Anatomy of our Stamping

The diagram above shows our current logo stamp and a typical positioning of the year and grade stamps. Collectors take note - This is the original stamp that we used from '98 to 2002, before switching to a new stamp reading "Talbert Briar" in late 2002 through to 2009. I hope this will make for easier identification of French-made and American-made Talberts on the collector market. The presence of an H or an S stamping indicates a Halloween or Signature pipe. The only other markings we tend to use are some form of Yule tag, on the rare occasions when we make Yule pipes.

Pricing and Grading

We have greatly simplified our pricing and grading for 2009. In the past, we used two grading systems for blasts and smooths. For 2009 and onwards, they have been rolled into one simple ranking, from 1 to 5:

• 1

  $329
  Fully sandblasted pipes with nice grain

• 2

  $424
  Full or partly sandblasted pipes with very nice grain, exceptional blasts, etc
  Also smooth pipes with average grain

• 3

  $562
  Full or partially sandblasted pipes with exceptional grain and exceptional blasts
  Also smooth pipes with nice grain

• 4

  $685
  Sandblasts that are genuinely mind-blowing
  Smooth pipes with exceptional grain

• 5

  $945
  Only the most flawless smooths get this grade

Signature Grade

Signature grade pipes are pipes of distinctive and complex design, usually involving more labor than a typical freehand shape. Signature grade pipes are individually priced according to quality of briar, blast, and labor. Prices typically range from $500 up through $1400.

Over the course of years, we also produce Halloween pipes and occasionally Yule pipes or pipes for other special occasions. Halloween pipes are always individually priced. Pipe editions in standardized shapes typically fall into the standard pricing and grading scale, with extra charges depending on the series (For example, a set of Yule pipes, each with matching tamper)