The Codger Cabin

[RookieGuy]

That add reminds me of how much I liked to dress for the office and how sharp most looked. It all went down rather quickly once “casual Friday” took hold. Offices now resemble typical bus stations.

My boss is very old school. He requires button down shirts and pressed khakis for the men who work in the office. "You're professionals, dammit. You act like professionals. Dress like it!" Even the plumbers are required to wear button down shirts when talking to customers. A tee while working, but professionally dressed otherwise. And it shows in the work we do.

And I never knew Grainger was a pipe tobacco. I thought it was a cigarette rolling tobacco. Huh. I'll have to snag a punch in my travels. Thanks, guys!

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

 

[Benzadmiral]

". . . a simple enough hunch." Nowadays (if smoking were still as prevalent as in 1929, that is), they'd have been at pains to tell us "Research shows that . . ." And they'd have hired a research firm and put out questionnaires and brought in consultants, and sneered at "hunches."

By the way, as my after-dinner smoke just now, I ran up a half bowl of (you guessed it) Half & Half in the My Own Blend straight billiard that might be a Stanwell. It burned evenly and steadily for my whole 20 minutes -- so I must have packed it right. Gravity-filling the bowl works just fine with these codger blends. The "twist the tobacco gently into the bowl" method gives better results with ribbon cuts.

 

[steveclarkus]

". . . a simple enough hunch." Nowadays (if smoking were still as prevalent as in 1929, that is), they'd have been at pains to tell us "Research shows that . . ." And they'd have hired a research firm and put out questionnaires and brought in consultants, and sneered at "hunches."

By the way, as my after-dinner smoke just now, I ran up a half bowl of (you guessed it) Half & Half in the My Own Blend straight billiard that might be a Stanwell. It burned evenly and steadily for my whole 20 minutes -- so I must have packed it right. Gravity-filling the bowl works just fine with these codger blends. The "twist the tobacco gently into the bowl" method gives better results with ribbon cuts.

Gladdens my little heart to find another H&H lover

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

Pipe smoking and fishing. Pipe smoking and hunting. Pipe smoking and the great outdoors. Pipe smoking and a few other things. These are the quintessential codger activities. Men being men. And the tobacco and certain other ads throughout the golden era and into the 1970s constantly backdrop those activities. One blend wasn’t even coy about it, and just branded itself so (Field & Stream). They knew what the codgers liked to do when piping. And so did those old (and not so old) codgers. And you’ll notice it over and over again on the coffee table.

Pipe smoking and fishing. Pipe smoking and hunting. Pipe smoking and the great outdoors. Sign me up.

 

[simon1]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

Pipe smoking and fishing. Pipe smoking and hunting. Pipe smoking and the great outdoors. Pipe smoking and a few other things. These are the quintessential codger activities. Men being men. And the tobacco and certain other ads throughout the golden era and into the 1970s constantly backdrop those activities. One blend wasn’t even coy about it, and just branded itself so (Field & Stream). They knew what the codgers liked to do when piping. And so did those old (and not so old) codgers. And you’ll notice it over and over again on the coffee table.

Pipe smoking and fishing. Pipe smoking and hunting. Pipe smoking and the great outdoors. Sign me up.


View attachment 1242012

Hey...they stole my pastime.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

 

[Benzadmiral]

I believe it is only available in the can now. I just ordered one. I went through one a few years ago.

WVSmokeshop.com has it in 1 oz. size: WV SmokeShop / WV Merchandise LLC - https://wvsmokeshop.com/grangertin.aspx The pic is the same as the 12 oz. can, but the price is 2.99 instead of 28.95 for the 12 oz.

 

[steveclarkus]

Thanks. Good to know. Their 12oz can is cheaper than P&C too.

 

[Columbo]

For what he carries, WVSmokeshop is very good. He is big on the match blends. His prices on codgers are among the lowest, and he ships fast and inexpensively. He also has some interesting Grabows in from time to time, and a nice selection of other moderately-priced pipes. That has been my experience.

