Columbus Pipe Show

PSAs

ZIPPO STERLING ARMOR Commemorative Lighter invoices have gone out. If you requested a lighter and didn’t get an invoice (check your spam box) drop me a line. We’re sending the order to Zippo tomorrow (Monday) around 12:30pm CDT. Production takes approximately four weeks, so they should be ready to mail out at the end of November–the same time as the PPN POYs become available.

PPN’s 3^rd PIPE OF THE YEAR the 309 System Spigot, is in production this week, with our final number at 175 pipes! I’ll be forwarding the appropriate purchase code to those on the list when the pipes are ready. With the code, they can then make their purchases at SPC or SPEu around the end of November or beginning of December.

GLEN WHELAN at K&P has recently been appointed Managing Director. Glen and his father Tony Whelan, Jr. (Factory Manager until his retirement), have made Peterson their professional lives and given us richly of their talent, enthusiasm, and industry. I hope you’ll join me in wishing Glen and his family joy. If you ever get the chance to meet Glen in person, you’ll understand all over again why Peterson is such a great place to work, as his enthusiasm is absolutely infectious.

The NASPC or Columbus Pipe Show began thirty-one years ago as part of the original Ohio Pipe Collectors club mission, which was to produce a newsletter and annual show.  The OPC became the NASPC (North American Society of Pipe Smokers), and under the skilled leadership of Regis McCafferty and the late Bill Unger, grew from a club to one of the foremost associations of pipe smokers in the world.  Bill edited their “newsletter,” The Pipe Collector, until his death, and it has for decades appeared bimonthly as a 60+ page compendium of its members writings.  It was Bill who helped me venture into the world of writing about pipes and my first pieces appeared in TPC.  It has included contributions by many of the most foremost names in the hobby here in the US, including novelist Regis McCafferty, Rich Esserman (known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the hobby), Marty Pulvers, Rick Newcombe, Steve “Pipestud” Fallon, Fred Hanna, Mark Munroe Dion, Eugene Umberger and many more.  With the passing of Pipes & tobaccos Magazine, the decline of literacy and move away from print media, The Pipe Collector is one of the last bastions where thinking men can read on paper about their hobby.

This morning I’m happy to finally bring you the Rev. “Bulldog” Streeper’s report on last August’s show, which he sent ages ago (see Post #410’s “Collector’s Corner” on Streeper). He agreed on very short notice to be the Pete Geek Ambassador for the show, bringing with him fellow Pete Geeks Tim Ong and Tim Hynick. If Mr. Ong and Mr. Hynick will send me their email addresses, they’ve got Ambassador Merit Badges waiting for them!

The NASPC 2024 Columbus Pipe Show Report
by Rev. C.W. “Bulldog” Streeper, CPG

The annual NASPC Columbus Pipe Show was held a few weeks ago at the Crown Plaza hotel in Columbus Ohio. I have sat down to write this report several times over these past few weeks to no avail, as work and family life have kept me more than busy since that time. The good Lord must have known I was going to need a recharge before heading into those weeks, but alas, I am now finally at a point where I am able to share some great details from the show.

“Yes Martha, I know he’s only 12, but Huck Finn was only 11, and besides, the boy’s looking at some great Peterson Systems.  We need to start him off right, don’t we? . . . Yes, he’s got his own money. No, I won’t let him buy any English tobaccos. No, I haven’t bought anything … yet.”

The show kicked off on Friday night at 5pm, but I was unable to get down to the show that evening due to some longstanding commitments. I arrived at 10am Saturday morning when the doors opened for the “big day” of the show. As usual, there was already a great deal of folks present and ready to swap, trade, haggle, barter for the items they were hunting for. Many of the usual vendors were present, except for one noticeable absence, Phil Morgan and the Missouri Meerschaum Co., who usually are set up with three or four tables near the front of the show. That was good for my wallet, as I usually spend enough there each year to cover their table fees as MM cobs are my second favorites, only to Petersons. I missed them, and I heard several comments about them being absent, so I know they were missed. I hope they return next year. In their place was the Sutliff Tobacco Co, who had a full display of Pipe Force tobacco and other selections.

