Even the best pipe makers don’t achieve perfection with every creation and yet slightly less than perfect can be even better for the savvy collector. With the slight flaw comes a reduced price. With the Markus Fohr seconds it is often difficult to determine what places these pipes in the “seconds” category. Most of them are indistinguishable from the “firsts” but we have to take the word of Markus, he calls them seconds so seconds they are.
The great thing about them is they not only smoke as well as the originals, they run about $10 cheaper. You may notice minor imperfections on the design or maybe a slight discoloration on a few pipes, but overall you won’t notice anything different.
We are introducing the #18 white which has a wolf sitting on the stem near the bowl, howling into the sky because it’s front left paw is locked in a trap. Okay, I know that sounds cruel and I don’t think traps should be used for sport or landmines for war either, but no real wolves were harmed in the making of this pipe. So when you smoke this pipe you may want to reflect on the plight of the wolf trapped on the stem and ponder the world and our fellow creatures and ask how treat each other humans as well as other animals with more respect. Or perhaps, you enjoy hunting and trapping in which case you can smoke this pipe and chuckle at the wolf’s predicament. Your choice.
In coming weeks we will be introducing 2nds of the #14 and #17. They will be pipe of week features in November.