One of my favorite aspects of the pipe-smoking community is appreciating other pipe smokers' collections. Whether a collection comprises eclectic vintage pieces from various marques' heydays; expansive, single-manufacture or single-shape arrays; or prized, one-of-a-kind works of art, it's always a joy to witness other pipe-loving tastes and to share in the beautiful artistry and craftsmanship at play. Recently, Smokingpipes Pipe Specialist John McElheny showcased his impressive collection on The Daily Reader, and it inspired me to do the same.

I started smoking a pipe in 2011, but I wouldn't say I started collecting pipes until 2015 or 2016. That's when I bought my second (and third, and fourth) pipes and began expanding my familiarity with multiple types of tobaccos. As with all of us, my collection has taken numerous forms: Early on, I remember wanting to have at least one example of every classic shape represented, irrespective of brand, size, or finish. I soon realized, though, that I preferred smaller, lightweight pieces and that there were some shapes I simply didn't care for aesthetically. I curated my collection accordingly. Then, I discovered handmade, artisan pipes and further narrowed my focus. My current collecting proclivities center around classic shapes, often Billiard-family variations, made by a handful of artisans I follow specifically.

Listed below are some of the highlights from my personal collection that I've procured over the years. They're some of my most memorable and meaningful possessions, and several have some pretty cool stories that I hope you enjoy.

Abe Herbaugh: Sandblasted Bent Egg with Silver

Abe showcased this bent Egg one year at the Las Vegas International Pipe Show, and when I viewed his table, I remember being torn between it and a different pipe on display. I don't even remember what the other pipe was, which affirms that I made the right decision — no buyer's remorse here. It's the only Egg shape in my current collection and one of the few I've even owned, but I love the curves' inherent softness and the consistent, gradually increasing curve of the underside into the bowl's fore. Attractive shaping aside, though, what I love most about this piece is how Abe approached the silver and the stem base: While the stummel and the finish are comparatively subdued and simple from a design perspective, the shaping of the silver accent and complementing stem base are incredibly intricate. This juxtaposition serves as an accent in and of itself alongside the bright flash of the silver; it's the perfect balance of subtlety and complexity to create a pipe that's relatively unassuming at first blush but is quite refined and interesting. Plus, Abe is one of the best silversmiths in the pipe business, so any pipe that shows off that side of his talents is one that I'm going to appreciate.

Abe Herbaugh: Sandblasted Liverpool with Silver and Bakelite

Another pipe that I bought directly from Abe — but through his website — this Liverpool is a good introduction to my general shaping preferences. As indicated by much of this list, I'm a big fan of straight Billiard variants and specifically Lovats. I also lean more toward smaller pipes: typically between 4.5 and 5.25 inches in length and less than 45 grams or so in weight. This Liverpool fits that bill nicely.

What makes this piece more special to me than just an average Billiard variant, though, is, of course, Abe's silverwork and also his use of Bakelite for the stem. While Bakelite isn't the most uncommon stem material, its supply is dwindling — making any pipe with Bakelite more rare and special — and it's also much less common from Abe specifically than some other artisans. Moreover, this amber-toned Bakelite was a special supply that he released over the course of a couple years in a series of Fall Collections: a handful of pipes all featuring this same Bakelite. I had picked up a squat Apple from the year prior, so being able to continue the Fall Collection theme the following year was a treat.

Adam Davidson: Natural Sandblasted Lorraine with Horn

Adam Davidson has an impressive CV of shapes associated with him: the Fig, the Almond, the Figu, the Amoeba. I'd even add his particular Cavalier renditions. None, however, are more iconic than his Lorraine. Despite it being a seemingly unassuming, run-of-the-mill straight Billiard, it's immediately recognizable as Adam's for those familiar with its particular proportions and aspects. Every pipe show I've ever been to has involved a number of enthusiasts with Lorraines in the smoking tent all congregating together because they recognized each other's pipes.

