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Collector's Guide to Kaywoodie Pipes: Difference between revisions
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*'''Vaduz and Zurich'''. English Kaywoodies are now made by Oppenheimer pipes. Lowndes notes that English Kaywoodies with the "screw-in bit" come in Ruby Grain, Custom Grain, Standard, and Relief Grain grades. The traditional push-bit models come in Continental Plain and Relief, London Made, Minaret, Airway Polished No. 707, and Lightweight grades. Prices in 1985 ranged from 9.50 (pounds) to 26.00 (pounds). Lowndes notes that the Super Star was a special edition English Kaywoodie made of finest briar with a handmade silver band. Lowndes has two: one from Zurich with a large white-outlined logo, and beautifully cased; and one in walnut finish with the black-in-white logo. A recent catalog shows the Super Star without a band and the ordinary small white logo. A 1985 letter from Oppenheimer states that the black-in-white logo has been discontinued and only the regular white logo is now used. | *'''Vaduz and Zurich'''. English Kaywoodies are now made by Oppenheimer pipes. Lowndes notes that English Kaywoodies with the "screw-in bit" come in Ruby Grain, Custom Grain, Standard, and Relief Grain grades. The traditional push-bit models come in Continental Plain and Relief, London Made, Minaret, Airway Polished No. 707, and Lightweight grades. Prices in 1985 ranged from 9.50 (pounds) to 26.00 (pounds). Lowndes notes that the Super Star was a special edition English Kaywoodie made of finest briar with a handmade silver band. Lowndes has two: one from Zurich with a large white-outlined logo, and beautifully cased; and one in walnut finish with the black-in-white logo. A recent catalog shows the Super Star without a band and the ordinary small white logo. A 1985 letter from Oppenheimer states that the black-in-white logo has been discontinued and only the regular white logo is now used. | ||
== HINTS ON COLLECTING, DATING AND PRICING KAYWOODIES == | |||
It should be clear from the preceding chronology that the firm of KB&B probably produced hundreds of thousands of pipes in the years since 1915. There is certainly no shortage of Kaywoodies today., The mid- and low-grade pipes are available in abundance at flea markets and estate sales, and from numerous pipe traders/collectors. | |||
Flea markets are particularly fruitful hunting grounds for Kaywoodie Pipes. Many gems have been discovered among the dusty, heavily oxidized pipes that have found their way to flea markets around the country. The author has found 4-digit Super Grains, Connoisseurs, Flame Grains, and 4-digit pre-fitment Kaywoodies at flea markets for less than $5 each. | |||
Another obvious source of Kaywoodies is other collectors. This source is particularly useful for the rarer, high-grade Kaywoodies. A number of pipe collecting journals carry ads from Kaywoodie collectors and can be a valuable source of general information concerning Kaywoodies, as well as in identifying other Kaywoodie collectors. Readers who may not be familiar with these publications should consult their local tobacconist for details. In fact, pipe shops that deal in estate (pre-smoked) pipes should not be overlooked as a possible source for Kaywoodie Pipes. Additionally, there has been a recent proliferation of mail-order pipe dealers who occasionally offer Kaywoodie Pipes. These dealers frequently advertise in various pipe smoking journals and can be another potentially useful source for Kaywoodie Pipes. | |||
While there does not appear to be a shortage of Kaywoodie Pipes, there is a serious lack of guidelines for accurately dating and pricing Kaywoodie Pipes. Like most pipemakers, KB&B did not use any consistent, easily identifiable system for dating their pipes. Hence, only the following, general guidelines for dating Kaywoodies can be suggested. | |||
*'''Check the Shape Numbers'''. If the pipe has a 4-digit shape number, the pipe is probably of "pre-1936" vintage. If the pipe has a 4-digit shape number and does not have the threaded fitment, it is probably from before 1925. The information in Chapter 3 on pipe grades, along with the shape lists in the Appendix, can, also be useful in dating a pipe. Because grades and shapes frequently changed, this information can be useful in establishing an approximate date, especially if the pipe in question is of an unusual shape and/or grade. Fortunately, the older, more desirable Kaywoodies (i.e., those of pre-1936 vintage) can be identified by their 4-digit shape numbers. | |||
*'''Examine Logo, Stampings and Fitment'''. The pre-WWII Kaywoodies had elongated white cloverleaf logos and large screw-in fitments (with the possible exception of the pre-1925 and "export" Kaywoodies, which had no fitments). Some of the pre-1936 Kaywoodies were stamped (on the shank) with a cloverleaf around KBB. Sometime between 1936 and 1947, the better pipes were marked with a black cloverleaf inside a white dot. However, because many of the pipes in the 1968-69 catalog still show this type of logo, the black-in-white logo merely indicates a "post 1936" vintage. Current (Italian-made) Kaywoodies have the "white outline" logo. | |||
With the exception of the early (pre-1936) pipes, it is very difficult to date Kaywoodies precisely. Typically, one must rely upon "guestimates" based on a number of factors. As a final suggestion, it never hurts to ask the seller/owner about the history of the pipe (it may turnout that the owner of the pipe knows approximately when the pipe was purchased). | |||
