I don't think it's weird, but everyone I know does, so here goes!
I collect and smoke both new and antique briar and meerschaum pipes, as well as collecting and "cellaring" pipe tobacco (storing and aging, kind of like wine or liquor).
Here's my collection so far, growth is on a hiatus because funds are not conducive to such a pricey hobby (decent pipes are anywhere between 50 and 300 bucks, and soar even higher, imported and local blends of tobacco are 4 to 25 bucks an ounce due to rarity and my state's wacky sin taxation laws).
Savinelli (Italian firm dating from 1876) Bent Bulldog also know as a Rhodesian.
Dr. Grabow (American firm from 1932) "Golden Duke" carved Zulu also know as a yachtsman or a severely canted Dublin to some who like to argue.
Another Dr. Grabow, this one an "Omega" fully bent Billiard with a nickel banded shank "military mount" stem connection.
My over the counter tobacco (rare stuff is jarred up), tools, cleaning supplies, and beater pipe box, which I think was a stationary box from France, found while Antiquing.
1960's Era Kaywoodie (American firm from 1919) Campus or "White Briar" "Drinkless" straight Billiard. I scraped the finish off in a hair brained scheme to stain it a different color, but that's another story. Details explaining all the stuff in quotations next time it shows up in the photo rotation.
Modern Bruyere Garantie straight Billiard (French "basket" pipe, as in cheap pipes by new carvers or budget firms are placed in a basket at the front of a pipe shop, kind of like a discount basket, all the high end stuff is wall mounted behind the register or under glass)
Another Bruyere Garantie, this time a larger straight apple. The weird mark is from a putty fill on the bowl, which you see with cheaper pipes, nicer pipes made out of better briar without pits or flaws cost an arm and a leg.
Leonessa (Italian firm that makes middle of the road priced pies) heavily rusticated straight Billiard.
Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob, these guys are the Ford of Corn Cobs, and have been around since America has. Despite being ugly, and cheap, these are fantastic smokers. Problem is you look like a dumb hick with one.
Turkish Block Meerschaum straight apple. Meershaum is a mineral mined underground in Turkey for pipes and statuary. Turkish Law forbids the export of raw Meerschaum, so as to protect the Turkish pipe carving industry. These color over the years from white, to yellow, to red, to brown, due to the stone's porous nature absorbing all the oils and nicotine. Meers are ALWAYS expensive, even the cheap crappy ones.
The crown jewel, a MASSIVE sabertooth tiger monster eagle thingamajig meerschaum, this thing will take a lifetime or two to totally color, and costs way to much to think about, twas a Christmas Gift!
1800/1900's Bavarian "Tyrolean" style hunter's pipe. Snagged this from an antique shop, and it smokes like shit. But it looks sweet, check the Elk carved on the bowl.
Happy Halloween!
You can actually prank call me and ask if I have Price Albert in a can!
This meer is already starting to turn a light cream from it's original white.
Another Savinelli, this one a rusticated Canadian ((basically a long shanked short stemmed straight Billiard that is flat on the bottom to sit on a table)
Presbyterian Mixture, one of the older "English" style blends, smells like a campfire, or a dumptruck on fire, depending on how pro or anti tobacco the person you ask is.
Another Savinelli, this is your standard straight Bulldog shape, with a saddle stem.
Mac Baren Stockton Roll Cake, it doesn't taste like cake I'll tell you that!
They spin dark fired Kentucky and bright Virginians in to a rope, then cut it in to coins, this is old school 1800's sailor style stuff.
Mystery antique long shanked cutty shape, this one is so old the maker's stamping on the shank are illegible, so no one can tell me where it's from. Also picture is some Navy Flake strips and a tin of Frog Morton On the Bayou.
H.I.S. slightly bent Billiard with a saddle bit, this company is a known factor second of a larger Italian Firm, not bad for the price.
Erinmoore Flake is a fruity topped strong flake, old world style, think fruit cigar.
Late 60's early 70's Extra Large Laughing Bacchus (Roman God of wine I think) fully bent Meerschaum. This one would normally be out of my price range, but a coworker donated me her grandfather's collection. Do not laugh at the name of Early Morning Pipe, it's immature.