A brief aside about the name: It's a bit of a misnomer. The shape itself has nothing to do with the cheese. The very first iteration that Adam made was unfortunately unfit for sale due to flaws in the briar along the underside. After sandblasting, those pits and crevices emulated the look of Swiss cheese, so Adam kept the pipe for himself, dubbed it "Lorraine," and an icon was born. The standard variety features a dark sandblast with a silver military mount, but Adam has since done rare editions featuring other accents, like horn or boxwood, as well as those with different stains and finishes.

While also managing Smokingpipes' estate-restoration department, Adam's handmade-pipe production is understandably sparing. He mainly focuses on crafting pipes for shows. However, when I worked at Smokingpipes, he would every so often make a batch of five or six Lorraines and let those of us who had expressed interest in buying one handpick our selection. This rendition is one such piece, and it was a great experience laying all of the Lorraines out on a desk and examining the grain, size, and lines of each one in person to pick the one I liked most. Instead of a silver military mount, it features one of horn, and while it has patinated considerably over the years, it bears an unstained, natural finish. As Adam cheekily dubbed it: "a naked, horny Lorraine."

Chris Asteriou: Sandblasted Rhodesian with Silver Spigot

This Rhodesian is perhaps the "outlier" in my collection. I've been fortunate enough to own several Chris Asteriou pipes at various times, so that aspect isn't exceptional. However, it's the only Bulldog/Rhodesian variation in my collection, and one of only two or three I've ever owned from any maker. Aesthetically, I'm quite fond of Bulldog-family pipes, especially straight Bulldogs and bent Rhodesians, but it takes a very specific combination to catch my eye enough to add it to my own collection.

I remember standing with Chris outside of Smokingpipes' hospitality suite at the Las Vegas International Pipe Show as he showed me each of the pipes he had brought to the show. His array was impressive — as it always is — but this Rhodesian stood out to me for two reasons: I love the steady curvature, creating an almost Calabash-like transition and undercurve, and I'm a sucker for top-notch silverwork. Like Abe's work, Chris's pipes often boast some of the finest silver accents available, and I particularly appreciate how the shank cap echoes the bowl's characteristic beadline, incorporating the silver into the overall composition as opposed to simply offering flashy color contrast. It's also a Rhodesian that borders on Acorn with its softness of line, and I find that only adds to its refined, Dress-like color palette.

I love Chris's work, and this pipe always makes me fondly remember standing in that poorly lit hotel hallway and sharing a moment with him.

Former: Sandblasted Lovat with Silver

During one purchasing visit to Denmark back when I was the Pipe Manager for Smokingpipes, Shane and I were enjoying coffee and pastries with Former in his workshop, as was typical of our visits. As is always the case when visiting any pipe maker, their workshop will be scattered with pipes in various stages of production: from barely shaped, virgin stummels to fully completed pipes ready for a final buff. A recently sandblasted stummel rested on the pegs in front of me as we communed, a slightly chubby Billiard variation with a silver band. It had yet to be stained or stem-fitted, but I could tell that it was the perfect size for my preferences. Moreover, the blast had revealed beautiful grain. Other than complimenting it, along with dozens of other pipes, I didn't mention anything about that specific piece; however, my eyes kept flitting to it, and I more than once picked it up to admire.

Months later, he shipped us a new batch of pipes to supplement the ones we had selected in person. Included was a compact sandblasted Lovat with silver that Former made sure to tell me was, in fact, the same one I kept noticing while at his workshop. It seemed nothing short of kismet, and I was grateful to add it to my collection. In many ways, it's the Platonic ideal of what the perfect pipe for me is, but even more so, it's a special reminder of Former, his workshop, and our visits together.

Former: Smooth Bent Billiard

This bent Billiard is another Former pipe with a serendipitous story but not one involving Former himself. Its acquisition was unremarkable — an unsmoked estate on Smokingpipes — but it was my first Former pipe, which definitely adds to its subjective value to me.

Estate pipes are a wonderful yet mysterious commodity. They're wonderful because they're more budget-friendly compared to new pipes from the same maker and they spread pipe-love throughout the community; what was once an underutilized pipe for me can become a centerpiece for another. There's an air of mystery to them, though, because you'll likely never discover an estate pipe's previous owners. You might discern that they were left-handed, with rim darkening along the left side or that they enjoyed English blends from the faint whiff of the chamber, but it's pretty much impossible you'll know anything more.

