Over the years I have been very vocal in my views on grading both as it relates to pipes, tampers, or most anything made by an artist or artisan. To be most generous, I consider it a necessary evil. While I consider it to be no more than a snapshot of how someone views their own work, at a certain point in time, based upon some criteria that may not even be relevant to the purchaser, I do recognize that many folks, often collectors, view it as a very important aspect of their enjoyment. So, I grade most of my work, and do so as honestly and objectively as I can. That said, and for the most part, I absolutely refuse to allow grading to dictate pricing. Please allow me to explain further.

I work very hard to make sure that every piece that I create stands on its own as a unique offering. In the pipe world it is often said that one should demonstrate their skills by being able to make ten billiards in a row absolutely identical to each other. While I understand this to be a demonstration of proficiency, to me that would be the death of what I do. I guess that I would tweak that task to be to create ten billiards in arrow that were each unique but identifiably billiards with an individual take on the shape. As maybe you can tell, when it comes to creativity, I’m not big on uniformity. To me, as much as possible, each piece should be as individual as a snowflake. And while certain general shapes are done again and again, and are re-interpreted each time that they are done, each piece must stand alone as if all previous and subsequent pieces did not and will not exist. That’s one reason why I only rarely refer to “models” and consider shapes that are named, to borrow an acronym form baseball, to be “RBI”: Re-occurring Basis for Interpretation. I also find this the single best way to encourage the evolution of a single shape giving me the freedom to allow it to go where it will eventually go.

So, consistent with the notion that each piece stands on its own, I absolutely refuse to accept the idea that there has to be what would appear to be a 100% correlation between price and grade. If that disconnect, one certainly not typical in the pipe world, causes anyone difficulty, then I regret that, but I am unwilling to be forced by virtue of a grade to charge more for a piece when I have no inclination or justification to do so. Sure, there will be times when higher grade pieces will be priced higher than a “similar” lower graded piece, but that will happen when I deem it to be appropriate. To be quite candid, taking away this one-to-one relationship between pricing and grading removes much of the trepidation that I have about grading, and, will allow me to grade with freedom from financial considerations. Really, in the end, all this will do is allow me the freedom to not be “forced” into charging more for my work when my desire is not to do so.

A perfect example is the piece that you see above (sorry, sold). It’s a RamHorn in Confusion, a new shape in a newer material. I happen to like the shape a lot, and while the material is very unusual, and not for everyone, it has also come to be one of my favorites. To my eye, and the way that I do spirals, it doesn’t get much better. It’s a very asymmetrical spiral that is undeniably on of a kind. Even if I could there isn’t a thing that I’d change about it. That meets the requirement for my Dynasty grade. But, I know that the material may put some folks off, so I have chosen to price the piece as I would one grade lower, as a Mikado. Hopefully that will encourage someone to take the leap and acquire the piece, one that I count among some of the best that I have created over the past eleven years. It is that very freedom that I need to have, not having to jack up the price just because it has achieved a higher grade, but to be able to charge what I think is best, all things considered. That does not take away from anything, but only reflects the fact that each piece that I create is a one time opportunity never to be seen again, and should be treated as such on all levels.