Pet from the American Indians

29 October 2021

Pet from the American Indians

As pipes of the American Indians we know the iconic calumet and the tomahawk with their fixed appearance. However, there are also wondrous inventions, as this recent purchase shows. Made from a light type of wood, a special animal head has been created in a highly stylized way, the eyes of which are accentuated with brass tacks. The red paint, almost expressionistic, also contributes to the wonderful appearance. The inside of the pipe bowl is coated with an anti-burning paste, which makes the soft wood reasonably durable. Pipes like these are not only rare, but they also bring variety to our collection. So, a welcome addition to the museum!

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Calebash pipe on show

28 October 2021

Calebash pipe on show

In anticipation of the Amsterdam Museum Night at the beginning of next month, posters for this event are being pasted on the publicity signs. We are proud that Sherlock Holmes' famous calabash pipe is clearly on display. It is special that such a daily consumer item like the gourd has become an icon for pipe smoking. Though it's not entirely clear whether the younger generation still has this association. In any case, a nice advertisement for the Amsterdam Pipe Museum. Let's hope that the N8 will be well visited in these uncertain Corona times.

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End of a pipe guild

22 October 2021

End of a pipe guild

Since about 1900 there has been a flourishing club life in the Netherlands of pipe smokers who meet each other monthly to smother a pipe. But times are changing, so where can pipe smokers gather these days? In your own garden, yes, but further? As a result, some clubs, named guilds in the south of our country, have gradually disappeared into thin air. The Brabant Pipe Smokers Guild is one of them. Ruud van Scheijndel, former Guild Master, was kind enough to donate his club archive and personal smoking accessories to the museum. During the transfer he turned out to be full of memories and stories, which we shared pleasantly. Thank you for this special donation! In future the competition pipes and other objects will be proof of a pleasant guild life that unfortunately perished in the anti-smoking campaign.

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Visit to the new Big Ben factory

17 October 2021

Visit to the new Big Ben factory

The Gubbels company, known for the Big Ben pipes, moved again last year. In current times when the pipe is no longer a common thing you see daily in the streets, it is logical that a pipe factory reorientates itself. Koninklijke Pijpenfabriek Elbert Gubbels from Roermond has moved into a new location where all activities fit perfectly. After forays into electronic smoking and other by-products, the focus is now completely back to basics: designing and making good quality briar pipes, just like it started three generations ago. Director Elbert Gubbels welcomed us with justifiable pride in his new business premises near Roermond (the German border) with an area of no less than three thousand square meters. A building with sufficient space for the production line, storage of goods and a fine show room.

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Interim balance with a vision for the future

4 October 2021

Interim balance with a vision for the future

Every museum has to make an analysis from time to time whether goals are being achieved and whether the business operations are still satisfactory. Bart Bemelmans Advies has offered its services for our museum. In more than twenty conversations with stakeholders, from the museum world as well as collectors and pipe smokers, Bemelmans builds up an image on which to base a vision for the future. It consists of short-term solutions to get out of the COVID-19 dip. In addition, much more important is the long-term vision that must guarantee the future of the museum. A challenging but not an easy task. We'll see if he turns our world upside down!

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