band is a nice touch to the transition of the reddish-orange to the jet-black stem.

New Acquisition 12/23/2008 Mario Grandi freehand

For a long time I wondered about how good the Mario Grandi pipes are. I've seen them on EBay for a couple of years now but so far very little information about them. I recently found out that the pipemaker who makes the Mastro Beraldi pipes also makes the Mario Grandis.

This pipe was the very first Grandi I have seen sporting a white stem. It also has a gorgeous blue acrylic shank band and the shape reminds me very much of the 2002 Nording Hunting Pipe.