They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but for pipe smokers, it depends on the pen. If it can write on glass, plastic, and metal so that we can accurately date our tobacco tins, then it is mighty indeed. Besides, carving a date onto a Mason jar with a sword is a clumsy and finger-menacing proposition.

Among the most important aspects of cellaring tobacco is ensuring that the tins are marked with their date of acquisition. It doesn't seem important at first, especially when you've just added a few tins and it's still easy to remember that they're from last Thursday. After a few years, however, undated tins can become detrimental to the accuracy of a tobacco collection.

I speak from experience. In my tobacco cellar, there are tins dating back 30 years. While particular tins are dated by the manufacturers, which I appreciate, many are not. McClelland dated their tins, and Cornell & Diehl and G.L. Pease still do. That's a convenient element of purchasing from some companies, but for many tins and for bulk tobacco, the responsibility falls on us.

Dating tins should be automatic. Anytime a new tin joins our cellar, the first thing we should do is make sure it has a date.

Several modes of dating have come and gone in my cellar. For a long time, I printed labels and adhered them to the tins or jars. I once packed several Mason jars with tobacco, stuck labels to each, boxed them, and forgot them until several years later.

When I opened the box, all the labels had fallen off. The labels still bore their dates, but the adhesive had failed. It wasn't a problem for that box because I had jarred the same tobacco on the same date, but in another box with jars from various years, I found all the labels at the bottom of the box and didn't know which jars belonged to which labels. Not only was I unable to determine their dates, I didn't even know which tobaccos they were.

I have tins from 20 years ago or longer that remain dateless, which irritates me, and I can attribute that deficit to one particular cause: When I got those tobaccos, I didn't have a Sharpie on hand.

It's important to note that we're talking here about a Sharpie, not a Shar-pei. A Sharpie is an all-surface, permanent writing instrument; a Shar-pei is a wrinkly dog. I have nothing against dogs, even unironed ones, but you can't write a date on a tin with a dog: It smears the tin and confuses the dog. Pens and dogs are not interchangeable, and a dog won't remember the date of a tin any better than you will. They'll remember for life the supernatural shrub in the park where they once found a partial cheeseburger, but they won't remember the date you added five tins of Escudo to your shelves.

I found all the labels at the bottom of the box and didn't know which jars belonged to which labels

It might be argued that both are markers, but we don't want to mark our tobacco tins the same way a Shar-pei marks territory. If you've ever trusted my advice, trust me about this.

The integrity of your entire tobacco cellar depends on proper dating documentation. That's a lot of responsibility for a marker, but a Sharpie is special. It writes on glass and metal — which is great for Mason jars made of both — as efficiently and permanently as it writes on plastic lids and paper labels.

The Development of the Sharpie

As a curious pipe smoker, you're probably wondering how such a miraculous device as a Sharpie came about.

The history of the Sharpie goes back to 1857 with the Sanford Manufacturing Co. in Massachusetts. They sold ink and glue, and in 1940 became the Sanford Ink Company. After long experimentation, they developed a permanent ink able to adhere to multiple surfaces, and in 1964, Sanford introduced the first pen-style permanent marker: the Sharpie Fine Point.

It writes on glass and metal — which is great for Mason jars made of both

Because the Sharpie can write on virtually any surface, it became popular with celebrities who often signed autographs, especially with sports personalities who were called upon to sign baseballs and jerseys, basketballs, footballs, caps, shoes, prosthetic legs, and myriad other items. Sharpies were easy to carry and easy to write with, and the public soon perceived their positive qualities and practical home applications.

The Sharpie was so familiar and ubiquitous that it became synonymous with permanent markers regardless of their make, much like facial tissues are often called Kleenex no matter who manufactures them. However, despite its advantages for so many purposes, the Sharpie has found its most obvious and important function in the tobacco cellars of pipe smokers.

Why Date Tobacco?

Some may scoff at the significance of dating tobacco, but most know how important it can be, especially those of us who appreciate the attributes of the aging process. The difference between a two-year-old Virginia and a fresh Virginia is significant. It mellows, marries, and develops a softer mouthfeel. At five years, it's even better.

Sharpies were easy to carry and easy to write with

Perhaps you add favorite tobaccos to your cellar every year or so. For comparative purposes, proper dates are essential. You may wish to compare your two-year-olds to the five-year-olds or fresh tobaccos to others at any age. Without dated tins, that's impossible.

Those of us who build a good supply of our favorites may wish to save the older tins for special occasions while more regularly smoking well-aged but younger tins. If we prefer five-year-old tobaccos, dated tins help expedite rotation. We can add tins to our cellar as we smoke the older versions and let them age to our preference, replacing three-year-old tobaccos when they reach the same age. With accurate dates and good rotation, and with the possible help of a tasting journal, we can always smoke the best that our favorite blends can offer.

Additionally, some tobaccos fall out of favor. There are tobaccos I enjoyed 15 years ago that just don't resonate with me now. It could change — I could find my enthusiasm returns after a few years, but we often move on without looking back. What to do with those old tins?

Aged tobacco fetches impressive prices at pipe shows and online. It isn't unusual to find a tin purchased 10 years ago for $12 now routinely selling for $75. In fact, I now feel guilty for smoking some favorite tobaccos simply because they have appreciated in value, and smoking two tins a week is smoking $200 worth of tobacco. Can I afford to smoke $200 a week in tobacco? Yes, because I paid only $20, but it still makes me feel like I'm living far above my means.

dated tins help expedite rotation

If we ever decide to sell some of our aged tobacco, having the correct date on those tins is unbelievably important. The difference between selling a tin that's dated June 2012 and a tin that is only estimated at 10 years is remarkable. And even if we never sell it, we won't live forever (though some of us come close), and correct dating could be the difference of thousands of dollars for our heirs.

So discipline in dating our tins is essential, and the easiest way to be sure we do it is by keeping a Sharpie — or several Sharpies — with our tobaccos. These pens have a way of wandering off, especially if our family knows where they are. Maybe even put one on a string or chain attached to a tobacco shelf so it's always there. It's too easy — when no Sharpie is available — to think we'll date those tins later and discover only when it's too late that we have no idea when we bought them.

The Sharpie is a simple and inexpensive device, but the most simple of conveniences are often the most essential. Be sure to always have one available to maintain the value and enjoyment potential of the tobaccos you've so carefully selected for future enjoyment. You'll thank yourself later.