As of January 1, 2007 there will be a retail price increase of approximately 10% in those brands where payment is made to the makers in euros. (Dec. 6, 2006)

Some rather sad news for those that appreciate the Jorgen L brand, and also for those that loved the Stokkebye pipes that were crafted by the same person- Jorgen Larsen has retired from pipemaking. He has had a reoccurrence of the allergy to briar dust that plagued him years ago, and so he made a decision to cease making pipes. (Dec. 5, 2006)

One good thing about visiting the pipe makers over and over is that, occasionally, I learn something new about them or their craft. Such a thing happened during my latest visit with Jorgen Larsen, and so I have updated his page. (Oct. 17, 2006)

The Radice Sportsman's pipe, advertised in the current issue of P&T, will be available by the end of October. If interested please have your dealer pre-order one as the number of pipes available, as least initially, will be limited. (Sept. 29, 2006)

Don Carlos re-introduces their rusticated finishes to the U.S. market.

The Lubinski Celebration Lighter Collection made its debut at the RTDA trade show in Las Vegas. The 18 lighters that compose the Celebration Collection have the heft, feel, and ping of quality. Using a flint sparking mechanism and featuring a large butane storage tank the 18 lighters come in assorted designs of silver, gold, and lacquer.

Bertram Safferling has re-opened his web site- and it's in English. If you wish to order a pipe directly from Bertram, or if you wish to find out more about this delightful artisan you can go to the Safferling web site

A FIRST for RADICE!
In order to celebrate 25 years of the RADICE marque (1980- 2005) the Radice family has released a true Limited Edition series of 100 pipes for the year 2005. There is but one model, a spiral shank billiard featuring a sterling silver cap band hand-worked by Luigi Radice, which is available in four finishes- Bark, Silk Cut, Radice (smooth) and Clear (smooth). Each oil cured pipe is individually numbered and each comes in a special commemorative leather pipe glove

Another choice!
The Radice family now offers a series of pipes with hand-cut highest quality vulcanite mouthpieces for those that prefer the feel of this material. Both black and brindle vulcanite are available, and each pipe with such a mouthpiece features a small "V" stamped on the shank of the pipe. There is a $25 surcharge for pipes with vulcanite mouthpieces. For more information go to the Radice page of the web site.

News Archive, continued