Because there are relatively few Kaywoodie collectors (the number appears to be growing, however), and because there is a general lack of knowledge concerning the basic hierarchy of Kaywoodie Pipes, there does not appear to be a widely accepted pricing scale for Kaywoodie Pipes. As an example, a leading mail-order pipe company recently offered low-grade Kaywoodies (Signet, "600") at the same (or higher) prices than Flame and Matched Grain Kaywoodies. Based on very limited information, the current dealer's price for Flame Grain grade Kaywoodies appears to be in the range of S25 to $35, depending on condition. | |||
The annual inflation rate in this country has averaged about 4% per year since 1950. At this rate, 1988 consumer prices are about double the 1968 prices. The dealer price of $25 to $35 for Flame Grain grade Kaywoodies, then, appears reasonable13 (as shown in Table 4, Kaywoodie Flame Grains sold for $15 in 1968-69). Therefore, as a rough rule-of-thumb, one could simply double the 1968-69 prices given in Table 4 (see Section 3.4) to estimate "current prices" of Kaywoodie Pipes. This, of course, should not be taken as a hard-and-fast rule, as a number of other factors such as condition, age and 'rarity can significantly affect prices. The seller's knowledge (or lack of knowledge) also affects price. As noted earlier, Kaywoodie prices may be substantially lower at flea markets and estate sales. (Prices can also be substantially higher if the seller believes that a pipe is "old" and/or "rare"). Perhaps the best source of information on the current value of Kaywoodie Pipes, is other (knowledgeable) Kaywoodie collectors. Of course, the bottom line on the value of any collectible is what the collector is "willing to pay". | |||
As a final note, the Kaywoodie collector should bear in mind that, with the possible exception of the older, higher grade pipes, there is currently no shortage of Kaywoodies. For the collector who is willing to shop-around, it is still possible to develop an extensive collection of Kaywoodie Pipes without spending a great deal of money. | |||
= ENDNOTES = | |||
1. Hacker, R.C. The Ultimate Pipe Book. Autumngold Publishing, Beverly Hills, CA, 1984, pp. 256-259. | |||
2. William Lowndes, a well-known Kaywoodie Collector from California, suggests that KB&B may have experimented with other names before settling on "Kaywoodie". Lowndes notes that he has an early KB&B Pipe stamped "Dinwoodie". | |||
3. Author's Note: Lowndes suggests that the Kaywoodie "Drinkless" (screw-in filter) fitment was introduced about 1925. The Synchro-Stem and Drinkless names refer to complementary elements of a single design feature. "Synchro-Stem" refers to the threaded insert in the shank of the pipe that accommodates the "Drinkless" metal filter in the bit of the pipe. | |||
4. As an aside, the 1936 catalog introduces the Carburetor as "the newest Kaywoodie". However, the author has a Carburetor with a four-digit shape number; suggesting that the practice of using four-digit shape numbers was discontinued in the years just prior to 1936 | |||
5. In The Ultimate Pipe Book (p. 256), Hacker mentions sets of twelve and fourteen pipes of matching briar. The twelve and fourteen pipe sets mentioned by Hacker do not appear in any of the catalogs reviewed in this research. | |||
6. The appearance of the Centennial pipe in 1947 seems somewhat premature. If the founding of the firm is taken as 1851 (see Chapter 2), the firm's centennial would have been in 1951. | |||
7. Subsequent Kaywoodie catalogs do not show the "Hercules", "John Henry", or "Paul Bunyan" oversize styles. | |||
8. A 1938 Yello-Bole catalog contains a photograph of a "Jumbo" Chesterfield. The pipe in the photo has a four-digit shape number (No. 3068C). This would suggest that: 1) the Kaywoodie Chesterfield was available much earlier than 1955 (but wasn't shown in earlier Kaywoodie catalogs); and 2) the use of 4-digit shape numbers continued into the mid-30's (e.g., the photo used in the 1938 Yello-Bole catalog could have been a pre-1936 "file photo"). | |||
9. The Stembiter pipe was shown in a 1938 Yello-Bole catalog and, like the Chesterfield pipe, may have been in the Kaywoodie line before 1955 | |||
10. Lowndes suggests that another series of Collector's (shapes 11C-16C) may have been available in the early 1970's | |||
11. A 1947 catalog notes that "The mouthpiece [Bits] of Kaywoodie Pipes are 'canted' slightly to the left when new. Regular use will shortly bring them into perfect alignment." | |||
12.Author's note: The 1955 catalog offers pipes with matching briar pipe rests (called "Briar Mates"). The Flame Grain Briar Mates were available in a choice of Black or "Yellow Ambera Bits". Also see "Presentation Block Meerschaum" (Section 3.5). | |||
13. Pre_smoked pipes, however, generally sell for about one-half the "new" price. On the other hand, it could be argued that briar prices have increased faster than prices for most other consumer goods and the dealer prices quoted above may still be reasonable, even for pre-smoked pipes. | |||
== Table 2 Notes: == | |||
a) Small (half-size) versions of 3.50, 5, 7.50, and $10 grades.<br> | |||
b) In case lined with velvet and satin.<br> | |||
c) In morocco leather case, lined with white satin and velvet. | |||
== Table 3 Notes: == | |||
a) These pipes are described in the previous section of this Chapter.<br> | |||
b) See Table 4.<br> | |||
== Table 4 Notes: == | |||
a) These pipes are described in the previous section of this Chapter. | |||
== Table 5 Notes: == | |||
a)These are shape numbers and/or descriptions that did not appear in any of the catalogs | |||
summarized in Sections 3.1-3.4.<br> | |||
b)These numbers appeared in the 1936 catalog with different descriptions (see Appendix). | |||
== A Partial Chronology of Kaywoodie Grades, Shapes and Prices (1936 - 1969) == | == A Partial Chronology of Kaywoodie Grades, Shapes and Prices (1936 - 1969) == | ||