January 21, 2017 Meeting Minutes

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The meeting was called to order at 8:05 pm at 8 to 8 Cigar in Villa Park, IL. The St. Louis Show was discussed briefly and is taking place on 2/18 which is our next meeting date. My apologies for the conflict. However, attending a show is somewhat more important than missing one meeting. If any one from the CPCC is attending the show, please send our regards to the St. Louis club. Broadway Al Shaw (well, that’s the way he signed the attendance sheet) spoke about the next meeting of Hugo’s Companions which is a Sherlock Holmes club. The next meeting date for that group is 2/15. Contact Broadway Al for more info. Other future meeting dates are February 18th, March 18th and April 22nd at 8 to 8.
We were also very pleased to welcome three new members to the Club at the meeting. They are Kevin Schinagl, Robert Maggio and Tom Colvin. Welcome, gentlemen!

Craig Cobine was unable to attend due to his ongoing health issues, but we are hopeful that Craig will be able to make next month’s meeting and the Club sends Craig our very best wishes for his quick and complete recovery from his recent surgery. Chuck Martin gave a brief Show report where he indicated that the Saturday night dinner was being significantly modified to present a varied menu at more reasonable prices. Allow me to elaborate. For many years the Saturday night banquet at the Show, wherein the new Doctor of Pipes awards are presented, consisted of a steak dinner with all the trimmings (salad, soup, bread and dessert) accompanied by bottles of red and white wine. The meal included a “goodie bag” for each participant which was made up of premium cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco related items donated by companies and individuals supporting the Show. The goodie bag was worth the $70.00 charge for the meal. However, over the years, participation at the event was varied with years where the required number of 150 diners was occasionally not reached. Two of the oft quoted reasons for the spotty attendance was that the price was too high, even with the goodie bag, and that not everyone wanted a steak dinner. This year we are offering a varied menu which will provide a choice of beef, chicken, fish or vegetarian items at appreciably less cost than before. No goodie bags will be provided. Instead, we will be offering a raffle for boxes of premium cigars provided by event supporters. Anyone wanting to contribute a box of premium cigars may feel free to contact me. Also, there will be an open bar in the banquet hall where diners can purchase whatever beverages they wish. Anyone found to be unruly or disruptive during the dinner will be taken outside and forced to smoke a machine made cigar composed of synthetic binder material and filler made for chopped up leavings from full leaf filler cigars and shredded newspapers. That should teach them a lesson.

Respectfully submitted,
Paul Bender-Acting President
Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club

November 19, 2016 Meeting Minutes

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Meeting was called to order at 8 to 8 cigar shop at 8pm.  Two new members where cheerfully admitted to the Club. Let’s all welcome Matthew Baker pf Roselle, IL. and Matt Glines of Volo, IL. Matt, I didn’t get your birth month for your annual birthday cigar from the Club.  Please email it to me at your convenience.  Welcome aboard, gentlemen. Chuck Martin gave a short Show report which reiterated that the coming Show is sold out with 9 on a waiting list. The St. Louis pipe show is scheduled for February 25th and 26th of 2017. Paul Bender gave a brief report on the recent West Coast pipe show in Las Vegas, NV at the beginning of November. There were over 100 tables with strong walk-in activity. The Saturday night show dinner was highlighted by Marty Pulvers giving a talk on the hobby. Mike Khalil gave an update on the current status of the forthcoming FDA regulations. These included no more sales of bulk tobacco where the customer simply selects how many ounces is wanted. Everything must be prepackaged in whatever quantities the manufacturer wants to sell. There were other changes covered in Mike’s talk that would take up a great deal of space here. Anyone interested can go to halfwheel.com for a run down on the various pending rules scheduled to go into effect August 15th of 2017. On the bright side, there was a discussion on how the incoming administration in Washington D.C may very well be inclined to substantially mitigate the severity of the new regulations. One may hope.

The annual Iwan Riess trunk show at the shop at 19 South Wabash in the Chicago loop area is scheduled for Friday, December 2nd of this year. Also, for those who already are members of The North American Society of Pipe Collectors, or NASPC, and those who would like to become members and received their excellent magazine, The Pipe Collector, membership renewals and sign ups can be made through their website a www.naspc.org. Also, for out of town CPCC members, it’s renewal time also. Our out of state dues are $20, payable by check or money order made out to CPCC and mailed to me, Paul Bender, at 1005 E. Golfhurst Ave., Mount Prospect, IL. 60056-4322. Please do not make the check payable to me as I will only squander your money on cognac and pipe tobacco laced with large amounts of Syrian latakia. Please include your current contact information including address, telephone number and email address. If you do not want any contact information included in our online membership list, please state as much in a note with your renewal.

Here’s wishing all of our friends, members and fellow enthusiasts in the hobby a very happy Thanks Giving.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul Bender-Acting President

Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club

October 22, 2016 Meeting Minutes

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The meeting was called to order at 8pm at the 8 to 8 cigar shop in Villa Park, IL. After birthdays and guests were acknowledged, member Pat Murphy announced that he would not be attending next month’s meeting. After the cheering died down, he explained that he would be in England meeting with British pipe smokers in London and out in the countryside. Given the draconian limitations imposed by law on British pipe smokers, Pat’s report on his trip should be interesting when he returns home. Craig Cobine reported that the exhibit cases for next year’s Show will be complete as he has found exhibitors and that Paronelli Pipes will be attending next year’s show for what I believe is the first time. Craig mentioned that Paronelli Pipes supports a tobacco pipe museum in Italy. It will be interesting to see if any historical items will be shown at the Show.

