The psychology of rarity

[caskwith]

Shhh, George you musn't say bad things about Dunhill, I made that mistake once on a forum boy did I receive some abuse!

[Sasquatch]

The current trend of tobacco shortages is probably another good example of how we, as a group, tend to get a little lemmingy. A few people mention that something is excellent, a few more try it, some vendor runs out, people see this, assume they'll never be able to try the tobacco, and go around buying it all up. Full Virginia Flake a few years ago, Hamborger Veermaster last year and King Charles this year it seems.

Thing is, Mellow Mallard might be better than Veermaster, but it's got a stupid name and no one talks about it, so hey, let's just cry about no HV and we can all lament the lack of proper virginias on the market, right? Gives us something to whine about, something to worry about.

I got a big tin of "Crown" from Peretti and it's not identical to King Charles, but it's very, very good and in a similar vein. Anyone ever heard of it? Of course not.

If we didn't have things to run out of, how could we know that they were special?

[LatakiaLover]

Shhh, George you musn't say bad things about Dunhill, I made that mistake once on a forum boy did I receive some abuse!

Well, I figured there are gratuitous, subjective Bad Things and self-evident, objective Bad Things, and the people on this board tend to have enough technical knowledge about pipes to avoid confusing the two.

We'll see.

[RadDavis]

A pipe parallel would be Dunhill. The reputation they gained in their peak 50 years carried them through the next 40 years quite handily, even thought their own quality was declining at the same time other brands appeared that were better than Dunhill ever was.

A fly fishing parallel to Dunhill would be Orvis. They were the top of the line in fly rods for decades but slowly became mostly a clothing and luxury goods line (sound familiar?) with an outdoorsy feel. They still seem to carry the reputation for top notch rods with novices simply because it's the name everyone recognizes, but there are several companies that make far superior fly rods.

Rad

[pipedreamer]

I was thinking that as I was being pulled around the lagoon by a tarpon on my self made fly rod a few years ago..

[LatakiaLover]

I was thinking that as I was being pulled around the lagoon by a tarpon on my self made fly rod a few years ago..

Dainty little fish they are, too, with a cuddly-sounding name.

After all, how formidable can something be that you go after with a fly rod???

http://www.flyfishfortarpon.com/WorldRe ... hotos.html

[The Smoking Yeti]

A fly fishing parallel to Dunhill would be Orvis. They were the top of the line in fly rods for decades but slowly became mostly a clothing and luxury goods line (sound familiar?) with an outdoorsy feel. They still seem to carry the reputation for top notch rods with novices simply because it's the name everyone recognizes, but there are several companies that make far superior fly rods.

Rad

Hey Rad- do you still come out and fish the Missouri?

[Vermont Freehand]

A fly fishing parallel to Dunhill would be Orvis. They were the top of the line in fly rods for decades but slowly became mostly a clothing and luxury goods line (sound familiar?) with an outdoorsy feel. They still seem to carry the reputation for top notch rods with novices simply because it's the name everyone recognizes, but there are several companies that make far superior fly rods.

Rad

Orvis clothing and accessories have been getting worse and worse every year. They still make a decent rod, hopefully that won't change, but like you say, your money could be spent elsewhere on a better rod for the same price.

Hey Rad- do you still come out and fish the Missouri?

You guys should come fishing in Vermont. I live at the foot of the mountain that is an aquaphor that feeds so much water, rivers flow north and south from here, contributing to both the Battenkill and the Mettowee, both renowned for the fly fishing. And we can go to the Orvis factory just down the road. And you could pick through briar blocks while you're here. What are you guys waiting for?

[oklahoma red]

Orvis clothing and accessories have been getting worse and worse every year. They still make a decent rod, hopefully that won't change, but like you say, your money could be spent elsewhere on a better rod for the same price.

Same thing happened to Eddie Bauer. Everything went offshore turned to junk. I'm surprised Orvis is still building rods in the US. I'll bet everything else went to the Red Menace and that's why the quality went down the old crapper.
Chas.

[LatakiaLover]

Same thing happened to Eddie Bauer. Everything went offshore turned to junk. I'm surprised Orvis is still building rods in the US. I'll bet everything else went to the Red Menace and that's why the quality went down the old crapper.

Surely you jest. China might kill cats with melamine pet food, poison kids with lead and cadmium-contaminated superhero drinking glasses, and send us unsafe steel and tires, but things like that can't be evidence of unprincipled greed or a desire to fuck over other countries regardless of the consequences.

You must be one a them lookin 'fer trouble Ugly Americans who refuse to be culturally sensitive.

[oklahoma red]

Same thing happened to Eddie Bauer. Everything went offshore turned to junk. I'm surprised Orvis is still building rods in the US. I'll bet everything else went to the Red Menace and that's why the quality went down the old crapper.

Surely you jest. China might kill cats with melamine pet food, poison kids with lead and cadmium-contaminated superhero drinking glasses, and send us unsafe steel and tires, but things like that can't be evidence of unprincipled greed or a desire to fuck over other countries regardless of the consequences.

You must be one a them lookin 'fer trouble Ugly Americans who refuse to be culturally sensitive.