At the Muletown Pipe Show, I was smoking this bent Billiard in BriarWorks' lounge. A gentleman sat down next to me on the sofa, and we struck up a typical pipe-show conversation. Remarking on my pipe, he mentioned that he once had a Former pipe (a former Former pipe, if you will) just like the one I was smoking. With very elementary detective skills, we quickly determined that this was the exact same pipe. Such serendipity: not only did the stars have to align just so for him to sell the pipe and for me to purchase it, but I had to select it to bring to the pipe show, we both had to attend the same pipe show, and then we both had to happen to sit down next to each other. We marveled at the odds of this experience happening, and I thanked him for trading in the pipe to Smokingpipes. It never would have become my first Former pipe had he not parted with it.

I later purchased another Former pipe: a smooth Lovat, that's similar in size and proportion, making for a nice, self-composed two-pipe set.

Jess Chonowitsch: Sandblasted Bent Brandy with Boxwood

In my years of collecting, I've aspired to own pipes from certain makers, but I've never had a tried-and-true "grail" pipe. That said, this Jess Chonowitsch bent Brandy is perhaps the closest contender. It's not an exotic shape by any means or even a rare pipe within Jess's portfolio; it's a signature rendition that he made countless times. When I first became interested in handmade pipes, though, Jess was definitely a carver whose work I aspired to one day collect. By the time I was smoking a pipe and collecting handmades, Jess's work was prestigious, to say the least, and atop the highest echelon. Gone were the late '90s and early '00s when someone could procure a sandblasted Chonowitsch for several hundred dollars. That said, I aspired to one day add just one Jess pipe to my collection and, specifically, his signature bent Brandy rendition.

Obviously, I wasn't the only one with those same tastes, and his pipes, even estate examples, always sold with relative immediacy. Finally, fortune smiled on me when this estate pipe was listed on Smokingpipes at the same time that I received my annual bonus. It also just so happened to be a few months after my first trip to Denmark where I got to meet Jess and enjoy time with him at his house. It was a perfect alignment.

This pipe became even more special with each subsequent visit to Jess and, finally, with his passing in November of 2025. I can't pretend that I was ever personally close with Jess, like I have become with other pipe makers, but the pipe still means a lot to me. Not only was he one of the most talented artisans in pipe-making history, but he was a kind and generous man. The success and state of artisan pipe making today owes a huge part to Jess and his work, and I'm grateful to have a small piece of that in my collection.

Jody Davis: Sandblasted Fish with Boxwood

As you can tell, the majority of my collection comprises classic shapes, and I've already expressed my love for Lovats specifically. Outside of that œuvre, though, I have a fondness for the Fish design, the only real Freehand shape I've collected. I only have two, but they both happen to have been made by Jody Davis. Coincidentally enough, Jess Chonowitsch was widely associated with the design, and Jody was among the first American artisans to travel to Denmark and learn handmade pipe-making techniques from the likes of Jess and other masters.

Jody featured this particular Fish on his table at the Muletown Pipe Show. If my memory serves me correctly, it was both the first Muletown Pipe Show I attended and the first time I met Jody. Even if that's not technically true, that's how I remember it and what I associate the pipe with. Its compact size and stunning ring grain immediately attracted me, but I grew to appreciate the amount of S-curve Jody was able to fit into such a tight-knit design, as well as his consideration of the color palette: the chocolate-brown stain is beautifully matched by the cumberland stem, allowing the boxwood accent to visually pop in between. It's a short-and-sweet kind of smoker that conjures fond memories of Muletown and Jody, and I think it's fair to credit it for sparking my love for the Fish shape — so much so that I was able to add another Fish by Jody to my collection years later. I enjoy the consistency of having two renditions of the same shape by the same maker, highlighting the possibility of variation within the same design.