I would not jump on a tub of anything based solely on a 90+ year old print ad. The blenders have all changed, and there is no assurance that the exact methods and formulas are still being followed. STG is now making many of these, and doing a good job. Granger is still a solid, no-nonsense Burley, with decent, but uncomplicated taste (even for a codger). I have never heard a bad word against it. I would pick PA, LLRR and SWR over Granger nowadays, but that's just me. Those blends are also significantly more expensive than Granger with most vendors. I understand that several correctional systems purchase Granger for their inmate commissaries, probably based on price. So its biggest knock may be unfairly derived from its perceived bargain price.

But a 1-2 oz sample is definitely worth the effort. You don't know until it's in your pipe.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

 

[Benzadmiral]

What kinds of magazines did these ads appear in, I wonder? General magazines like Colliers or Blue Book, or ones aimed primarily at male readers like Field and Stream or Popular Mechanics? Maybe the New Yorker, Life, and Look? The Saturday Evening Post?

 

[Benzadmiral]

Some Sir Walter this morning in my Peterson 307. The 1920s ads above for this tobacco, touting its mildness, did not exaggerate.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

Clothes may make the man, but a good pipe makes the man happy.

Our codger forefathers were as comfortable puffing away in shorts and tees as in suits.

 

[Columbo]

What kinds of magazines did these ads appear in, I wonder? General magazines like Colliers or Blue Book, or ones aimed primarily at male readers like Field and Stream or Popular Mechanics? Maybe the New Yorker, Life, and Look? The Saturday Evening Post?

Perhaps ... Some of these, and others, too.

Whatever I am putting up was general-circulation copy for the most part, and would have likely appeared in most of them. A couple along the way were publication-tailored. I'll reveal the sources at the end, whenever that is (over 1,300 so far in queue).

We are nearly at the end of the 1920s for my sources. Then the real fun begins.

But for now, the Granger and Sir Walter duel goes on a little longer. Two good smoking tobaccos.

 

[steveclarkus]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

Clothes may make the man, but a good pipe makes the man happy.

Our codger forefathers were as comfortable puffing away in shorts and tees as in suits.



View attachment 1242467

What I would give for a good pair of boxers!

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):

Throughout the golden era, it was common to see pipes in life insurance and retirement plan advertising, either in contemplating them, or in envisioning the comfortable life of leisure they might enable. These were more serious, more thoughtful matters. Certainly not something for a mere cigarette. Serious planning like this demands a pipe. And the reward for success is ... a pipe. A pretty good deal all around.

Wherever there's serious contemplation or comfortable leisure involved, you'll find smart codgers puffing away.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):


Caffeine or nicotine ... quite the household dilemma. Many codgers would have made his choice.

But most would have snuck in a cup of Joe at the drug store anyway.

Keeping the Mrs. happy is a struggle for every generation. Pipe smoking and the WAF is a timeless point of contention, even through the golden codger era. The tobacco blenders are keen to this, and some position their products accordingly. Some will even tout their blends as virtual women attractants.

As we conclude the 1920s.

 

[Columbo]

From The Cabin Coffee Table — An occasional look back at what the old Codgers saw and smoked (with a little detour and frolic, here and there):


As we enter into the 1930s, the great depression is taking hold. Times are tough. And Postum alone isn’t going to keep a codger happy. While pipe smoking remains an affordable pastime, price becomes more of a buying factor. Five or ten cents means a lot then. Not that good flavor and cool, dry, mildness take a backseat. Codgers are thrifty, but still want a darn good smoke. And the blenders oblige them on both counts. And you’ll soon see it at the coffee table. Price becomes a more conspicuous selling point. But value is always the watchword. And for great tobacco smoking, pipes are always the best value.

So in this thrifty environment, the 1930s, and continuing through the Second World War, becomes the high water era of pipe smoking at the coffee table. Even against the increasing surge in cigarettes, pipe smoking endures, and thrives. And not just the solitary piper quietly contemplating. We see multi-generational codgers, fathers smoking with sons. Men together smoking pipes. Pipes on the street. Pipes on the go. Pipes on the job. Pipes are seen everywhere. Pipes even become a fashion statement. This is the period that defined the codgers of the mid 20th Century. Our favorite classic blends are there for all of it. Many are still with us.

Buckle up! There are over 300 pipe smoking images covering this decade.