Description

Happy Holidays!!! This week will be my final round of auctions in 2024, what a year!!! Auctions will resume 1/5 ending 1/12. First and foremost, I want to deeply and sincerely thank all of you for checking out my shop week after week and supporting me as not only patrons but friends. I can't put into words how much it means to me and my family and I've said it a ton of times to many of you but the pleasure is truly all mine! I greatly enjoy being able to offer fine pipes week in and week out and see the joy it brings so many. Being that it's the holidays and it's "retail" time, for my final auctions of the year I decided to offer nothing but unsmoked pipes! There is something for everyone and whether you're treating a fellow pipe smoker to something special as a gift or for yourself, I hope you win an amazing pipe that catches your eye! So, for whatever it's worth, thank you a MILLION for your continued patronage and here's to an even bigger and better 2025! All the best to you and yours during this holiday season. Cheers! -Todd aka Deadmanspipes Where do I begin with this one, holy smokes!! I recently acquired this remarkable pipe in a world classic collection of antique pipes which are my favorite of all time, the older the better and I have to say this will undoubtedly be not only memorable but one I'm sure to regret letting go! If ever there was a "Museum Piece", this is it. I had thought about contacting the Racine & Laramie shop near me here in San Diego to see if they want to purchase this pipe for their pipe museum but sadly not long ago the longtime owner passed away so I offer it here to find a new home where I know it will be prominently displayed; though, for once I can't say whether or not I recommend smoking this one! While it is perfectly functional of course, I just don't know if I could personally christen a pipe this old and magnificent! WDC or William Demuth & Co. was started by a gent of the same name who was a German immigrant to the U.S. in the 1800's. He got into the business working as a clerk for a tobacco importer and not long after started his own company c.1862. It's hard to say how old this pipe is, but it does have an "eye" shaped slot in the bit so I'm guessing maybe late 1800's to possibly even as late as the 1920's. I also have an inkling this pipe may have been a display piece in one of their stores as it certainly would turn heads and bring in customers! At over 12" long it is a truly incredible Bulldog that barley fits in my lightbox and I think the star of the show is the real "Egg Yolk" Amber stem that alone measures 9", wow! Can you imagine the size of the piece of amber needed to carve this stem from??? And, look at that real snake skin case! The size of the scales are huge so this came from a very large snake. The case is lined with suede and has a silver lettering "WDC Finest Quality" banner. The Bulldog bowl is undoubtedly carved from the finest Turkish Block meerschaum and about a Group 5+ with fine double beads, extra thick walls and a lovely ornate gilt rim cap that opens to a healthy sized chamber. Shank is classic muscular diamond and adorned with a brilliant Sterling Silver band struck "WDC Sterling" and oh how I wish it was hallmarked! The super long Amber stem sits in the mortise with a tapered bone tenon as seen and there's a slight gap at the face but it designed that way to accommodate for wear being the mortise is meerschaum. Out of the thousands of special pipes I've had over the years, I think this ranks in the all time top 10 no doubt, a truly remarkable museum piece for the discerning collector of the extraordinary and hard to find! Nomenclature: WDC Dimensions (approximate): 12 1/2" Long, 2 3/8" Tall, 22mm Chamber Width, 1 5/8" Chamber Depth Condition: Unsmoked! Some minor chipping on the amber commensurate with age Weight: 82g Filter: None **I buy individual pipes or entire collections, please reach out for details! Be sure to check out my other fine and rare pipes at auction. Follow me as a seller to be updated first on my fresh listings! I aim to offer the best selection of pipes covering all makes and grades, truly something for every smoker and collector! All of my pipes I personally restore, sanitize, and ready them to smoke upon arrival at your doorstep! I take the utmost care in my restoration methods to ensure the pipe is as close to its original state as possible and never compromise. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy bringing them back to life! Shipping: Domestic is $10 via USPS Priority. International: If you are registered with the Global Shipping Program, the cost for pipes under $500 in value is $10 to ship to eBay's shipping center and then the customs fees/tariffs are calculated there and up to the buyer if they are charged up front or on the back end once processed. Due to an almost 25% increase for Express and Priority Shipping, I am switching back to First Class for $25 moving forward to all international destinations. Express or Priority is available upon request, as is insurance. Any lost parcels will be refunded upon insurance payout. Restoration Methods: I have been restoring pipes for 16 years and have taken bits and pieces from many guys whom I consider the best there ever was in the business and built upon it with my own experience and tricks of the trade. Each pipe is first cleaned by removing all cake, making the chamber smooth and round again if necessary, removing all gunk in the shank and stem with alcohol, then exterior cleaning and polishing of the stummel and stem with no oxidation left but at the same time leaving the vulcanite or acrylic and any logos intact. My restorations end with the pipe looking like new and being completely free from previous signs of use. I do not use salt/alcohol treatments in my bowls but rather if the pipe smells of prior tobacco I will put it in my ozone chamber to make neutral. Lastly, many guys ask me "how are your pipes so shiny!!??" I lightly use the fluffy edge of my white diamond buffing wheel to clean and restore stummels which removes all grime and oils while restoring the original factory luster. I then hand buff and finish with a flannel wheel with high quality carnauba applying multiple coats as they do at the factory as well. This results in the pipe looking as new and will keep it's finish with a simple terry cloth hand buffing at home. Enjoy! -Deadmanspipes