Michael Parks: Billiard with Horn

I know: another Billiard variation. But this time, it's a classic, archetypal, almost vintage-French iteration. Michael Parks approaches pipe making almost more like a science than an artistic pursuit. His recreations of historic Dunhill shapes are meticulously fashioned to the exact specifications of specific examples, and he's also particularly renowned for his intensely craggy sandblasted finishes. While this Billiard isn't a replica of a certain pipe, it's a lovely homage to early-20th-century French and English pieces, elevated by Michael's iconic sandblast.

This is another pipe that I bought directly at a pipe show, the Chicago Pipe Show, when Michael showed a group of us in the smoking tent what he had made for the show. I had admired his work for years but hadn't yet had the opportunity to purchase a pipe that fit my preferences. This Billiard is effortlessly lightweight and makes for the perfect, practical, everyday sort of pipe. Once, when moving house, my pipes were packed up for longer than I had planned, and all I had available was this Michael Parks Billiard. It was my daily smoker and a companion of sorts for weeks while I navigated and waded through the moving process. Not only does the pipe fondly remind me of spending time with Michael in Chicago but also of that significant time of transition and how much of a companion it was during that life change.

Pete Prevost: Sandblasted Acorn with Jobillo

This pipe might be my favorite. It happens to be the newest addition to my collection at the time of writing, so recency bias could be at play. But it's also incredibly meaningful to me, and the pipe represents a lot of positive experiences.

Firstly, I count Pete as a close and amazing friend, so collecting his pipes will always be special to me. Secondly, I bought this from him directly at the Saint-Claude Pipe Show on the same trip that saw him and me inducted into the Confrérie des Maîtres Pipiers de Saint-Claude. The pipe is a wonderful reminder of our friendship and that shared experience.

Thirdly, it's just an awesome pipe. I don't often collect pipes with alternative stem colors beyond regular ebonite or cumberland, but I loved Pete's choice of pairing the stummel's more natural finish with a complementing stem of Dijon-mustard tones. It makes for a pipe that's a little more extroverted than I would normally opt for but one that stays subdued because of the color palette's consistency. Lastly, I like how it fits into the context of my overall collection: Pete has enjoyed Jody Davis's mentorship and friendship throughout his career, having learned a lot from and been inspired by the veteran artisan; the two Jody Davis I have are both renditions of the Fish shape, which is characterized by a teardrop shank; and this Prevost Acorn, while not a Fish, also features a teardrop shank. Maybe I'm stretching things, but I appreciate the parallels between the pipes and how they relate to Jody and Pete's connection.

Peterson: SPC 20th Anniversary Sandblasted "221" with Silver Spigot

In 2020, Smokingpipes celebrated its 20th Anniversary. For previous anniversaries, the company had commissioned a limited run of pipes from a single artisan to commemorate the milestone. This year, though, a number of manufacturers were tapped to contribute to the project, each with their own line of SPC 20th Anniversary pipes. At the time, I was the retailer's Lead Copywriter, and it was meaningful being involved in such an expansive and significant project; I wrote many of the on-site descriptions for the anniversary pipes, contributing to the narrative and helping to establish and communicate what made these pipes special.

Peterson's contribution to the project was 80 pipes divided across a variety of shapes but all defined by sterling-silver spigot mounts and remarkable sandblasts. Of those 80 pieces, 10 also featured silver rim caps. However, this "221" isn't one of those original 80. Peterson was gracious enough to allow Smokingpipes to place a separate, custom order just for employees. Not only were we able to select the shape we wanted, but we were also able to opt for a vulcanite stem in place of the acrylic stems offered with the regular 20th Anniversary pipes. While I don't hate acrylic stems, I do prefer vulcanite, so that was a welcome bonus.

So, this pipe reminds me of my time at Smokingpipes and exemplifies my favorite aspects of Peterson: the "221" bent Billiard (my favorite Peterson shape) and a legacy of quality silverwork. Moreover, I also have a Deluxe System "12.5s" bent Billiard (the Deluxe System's designation for the "221" shape) in a smooth finish, so they make a nice Peterson pair.

Pipes are often so much more than just smoking instruments for tobacco consumption. They're physical encapsulations of memories, relationships, and emotions. A full pipe rack isn't only a display of one's collection, it's a representation of life eras and specific experiences. What stories does your collection represent? What's your most prized pipe and why?