Quick – think of 5 things you can purchase that’ll outlive you.

It may be tough to think of anything for most, but around these parts a Briar Pipe comes to mind.

For some reason however, the fact pipes last for so long seems to escape those who have come to think a pipe should be ‘cheap’.

Perhaps it’s the fact that we’ve lost some generational knowledge about value and longevity, maybe it’s our obsession with getting a ‘deal’ or maybe we as pipe makers have done a poor job communicating just how much value a pipe carries. Regardless of the reason, it can be hard to decide ‘how much should a pipe cost?’.

From the pipe maker’s side we certainly know what a pipe is worth when we make them. Every piece of briar has been growing for a century, gets graded before we begin to craft it and every pipe is graded once again after the hundreds of hand-made operations and hours of work result in a finished product.

As a general guide, the old adage still rings true – a Day’s Wage for a Pipe. A single day’s earnings for something that will, with good care, outlive you and provide more pleasure than most things, all while actually getting better with age!

For someone making the median Canadian annual wage of $24k that works out to $65 for a pipe ($24,000 divided by 365). That’s not to say you have to spend more if you make more, but it helps keep things in perspective the way people used to – it’s about remembering what ‘value’ is when it comes to something personal and special that will develop character with every use.

So next time you hear someone recoil in horror at the thought of spending too much on a pipe ask them what else they could spend that money on that carries as much history, value and longevity.

“I remember when a stamp cost $.06 in 1970” We’ve all heard the “I remember when…” before. In fact, I bet you used this yourself. I remember when a good pipe cost $10 in 1970. Well, according to Statistics Canada the inflation rate is such that the $10 pipe would now be $65.

I’m the kind of guy who knows the price of few things but the value of many things. Let’s take the value of a pipe for instance. Cared for properly a briar pipe should last a life time but let’s use 10 years as an example. We suggest “A Day’s Wage for a Pipe”. So, that $65 pipe would suggest an annual income of $17,000 ($65 x 5 days/week x 50 weeks). Now, amortize this over 10 years (divide by 10) is $6.5/year for that pipe or less than $.02/day. Too much math? I agree.

The point I am trying to make is that $65 is a great value for a pipe that will provide a lifetime of enjoyment. The investment is seldom regretted.