Billie W. Taylor II, Ph.D.
Collection

Ron Fairchild, pipe smoker, collector, and carver, was one of the exhibitors at the 2004 NASPC Pipe Show in Columbus, OH and brought me two the pipe he had bought many years ago. We had met at Kansas City show the previous year and he had promised to bring them to me. (The other was a pink Dublin that I promptly traded to Steve Monjour for some tobacco. Steve's schtick is to always a wear a pink shirt when he is selling at shows and I thought he should have a pink pipe too. I didn't even get it accessioned into the collection.) This pipe has been carefully smoked and well cared for. The finish is a bit dulled with age and Ron has built up a perfect cake (hard to do in these pipes). It, of course, should be cleaned up, but I don't have the heart for it. The paint is good and the mouthpiece has a few tooth dents, but nothing serious. This one is a great smoker. Gunnar Weber-Prada liked it and bought it.