Pipes Around the Globe

Its is quite possible that in my wanderings this last weekend, that I may have stumbled upon what is surely the coolest pipe rack ever created. Yes that does sound like an overly bold statement but sometimes a thing is created that surpasses those other vessels of similar purpose. In the end I guess it simply comes down to form and function but with "function" being so elementary in it's en devour we are left with "form" alone to express itself so eloquently. So, can I truly try to "wax poetically" on such a simple vessel as a pipe rack? Why yes I can. In a small antique shop in an even smaller town that lies a short drive from my current abode, I walked into this most marvelous piece from the glorious pipe smoking past. Now if I were to be completely honest then I must say that my dear wife was first to spot it and bring it to my attention, for she too saw it as a thing beauty and that was key in my acquiring it. To the point now, it was a pipe rack in the shape of a globe that made to hold eight pipes. Now to add even more function to the already outstanding form, the globe opens to reveal a humidor within. The only markings on the piece is a small stamp on the bottom that reads "Old world globe, made in Italy". The owner of the shop told me that it was a family piece to her and it came from Germany where it was bought as a wedding gift from the bride to her groom. The two "blue hairs" running the store where quite delighted, though a bit of haggling first ensued, that I would be giving it a new loving home but were then a good deal dismayed to learn that I planned to use it and that I partook in the use of tobacco.