ED BURAK CONNOISSEUR FREEHAND PICKAXE - birdseye!!

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Ed Burak Connoisseur Freehand Pickaxe This auction is for a pre-smoked Connoisseur Freehand pickaxe from my personal collection of Ed Burak Connoisseurs . The pipe is a beautifully-designed one-of-a-kind freehand cut from an old, densely-grained block of Grecian plateau briar. It has been cross-cut to show tight birdseye on both sides of bowl and shank. I have enjoyed this pipe for ten years or so and have taken good care of it; it is in excellent shape . The pipe is free of dings and scratches. The rim is 100% intact and the bit has only some tiny tooth scratches on the underside. The deep bowl will provide you with an hour’s smoke and is particularly suited to flakes (referring to the tobacco that is, not the smoker). Dimensions overall length: 5-3/4” bowl height: 2-7/8” tobacco chamber diameter: 7/8” tobacco chamber depth: 2-1/4” The stampings are CONNOISSEUR over N.Y.C. The (script) E Burak stamp is absent, indicating the pipe was made between 1974 and 1981, before the Burak stamp was used. (T will be no more new Connoisseurs coming out of Ed Burak’s design studio. Ed retired in February 2009 and is no longer producing pipes. Unsmoked Connoisseurs have become a rarity; if you Google Connoisseur you may be able to locate one or two sources for new, unsmoked Connoisseurs.) About Ed Burak and Connoisseur . . . In the minds of many who are familiar with his work, Ed Burak of Connoisseur has a secure place in the highest echelon of designers of briar pipes. In the Oct. 2001 issue of The Pipe Collector , Marty Pulvers wrote: “I find it entirely possible that, when future generations look at briar pipes from this era worth saving, worth displaying, worth reflecting upon, the pipes they most value, by a long shot, will be Ed Burak’s.” For forty years Ed worked closely with master pipe makers including Joe Corteggione and Tony Pesante to produce exceptional pipes for every taste, from his interpretation of standard shapes to his famous four-figure “Art Pieces,” (of which the present example is one) as well as a wide range of “Classic” and “Freehand” pieces. He uses the finest Grecian plateau, Algerian, and Calabrian briar. Connoisseurs are never stained and never have putty fills I first met Ed in his great old shop on 46 th St. nearly twenty years ago. On that auspicious day I purchased my first Connoisseur , a bent Dublin , and immediately recognized the finest pipe I had ever smoked. Artful design, excellence of carving, shape, smokeability . . . it had it all! Since then I have owned over 200 examples of Ed’s artistry and, presently, my rack proudly displays about seventy Connoisseurs , including a dozen or so of his beautiful freehands. Shipping Options Winning bidder pays $8.50 shipping & handling (US$15.00 international s&h. Upon request, a proof of mailing will be provided for international buyers. Once mailed to an address outside the United States , seller assumes no additional responsibility. By bidding, an international buyer accepts these terms). Buyer has the option of requesting insurance (in US or countries in which full insurance is available) which is $2 plus $1 per $100 valuation. Payment may only be made through PayPal (send payment to ). Please note that California buyers must add their local sales tax to the full amount (purchase price plus s&h). Seller reserves the right to decline bids from those with negative or hidden feedback. Seller retains the right to terminate auction should eBay's website become unavailable within 12 hours of auction's completion. Should payment not be received within 10 business days after auction’s end, seller reserves the right to re-list item or to offer item to the next higher bidder. read more

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