This is a special pipe to me for a couple of reasons and I’ll bend your eye here and provide both. My friend, Pat Noakes, who just died, was very tall, but liked short pipes. He also seemed to like some of Tsuge’s unique shapes. That was in my mind as I traveled to our industry’s annual trade show. My first stop, once the doors to the show opened, was going to be the Tsuge booth. Being early, in fact being first, is critical when it comes to picking pipes…there is only ever one of each, and that goes triple for one-off craft made pipes. Alas, I’m not built for speed. By the time I could belly up to the Tsuge booth, I saw this pipe in the hands of one Diana Silvius Gitz, she of the iron will, to which she gave vent in her UpDown tobacco shop in Chicago. I’ll cross over the line of good taste, now that she is gone (I believe…if that is not correct, I am toast) and reveal that on one stop into her shop her employees couldn’t refrain from saying that they referred to her as Der Fuhrer. I have witnesses. Fortunately, as I sidled up to her, I saw her giving this atypical a few quizzical looks. She didn’t recognize unusual beauty in a pipe when she saw it, and she put it down. The exact moment it hit the table, my old Catcher’s hands swooped in like I was fielding a tipped third strike…the pipe was mine. (Here’s a short digression: as a pipe buyer, and seller if the opportunity presented itself, my philosophy was to get any excellent pipe, regardless of shape, brand, etc. If it is that good, I don’t want anyone else to have it.) Story two is simple. When the pipe was brought back to the shop, Pat looked at, liked it as I had hoped he would, and for about 25 years he owned it, until he consigned it with me shortly before his demise. So, I’m offering it to you…maybe at a slightly inflated price because of its provenance, and maybe not. Just in case you’re not sure, that round metal thing under the stem, is indeed a tamper. Because it’s a bit stubby, it is hard to give it an accurate Grp. size, but considering the size of the bowl, I’ll call it a Grp. 5. The condition is excellent, with no wear on the on the rim, no marks on the stem. The draw is open. Used.
4.55” long, bowl 2” tall. Weight: 1 7/8 oz., 53 grams.