Hm I have never seen a ceramic pipe that looked like that. Most look like clay pipes, atleast the ones I have seen. It looks like the one on the right is briar but I can't tell from the size of the picture. It also looks to me like the left one is either a Paronelli pipe or a cheap tobacco pipe. Alot of times the cheaper tobacco pipe companies, like the ones from China, will put designs on their pipes to try to sell them because they are made out of some other material than briar. Paronelli though chooses to do designs on their pipes and they are of good quality. It looks like yours has the two bands on the top so I would guess it is Paronelli but I can't tell for sure from the photo.
Paronelli
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Cheap Sanda Pipe worth $2
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Not to sound like a broken record but they all come in different sizes and shapes though so it is hard to tell from that photo. If you have an up close photo of any markings or lettering I could tell you exactly what you have. Thanks for posting Larry.
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Originally Posted by nayslayer:
Ok, thanks, i'll try to get better pictures. Are there any markings I could ask him to look for?
Well that is tough to say. There are literally thousands of pipe markings and symbols stamped on the shank and stem that identify the maker of the pipe. Now, if it was just down to either Sanda or Paronelli I would be able to tell you what to look for but the pipes could be from any maker. I really can't tell except by looking at a clearer picture but I can post this website that has alot of the symbols, markings, etc. listed. He can go on there and try and look them up himself but alot of times symbols are nearly identical and it takes someone who really knows pipes to distinguish between them. I still consider myself a novice but I used to buy, restore, and then resell estate pipes so I have seen quite a few brands, but I am still no expert.
If it is just between Sanda and Paronelli then Sanda would have a big S on the stem, the mouth piece part, and the pipe would more than likely be made of plastic and have a metal inner bowl. It would also feel rather cheap in the hand.
If it is a Paronelli it will have either a capital P, J looking pipe symbol, anchor, or turquoise dot on the stem. More importantly though it would be stamped on the shank, the extension connected to the bowl that the stem goes into, with the word "Paronelli" on it and it would probably have "Made In Italy" on the other side.
Without more clear pictures I can't say for certain what pipe brand it is. Here is a link to the website. I don't mean any of this rude at all. I am here to help if you need me to look at the pictures or whatever. Hope this helps!
http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/index-en.html
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Thanks for all the help help wallbright, i'll have to check back with more info. So if it's Paronelli, it should be decent pipe, as well as the Briar?
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Alot of the guys on the pipe forum I frequent really love their Paronelli's but they aren't the colored ones but I assume the colored ones are also briar and would be good pipes as well. Only fear is if the paint/lacquer/stain doesn't allow the briar to breathe. If this happens then the pipe won't soak up the moisture when you are smoking and it will be a very wet smoke and have a higher potential to cause tongue bite, like you burned your tongue on hot food, its not fun haha.
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