Ed Graves’s Dark Fired Leather

There were some familiar artisan pipe makers as well as some up and comers, many from Ohio, several from around the nation, and even a few internationals. A few that stood out to me amongst the crowd of pipe makers were Laurent Handmade Pipes, Skoda Pipes, Joe Hinkle Handmade Pipes, and Ohio Briar who had crafted a bowl into the shape of Ohio to commemorate the show. I picked up a Laurent pipe for my wife, who enjoys unique artisan shapes, but I was on the hunt for estate Petersons.

Brannon Marshall’s Sawdust + Pipesmoke

The number of accessories vendors have been growing over the past few years, which is an indicator that pipe smoking as a hobby is continuing to maintain popularity, if not growing a bit. Larry Blackett (Buttons for your Britches) was present with two tables full of beautifully crafted pewter tampers. Ed Graves (Dark Fired Leather) had dozens of hand crafter leather accessories for the discerning pipe & cigar smoker. Zach Quintell’s table was one that caught my eye in particular, as it was full of pistons and valves that had been machined into usable pipe rests and tampers. Based out of Tennessee, his appropriately named Pistons & Pipes shop can be found on Etsy. The accessory vendor who really grabbed my attention was Brannon Marshall, who had returned to the show for his second year. Brannon arrived at last year’s show under the banner Sawdust and Pipesmoke selling woodworking plans for pipe racks and mason jar storage.  Understanding that every pipe smoker might not have appropriate tools or time to make these on their own, he returned this year not only with blueprints, but with ready to assemble kits! If you didn’t catch him at the show, both are available on his Etsy shop also.

Zach Quintell’s Pistons and Pipes

There was a vast array of estate pipes and vintage tobacco to sort through, and many new pipes as well. Shopping around for myself, I was able to obtain a Republic Era Deluxe 9s and a few pounds of vintage burley. SPC was on hand with all of the brands they sell online, including some beautiful Petersons. I was fortunate enough to have come great conversation with Stephen Mawby, Director of Sales, about the  recent Sherlock Holmes Barley and upcoming 2024 POTY releases. We also discussed some of the frustrations surrounding the website during pipe drops, and he assured me that the tech support team is working to resolve those issues. Stephen and a few folks from SPC also joined me for the inaugural Columbus Pete Geek meetup.

Pete Geek Tim Ong with some of his favorite Petes

Truly the highlight of my trip, I was able to gather with fellow Pete Geeks Tim Ong and Tim Hynick out in the smoking tent. Tim Ong, who goes by AeroEnglish on the PipesMagazine.com forums, traveled down from Michigan. Tim Hynick came all the way from the Boston area. We set up a display of Petersons from our collection for other pipe smokers to check out and discussed some of our favorite lines & shapes while sharing a couple bowls.

A No-Prize for the first to correctly identify these five Petes, bottom left to upper right.

We were able to share our love of Peterson pipes not only with each other, but with a few others as well. It was very nice to get together with them, and I’ll be planning another meetup next year. (Perhaps we can even set up a Peterson table for our own PPN swap & trade.)

I enjoyed the show very much, as I always do. The NASPC team always puts on a great event. It’s not quite as big as the Chicago show and not as extravagant as the Las Vegas show, but it’s always a great event. It’s nice to see it growing post COVID, and I think it will only continue to become better as the years progress. If you haven’t ever been, I would encourage you to mark it on your calendar and make it a point to attend in the future.

L to R: “Bulldog” Streeper, Tim Hynick, Tim Ong, and Fellow Traveler

Until next year, sláinte!

And if you’ve never seen his videos on YouTube, here’s the famous Muttnchop Piper giving his report on the show:

…and speaking of GREAT pipe shows–