New Vintages Project Publications

Pipe scholars Ben Rapaport and Jon Guss have been hard at work creating new publications for the Vintages project. There are not one, but two new articles ready for your study and enjoyment.

For meerschaum fans, Ben’s article includes a redacted transcription of a rare oral history recalling noted meerschaum carver Gustav Fischer and his son.  The interview was conducted with Gustav Senior’s daughter-in-law, Anna, a few years before her death.

Jon’s article explores strategies and common errors in dating 19th Century pipes and tobaccos. It’s a thoughtful and clear presentation on how to apply methodologies used in other disciplines to improve our own accuracy.

These publications are real gifts to our hobby. I hope you enjoy them and treasure them as much as I do.

How I loved to hear that doorbell ring.

This is one of those mornings when I looked forward to hearing the doorbell ring. Thanks to Chuck Stanion, Editor of Pipes and Tobaccos Magazine, I knew that I would receive advance copies of the summer issue today.

Last mid-March, I visited Jeff Gracik in his San Diego workshop where I spent a beautiful day interviewing Jeff, watching him select, shape, and sand a pipe. Interspersed with Jeff’s workflow were a million questions from yours truly. Jeff was admirably patient, and I learned a lot over the course of the day.

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