Newbie here

gillywalker · Newbie here

Hello everyone I'm a newbie. 26 years old from Chicago Illinois.
My father died back in 2001 and left me a collection of old pipes. I recently in the past month got into smoking and I've been dabbling with a cheap estate pipe I got on Ebay and a Savinelli Natural. I'm yet to smoke any of pop's old pipes outta fear of ruining one. My favorite two tobaccos are Nightcap and Squadron Leader. I've tried some drugstore aromatics but they just didn't taste as good to me.

I just found a Silver Duke on ebay similar to one my dad smoked and I'm thinking about dedicating it to Half and Half which was a tobacco he smoked when we'd be out fishing together.

New to Grabows, being a newbie I've spent a lot of time online reading about pipes and Grabows seem to get mixed reviews. My dad had some pretty expensive pipes in his collection but for some reason he smoked Grabow a lot. Too bad I can't get his input on these things today.

Anyway I'm rambling... I'll see you around the forums.
Smile

ozark southpaw

Welcome Gilly,there are guys here who can answer just about any question you have about Grabows. Your Dad probably smoked them because they are good smokers available at a low price! No need to spend and arm and a leg to get a good smoke! Warning--Grabow collecting can be ADDICTIVE!!

drbridges

I've been praying we would attract someone from Chicago. Welcome again, gillywalker.

steverino

Welcome Gilly, glad you found the forum. I can understand how you feel about your dad's pipes - but I'll bet he'd want you to smoke them! Pipes are pretty hard to hurt short of using one for a hammer. Let us know what all he had collected sometime and we'll enjoy them with you vicariously.

Good tobacco choices, by the way - Nightcap is one of my favorites, too.

Enjoy the forum.

gillywalker

Gentlemen, thank you for the kind welcome.
I took a few pictures of what I found in the basement at my mother's house.
Here's some of dad's old tobacco tins. I also found two rather large tins of Brindley's Mixture along with these smaller tins.

Here are his pipes. The images are huge so I've decided to post them as links so not to bog down the forum. Excuse my horrible hand writing. I'm sorry there isn't much Dr. Grabow content with these pictures. Confused

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn70/pk82/P1010006.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn70/pk82/P1010005.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn70/pk82/P1010004.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn70/pk82/P1010003-1.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn70/pk82/p1010002-1.jpg

Terry292

Welcome aboard. As I've said before, take advantage of the expertise on this forum. Somebody here can answer any question you may have, and even some you'd never think of. It's certainly refreshing to see a couple of younger people learning the joys of pipe smoking.
Terry

Dave

Welcome to the forum gillywalker

Those are fine looking pipes
I own ones just like them and they are great smokers
They have a lot of life left in them personally I would smoke them it looks like your dad enjoyed his pipes and I think he would want you to do the same

ted

Welcome Gully......Glad you are here.....Smoke em'. Thats what they are made for. You won't hurt them. It is a great collection, and we know a fellow that will trade a bag of #79 and a beat up Lark for them.

You'll enjoy them (and the memories) as much as your pop did............

drbridges

So Gillywalker, do you ever go into Chicago with some free time? Enough that you could browse through a few recorded deed transactions in the Cook County records?

Are you ever in the Lincoln Park area around DePaul University and the Lincoln Park Library Branch?

Or in Evanston? Louis Linkman's house appears to be there yet.

gillywalker

I actually live in a suburb called Northbrook. I'm about 15 minutes from Evanston and 25 minutes from the Northside of Chicago.
I'm in Chicago all the time. I have one more semester at Northeastern Illinois University.

What are these records you are looking for? One of my part time jobs is in a Library and I've got access to a lot of databases many people have to pay to use.

drbridges

In about 1922, Louis and Mary Linkman built their pipe factory at the corner of W. Fullerton Ave. and Racine, at 1150 W. Fullerton Avenue. The 3-story building is now owned by DePaul University and houses the Chicago Public Library Lincoln Park Branch, along with some other businesses.

Dr. Grabow pipes were born in that building.

I would be interested to discover how/when the Linkmans purchased this property for their building. Who might have been investors or lien holders with the Linkmans.

And I would be interested to discover how/when the Linkmans sold the building.

And I'm certain several of us here would be interested in current photographs of the building from various perspectives. We currently have seen only the facade of the building from Fullerton/Racine. Was there a loading dock in back? I don't believe it had rail access, but ?

gillywalker

Sir Duke

HEY! wELCOME gILLY!

How not to ruin your Dad's pipes:

If they are too hot to hold by the bowl, your smoking to fast. Slow down or it'll burn out

Try not to scortch rim by lighting with blow torch type lighters or even matches

Don't put the pipe in your Pant pocket!

Dont reem with a pocket knife.

Dont vigorously kock out the ashes etc .

That said , welcome and smoke em!

Good to see DRB found a mole. You guys could be on to something!

Sincerely,

Tom

Sir Duke

Colt

Welcome Gilly, and I agree, smoke them. I grew up in a family of pipe smokers, and have a couple of my dad's old Grabows. That is a nice collection, and some cool tins. Smoked a lot of Capt. Black for a lot of years, and still do some. I really like the Mac Baren now days, thier Virginia #1, and Scottish Blend are both pretty good. Have been trying to stick with tins as much as possible, i.e., can afford, and get a tobacco cellar started. Like a good wine, an unopened tin can be put up and aged.
Pipe collecting, and smoking is a great hobby. There are a lot of fine, and expensive pipes available, and no reason not to collect, and smoke them. But, the Dr. Grabow is also a darn good pipe, and sort of a class of it's own. The farmer thing is right on target. Grabows are a bit of Americana, just like the farmers, carpenters, factory workers, and other blue collar working men who have smoked them for generations. My father, and grandfather smoked Dr. Grabows, and my son, who is thirty y/o, has begun to pick them up, a fourth generation Grabow fan.

Colt

About that reference to the farmer, wrong newbie, sorry! That was one of the other guys! My hard drive crashed over the weekend, just got it fixed this evening, and I am trying to catch up. It never fails, when one gets in a hurry, something gets screwed up. Time to load a bowl and chill. See yuh.