Custom-Bilt: Difference between revisions

[[File:CustomBiltBox06.jpg|thumb|400px|Courtesy Doug Valitchka]]

== A REVIEW BY RICHARD ESSERMAN ==

A most interesting discussion in this chapter is the discussion of Hetzer Hartsock’s carved pipes, which included a special ‘Stalin/Roosevelt’ pipe. Hartsock also did carved heads and other figures. Carved head and other such pipes were very popular at the time. One 5 pipe set of Hartsock special carvings was "valued" at $5,000. Also during the Rich era, Custombilt had a carved animal line which were relatively inexpensive at $7.50 as compared to the regular line. There were also special orders available that cost up to $500.00. One wonders what difference could have caused such a radical change in price.

American companies such as Marxman were doing similar things. One Marxman carved head actually was valued at $7,500! It seems to me that Mincer was trying to show that the Custom-Bilt company was a complete outfit capable of making the same things as some of the "big boys" of the day.

There were other variations, such as the Covertible (removable bowl), the Saddle, Military Bit stems, and others.

I think that many people know the Custombilt pipe made by Wally Frank at the Weber factory. These pipes were based upon the original Custom-Bilt finishes using Greek briar.

Bill ends the book by writing, "It would be interesting to know how much the various pipe carvers at the various American pipe companies were aware of each other or communicated with each other (in the 1940s and 1950s) when pipe making was a booming industry in the United States." I suspect there was a lot of communication and a lot of sharing (buying) of bowls among the factories. If you look closely at certain stamps on some of the major brands of that day, they are identical.

File:Custombilt07.jpg

File:CustomBilt07a.jpg

=== My Own Sense of the Custom-Bilt Pipe ===

Unfortunately, for me, I know I can stop looking for a Magnum-sized early Custom-Bilt. All the pipes were made from the same sized blocks, which were not of Magnum size.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Bill did a great job and I highly recommend it. It is a must for the serious pipe collector.

== A REVIEW BY TONY SODERMAN ==

'''THE CUSTOM-BILT PIPE STORY, by William E. Unger, Jr., Ph.D'''  

Available from the author [http://naspc.org/books.htm (order from)]. 263 pages, plastic spiral bound, 87 illustrations: pipe photographs and reproductions of rare ads and catalogs. Chapter One: The Companies; Chapter Two: The People; Chapter Three: The Pipes; A carefully researched history of these increasingly collectible pipes, from their beginning, with Tracy Mincer in 1929, to their last manufacture in 1998. A guide to the names and distinguishing features of the many different variations. Reviews by [http://naspc.org/Archives/esserman.htm Richard Esserman], and [http://naspc.org/Archives/soderman.htm Tony Soderman].

[[Category: Pipe makers by nationality]]

[[Category: United States]]