On a very sad note, Craig informed the Club that our longtime exhibitor and pipe dealer/enthusiast Anthony Soderman recently passed away. Tony Soderman was a member of the International Charatan Collectors Society and always had a large inventory of high end pipes for sale at the Show. He had many friends and admirers in the hobby. He will be missed by many.

Our next CPCC meeting at 8 to 8 is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul Bender

Acting President/Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club

September 24, 2016 Meeting Minutes

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The September, 2016 meeting of the Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club was called to order at the 8 to 8 Cigar Shop in Villa Park, IL. at 8pm. Old and New Business was called for with Hans Hansen giving a report on the recent Columbus, OH pipe show which was well attended and fun. Mr. Robert Doucet was welcomed as a new member. Frank Burla sadly reported the recent passing of Mr. Richard Dunhill of Dunhill pipes, an icon of the tobacco pipe industry and a true friend of the hobby. He will be missed by many.

Craig Cobine gave a report on the progress of next year’s Chicagoland Pipe Show. As has been previously stated, the Show is officially sold out. Craig is assembling a waiting list of those who have not yet reserved a table but wish to do so. Modified table layouts are being considered and will require the approval of local authorities in St. Charles, IL. The Club hopes to be able to provided additional tables for those wanting to attend. A question was brought up about CPCC activities when members of the Club reserve a table and attend other pipe shows. Do we sell pipes and tobacco items? No, we don’t. What is done is that one or more members will reserve a table at various pipe shows for the purpose of supporting the show they are attending and promoting our Chicagoland Show. Although we are officially sold out for next year, we still wish to support other shows with our attendance.

Mrs. Nancy Reschke, the widow of our good friend and club president Michael Reschke was in attendance at the meeting and brought with her a small number of her late husband’s Parker collection and a number of pipe racks and other items for perusal by the members. Mrs. Reschke is looking to return Mike’s sizeable collection of Parker pipes and other high end pipes back into the hands of active hobbyists/collectors along with a goodly number of pipe related items and tins of high end and in some cases vintage pipe tobacco. She can be contacted at nancyreschke@yahoo.com for further information on the collection and availability of items.

I must apologize for the lack humor that has been the hallmark of Club meeting minutes since Tom Dinelli has taken over the job of Club secretary. As Tom was unable to make the meeting, someone with appreciably less wit and imagination is transcribing this month’s minutes. The next CPCC Club meeting will be held at 8 to 8 on October 22nd. Y’all come now.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul Bender/Acting President

Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club

August 13, 2016 Meeting Minutes

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At our Saturday August 13th meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop, we had 24 regular members in attendance. We also had one guest Mr. Kevin Lawinger.
MEETING SCHEDULE:
September 24th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.
October 22nd: “PIZZA NIGHT” at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.
November 19th: Regular meeting at 8to8 Cigar Shop 6:30-10:00 P.M.
Not a whole hell of a lot went on at this month’s meeting….
OLD BUSINESS:
None stated.
NEW BUSINESS:
None stated.
SHOW REPORT:
On the Sunday of the show, the tables used for the silent auction will be converted into exhibitor tables at a reduced rate.
There MAY be a blending seminar at the 2017 show.
There are CPCC leather tobacco pouches for sale at $30.00 each. I think that there are 5 of them left. Contact Paul Bender for more information.
Allan Boyd has become a new show officer while Paul Bender is now the Assistant Show Director. Good luck to Allan and Paul in their endeavors….
I read this article put out by Forbes that I thought might interest some of you.
It was written by Frank Miniter who is a contributor to Forbes. Everything in italics is taken directly from the article, and I in no way take credit for writing this!!!
This is not the WHOLE article, but rather excerpts from it.
“Now the Obama Administration Is After Gunsmiths?”
“My gunsmith has a lathe, a drill press, even a barrel reamer. He uses them to repair guns. To him, they are like a car mechanic’s welding equipment, drill and cutter tools. He never thought drilling out a broken-off screw or grinding down a gun part to make a rifle’s action work smoother would define him as a “MANUFACTURER”. But now, according to the federal government, he is a manufacturer and is required to pay a $2,250 annual fee as mandated by the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) regulations. This is what the Obama administration is now saying in a rule change.”
“Manta lists 15,615 gunsmiths in America today. Many of these are small shops-many of them are even side businesses for people who began tinkering with guns and then went to a gunsmith school. Requiring these people to pay $2,250 every year will drive many of them out of business or underground.”
“Imagine a gunsmith getting up from his bench, where he is busy tweaking a gun’s stock for a customer, to answer a call from the State Department demanding he pay $2,250 every year or face legal consequences, and you see why this is outrageous.”
Beginning to see where I’m going with this???
The same thing is happening right now as I write this to our “Artisan”, or individual pipe makers thanks to the F.D.A..
The F.D.A. is trying to stomp out ALL forms of tobacco products, and anything that has to do with the use of tobacco products!!!
This includes any pipe or a part thereof, if you make a bowl or a bit-YOU ARE A MANUFACTURER!!!
I’ll be able to pass along more information to you when I get back from the Columbus Show next weekend.
Bottom line, if you like a pipe from a certain maker, or one of the newer tobaccos that has come out recently, you better snag it now because who knows what the future holds for our hobby…
This is also the very last year for McClelland to produce “Christmas Cheer” or “Holiday Spirit”!!! If you can find it…