Early morning pipe is a light English blend, meaning it doesn't smell as much like a burning dumptruck or seventeen cigars at once as Presbyterian Mixture does.
Antique late 60's Master Craft fully bent Billiard. Mastercraft was an American firm that imported work from across the world of pipe making, so this could be English, French, Italian, Scandinavian, or even Israeli in Manufacture. (
I know it says Italy, but that is because Italian Briar is the standard of pipe woods, and so anything that is decent is stamped Italy, not always proof it was CARVED in Italy mind you) Captain Black is the McDonalds of Pipe Tobacco, if you have vague recollections of an uncle or Grandpa smoking a pipe it was probably this stuff in the bowl. Sweet vanilla / chocolate black cavendish blend.
So the old Kaywoodie? It's a drinkless because of that weird aluminum extension protruding from the stem. Thought was it filtered moisture and impurities out of the smoke, but all it did was make the thing harder to clean. These we're REALLY popular in the 30's through the 70's so you find a fuckton of them on the estate antique market. Not bad if you don't mind OCD levels of cleaning.
Late 70's Tinderbox Monza branded Savinelli, Oom Paul shape, named after Paul Kruger face of the Boer Resistance to the British during what is known as the South African or Second Boer War of 1899 - 1902. Sits on a table like a motherfucker, but takes about two hours to smoke. The stuff in the red tin is CHERRY, like way too much cherry.
H.I.S. Straight flame grained Billiard with a slightly bent stem, H.I.S. is a factory second of the Italian Firm Gardesana.
Yello Bole fully bent small Billard, this one is stamped KBB which means it's anywhere from 1930's no later than 1970's. Since it was gifted from someone's great grandfather and looks beat to all hell and is a super small size I'm guessing 40's or so. Bendy ones like this are a bitch to clean without disassembling them, and doing that while still hot from smoking can crack shanks or stems, so I don't usually pick these up.
Some French unstained Dublin and a silly Danish Freehand, plus an angry coffee mug!
Sailor's wheel pipe rack found antiquing.
Better shot of almost everything, plus my other weird nerdy or antique stuff.
Spitfire dress or "opera: finish Billard with silver and saddle stem. Dress finish denotes the black on black with sliver, to match your tux when you go to the theater. No one's done that in 70 years so I'm not sure why they still make these. Spitfire is factory second budget line of Lorenzo, an Italian firm from 1900.
Small Turkish Block Meerschaum Bent Bulldog or ""Rhodesian", already starting to color. I didn't have a choice on the inner case color so shaddup.
Ugly as sin no name devil pipe from the 70's, keeping with the evil motif is a can of Olde E.
Some new no name rusticated billiard with an obnoxious new art acrylic stem, I bought this to throw some cash at the last local operating interdependent Pipe Shop, everything else around is either closed or franchise.
I like to smoke when I play Magic, and I usually lose because I spend more time fiddling with my pipe or sipping whatever random craft beer I've run across. My girlfriend builds nasty competitive decks and slaughters me 90% of the time.
7 Seas Black, it's black, and it's Vanilla!
W.O Larsen 2011 Limited Edition, these guys claim to be the purveyors to the Royal Danish Court since 1864, whoop de freaking doo!
I jarred their weird raspberry blueberry tobacco and now use the tin for nerdy dice related storage.
Mac Baren Symphony is burly flake, but it's ready rubbed too, which mean someone hand broke the flake apart. I like to do that so I'm not sure why they do this, maybe other smokers are lazy.
About half of my current collection going in to long term storage, I'll crack it in a few years and see what got better and what needs more time.
McClelland's Christmas Cheer 2011 smells like Catsup and Vinegar, but it actually tastes really freaking awesome, I promise. It's a chunky flake, so it needs to be rubbed out. (no snickering)
Here's what it looks like when I rub it out. (I swore to never type that)
Jarred up and ready for long term storage.
Seattle Pipe Smoker's Club blend #3, gotta support the local guys.
Jarred up, away it goes.
Sutliff Private Stock Molte Dolce is a heavily cased (flavored) aromatic tobacco, to the point of being wet to the touch. Pros, it smells and tastes like honey and caramel, Cons it gunks up a pipe pretty fast and will stain anything it touches.
