Heart breaker

[Pugsley]

For some years now I've been collecting pipes made by John Bessai, a little known American craftsman from Cleveland who produced pipes in his shop from the early 1900's until he passed away in the 1960's. I don't collect them for their aesthetic value, as many have large fills, some quite ugly, but for their smoking qualities. The drilling is always spot on and the airways are more open than most pipes of that era giving them an easy draw. the hand cut vulcanite stems are comfortable and seem to resist the ugly discoloring common with British pipes of that era and are more easily cleaned. The most coveted pipes he carved are the "Special", with the holy grail being the "Special X". These are pipes he was especially pleased with and may have exceptional grain with a minimum of flaws, (all pipes have flaws), or may have been experimental shapes, some of which resemble those made by Danish pipe makers of a later generation. These "Special" pipes are exceptionally rare, which is why seeing one in the condition of this example listed on Ebay is such a heart breaker. That the seller describes it as "gently smoked" just adds insult to injury.

JB Special Imported Briar W06 | eBay