Me, culturally in-sensitive? Ha! I say kill'em all and let God sort it out.

[Sasquatch]

Same thing happened to Eddie Bauer. Everything went offshore turned to junk. I'm surprised Orvis is still building rods in the US. I'll bet everything else went to the Red Menace and that's why the quality went down the old crapper.

Surely you jest. China might kill cats with melamine pet food, poison kids with lead and cadmium-contaminated superhero drinking glasses, and send us unsafe steel and tires, but things like that can't be evidence of unprincipled greed or a desire to fuck over other countries regardless of the consequences.

You must be one a them lookin 'fer trouble Ugly Americans who refuse to be culturally sensitive.

How 'bout that whole thing where they bought a Nuclear Carrier from Russia promising it was to be converted to a deep-sea fishing factory, and then took it home and loaded it up with airplanes? Not looking to cause trouble or anything, but I just thought maybe that particular instance was, you know, meaningful.

[oklahoma red]

The sorry-ass commie bastards are after our dogs now. Just saw on the net there's tainted dog treats on the market either from there directly or containing ingredients sourced from there.
I know this is all off-topic but good God almighty, what's next from the SOBs?

[LatakiaLover]

I know this is all off-topic but good God almighty, what's next from the SOBs?

Only everything. They want everything:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/201 ... ber-spying

[d.huber]

So does that mean we should all drop our production to 1 pipe a year and charge a bazzillion dollars? I'm game.

[sandahlpipe]

So does that mean we should all drop our production to 1 pipe a year and charge a bazzillion dollars? I'm game.

Well I'm up to 10 already, but my prices haven't gone up and I haven't gotten hundreds of orders yet, so apparently the magic number must be less than 20 per year. Maybe you've got something there with the one pipe per year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[d.huber]

I'll just claim I've been making pipes for the last 50 years in the shadows and sell each of the one pipes I made for each year of the last half a century and retire in December. You guys will all be invited to the party of course. BYOB.

[kamkiel]

You know Todd Johnson has his name on a brand called Neptune out here in Chinar. I can't say anything good or bad about it, but the pipes are going for pretty descent prices and are being produced in what I imagine to be a pretty high amounts. There is another company called Silver Caste that mentions Todd's name because the owners were getting advice from him. These pipes also fetch a pretty penny online here.

Honestly, I don't know much about anything. I just am simply observing what has been going on in the Chinese pipe market. The cost of pipes and pipe tobacco here is pretty expensive, but there is a market for it. Like many markets too, here in China is also brand name driven. Dunhill's are super expensive, but most of the Savanelli's and other factory pipe go for pretty high too.

If you were at the Chicago Pipe show, I am sure you were at least confronted by one Chinese pipe "collector" that wanted to buy out your lot. I could be wrong, but those pipes purchased by them would be marked up 100% and sold here in China. Your whole psychology of rare makes good money here. China has a lot of people with way too much money, and don't know what to spend it on. If they buy some artisanal pipe, or at least has a famous makers name attached to it somehow, they can impress their friends and co-workers.

Sorry for rambling. My comments are not here to attack anybody or defame, just thought some people might be interested. So, uberduberman, you can make one pipe a year and then have it produced in bulk and sold to the Asian market, as long as you say that you are friends with/have met/saw a picture of _____ famous pipe maker.

[oklahoma red]

You know Todd Johnson has his name on a brand called Neptune out here in Chinar. I can't say anything good or bad about it, but the pipes are going for pretty descent prices and are being produced in what I imagine to be a pretty high amounts. There is another company called Silver Caste that mentions Todd's name because the owners were getting advice from him. These pipes also fetch a pretty penny online here.

Honestly, I don't know much about anything. I just am simply observing what has been going on in the Chinese pipe market. The cost of pipes and pipe tobacco here is pretty expensive, but there is a market for it. Like many markets too, here in China is also brand name driven. Dunhill's are super expensive, but most of the Savanelli's and other factory pipe go for pretty high too.

If you were at the Chicago Pipe show, I am sure you were at least confronted by one Chinese pipe "collector" that wanted to buy out your lot. I could be wrong, but those pipes purchased by them would be marked up 100% and sold here in China. Your whole psychology of rare makes good money here. China has a lot of people with way too much money, and don't know what to spend it on. If they buy some artisanal pipe, or at least has a famous makers name attached to it somehow, they can impress their friends and co-workers.

Sorry for rambling. My comments are not here to attack anybody or defame, just thought some people might be interested. So, uberduberman, you can make one pipe a year and then have it produced in bulk and sold to the Asian market, as long as you say that you are friends with/have met/saw a picture of _____ famous pipe maker.

Todd sticks his head in here every now and then. It would be interesting to hear his take on this along with his Asian adventures.

[E.L.Cooley]

I got a big tin of "Crown" from Peretti and it's not identical to King Charles, but it's very, very good and in a similar vein. Anyone ever heard of it? Of course not.

If we didn't have things to run out of, how could we know that they were special?

No but now that you mentioned it I'm gonna run out and buy all I can find. That way I am sure to try it. I see this phenomenon with tobacco. I am not affected I almost exclusively smoke 201. No worries.


Sent from my banana phone.