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Mastercraft: Difference between revisions
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Bing Crosby smoked Mastercraft pipes and can be seen in their magazine ads. | Bing Crosby smoked Mastercraft pipes and can be seen in their magazine ads. | ||
[[File:Mastercraft 1945.jpg|thumb|Ad from 1945, courtesy Doug Valitchka]][[File:Mastercraft Bing 1946.jpg|thumb|Ad from 1946, courtesy Doug Valitchka]]The following information comes from a posting made by "Ted" -- the former Exec VP of Grabow/Mastercraft [http://drgrabows.myfreeforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=155&start=0] | [[File:Mastercraft 1945.jpg|thumb|Ad from 1945, courtesy Doug Valitchka]][[File:Mastercraft Bing 1946.jpg|thumb|Ad from 1946, courtesy Doug Valitchka]][[File:mastercraft-pipe-packaging.jpg|thumb|Early "Hand Made" line Mastercraft Pipe, and original packaging, courtesy [[Todd Bannard]] (The Sasquatch)]][[File:Mastercraft-Booklet.jpg|thumb|Old Mastercraft Use and Care Booklet, courtesy [[Todd Bannard]] (The Sasquatch)]]The following information comes from a posting made by "Ted" -- the former Exec VP of Grabow/Mastercraft [http://drgrabows.myfreeforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=155&start=0] | ||
It doesn't appear it was ever a manufacturer and bought pipes from multiple factories -- mostly French and English. It survived briefly the post war recovery and then was acquired by Grabow. | It doesn't appear it was ever a manufacturer and bought pipes from multiple factories -- mostly French and English. It survived briefly the post war recovery and then was acquired by Grabow. | ||
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United States Tobacco(UST)(Skoal and Copenhagen) bought Grabow in 69' from the Lavietes family. In 74' they bought M/C from Bernard Hochstein and moved it into the EXACT facility Grabow occupied. I was named "operations manager" and we were in the basement of a 4 story building in Sparta, NC. | United States Tobacco(UST)(Skoal and Copenhagen) bought Grabow in 69' from the Lavietes family. In 74' they bought M/C from Bernard Hochstein and moved it into the EXACT facility Grabow occupied. I was named "operations manager" and we were in the basement of a 4 story building in Sparta, NC. | ||
<gallery widths=250 heights=185 caption="Examples and details, courtesy Doug Valitchka"> | |||
MC_POW01.jpg|POW Apple | |||
MC_POW07.jpg|Apple detail | |||
MC_POW08.jpg|Apple detail | |||
MCCanadian01.jpg|Canadian | |||
MCCanadian07.jpg|Canadian detail | |||
MC_Zulu01.jpg|Zulu | |||
MC_Zulu07.jpg |Zulu detail | |||
MC_Bent01.jpg|1/8 Bent Dublin | |||
MC_Bent07.jpg|1/8 Bent Dublin details | |||
MC_Bulldog01.jpg|Bulldog | |||
MC_Bulldog07.jpg|Bulldog details | |||
MC_Bulldog08.jpg|Bulldog details | |||
MCDublin01.jpg|Full Bent Dublin | |||
MCDublin07.jpg|Full Bent Dublin details | |||
File:Mastercraft-CustomDeluxe01.jpg|Custom Deluxe w/Box | |||
File:Mastercraft-CustomDeluxe07.jpg|Custom Deluxe details | |||
</gallery> | |||
M/C was STRICTLY an importer of pipes and pipe related merchandise. In 74' when M/C moved from NYC to NC the inventory of finished goods was stored in a facility in Winston Salem, NC. Lentz Moving and Storage. Stacked 10 feet high the inventory covered 180,000 square feet....FINISHED. In my time at Grabow I had never seen that much finished stock, and the shapes, manufacturers,finishes. Heaven for a pipe smoker.....Damn right. You would have had to slap me really hard to get the grin off my face. | M/C was STRICTLY an importer of pipes and pipe related merchandise. In 74' when M/C moved from NYC to NC the inventory of finished goods was stored in a facility in Winston Salem, NC. Lentz Moving and Storage. Stacked 10 feet high the inventory covered 180,000 square feet....FINISHED. In my time at Grabow I had never seen that much finished stock, and the shapes, manufacturers,finishes. Heaven for a pipe smoker.....Damn right. You would have had to slap me really hard to get the grin off my face. | ||
I'll just list a few Manufacturers/names of the inventory.England | I'll just list a few Manufacturers/names of the inventory. | ||
*England | |||
**Parker/Hardcastle(Dunhill) | |||
**Orlick | |||
*France | |||
**Jeantet | |||
**Jima | |||
**Cherrywoods | |||
*Italy | |||
**GIGI pipe | |||
**Radica | |||
**Rossi | |||
**Federico Rovera | |||
**Emilio Rovera | |||
**Santambrogio | |||
**Brebbia | |||
*Meerschaums from Austria | |||
**Strambach | |||
*Lighters from Japan | |||
*Pouches and accessories from Hong Kong | |||
*and the Israeli pipes from Mr. Hochstein's sons. | |||
Trust me...This is only a small sample of the things M/C had, and bought into inventory. | |||
Now the connection. Since M/C and Grabow shared a building, and I was an employee of Grabow we compared notes. Grabow copied a BUNCH of M/C items fully with my help and some skills I had developed. | Now the connection. Since M/C and Grabow shared a building, and I was an employee of Grabow we compared notes. Grabow copied a BUNCH of M/C items fully with my help and some skills I had developed. | ||