Happy
Halloween! After recently
announcing in an email notice that there would be no Talbert Halloween
pipes this year, this may come as a bit of a surprise. But
that was a true statement - These are not Talbert Halloween Pipes like
the old ones, they are Ligne Bretagne Goblins... Think of
them as a hybrid offshoot of the handmade Ligne Bretagne Collectors
that have become so popular with collectors for their attractive prices
and funky style. To help explain things, here's a
handy little FAQ:
What's the story behind these pipes? They're the direct result of a desire to have fun this October. I knew I wasn't going to have the time to make a set of Talbert Halloween Pipes, but the thought of going through October without doing anything quirky and strange was very depressing. I hit upon the idea of making something different - a set of Ligne Bretagne Collectors, all in strange goblin-esque shapes, all green, and many with horn stems. Making them as LBs will allow me to save time and put the focus primarily on having fun with them. Another benefit will be to keep the prices much more accessible, which will be an especially big help for US buyers suffering from the dollar devaluation, not to mention the hundreds of people who have emailed me over the years to say that they loved the Halloween pipes but just couldn't afford them. While the Goblins aren't going to be the incredibly complex and intricate creations that the TB Halloween pipes were, I hope they'll be popular. My aim is to keep the basic designs strong and simple and quirky. Back to top.
What's the difference between Ligne Bretagne Goblins and Talbert Halloween Pipes? They're simpler in design, with the accent more on "playfully strange" than outrightly sinister. They're all some variation of green in color, and the majority will have either handcut horn stems made in St. Claude, or custom acrylic stems. Also, they'll be considerably less expensive, because my focus is on keeping them simple, odd, and playful rather than obsessively complex. In many ways, I'm approaching these pipes the same way I approached the first Talbert Halloween set - just trying to do something different and creative. Back to top.
Is there a theme to these pipes? Yes! I'm attempting to keep the stylistic focus of the Goblins very naturalistic, both in terms of colors (green and earth stains, and horn stems and trim) and in overall design. I'd like for the shapes to echo the design motifs of the faerie worlds created by such artists as Jim Henson and Brian Froud. I want my Goblins to be excellent smoking pipes, but also to be alive... Back to top.
How many will you make? I have no idea. That will depend on whether they sell! It's possible no one will be interested, one can never tell. If the initial Goblins don't sell, I probably won't make many more - I've got some Talbert Briar orders to work on for the rest of the month, and I'll just switch over to those. If they DO sell and seem popular, I'll make more, as many as people want, really. I could happily go on making these Goblins for the rest of October... and for that matter, beyond. IF they're popular, I could conceivably make these little guys year-round - It will just depend on you good folks buying them! Back to top.
How will they be sold? Auctioned? They will be straight sells at posted prices, no auctions, and will be available for purchase as they are posted. No bidding or anything like that. I was getting a bit concerned over the stratospheric prices that the Talbert Halloween Pipes had begun to comand in auction - While this is great for me and all that, it was unfortunately moving the pipes beyond the reach of a lot of people, and also putting a great deal of pressure and expectation on me to "top the last set" each year. Not fun. Goblins are meant to be fun. Back to top.
How will the pipes be stamped? They will each be stamped 'Ligne Bretagne', with a code sequence like thus - 7G. The 7 will be year of production, and the large, stylized 'G' is for Goblin Back to top.
Can I get one that isn't green? Some of them will be a very earth-toned green & brown combination, but the short answer is no, they will all be some variant of green in color. Back to top.
