This past week the family and I took vacation at a great little lake house, and near by there was an antique fair going on. Since my wife and I Love digging through old stuff and finding treasures it was intentional on our part to stay at a lake close by. I saw lots of old German style pipes and no shortage of old kaywoodies and even a really beat up GBD. At one booth I found a whole case of similar pipes marked $5 each. I dug through and found three unsmoked pipes. One is a large group four no name sandblasted billiard probably some basket pipe marked genuine briar. The rest where all similar in rustication and different shapes marked Ber-Briar. I picked up a Dublin and an Apple Borge straight with the same rustication. Upon looking it up on I found that it is a company from around WWII that ground up briar and pressed it into blocks without glue, the article said it may even be manzanita. I smoked the Apple tonight and was curious as to how it would smoke. I've smoke a Brylon pipe before and found it wanting, but this smokes just like briar, it didn't heat up and it may be the lightest pipe that I own. As they were $5 each they will now be my walking the dog pipes. I'll post pics later. I do love me a good Antique find! Anyone else have any experience or any knowledge with Ber-Briar?
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