I purchased this gem of a set as having been made in the 1920s, but my trusted refurbishers at Dunbar Bagpipes believe they are much closer to 1900. They are made of ebony, and mounted in ivory. The slides are silver, almost certainly a later addition. They are not hallmarked but  but are stamped with two words: STERLING and SAW. If anyone can tell me what this refers to I would be happy to hear from you!

There were a number of hairline cracks here and there, but nothing that was visible until the finish was removed from the pipes. These cracks were easily fixed and should give no trouble again. The blowstick is a blackwood replica with the original mount. The blowstick stock is blackwood, lined with polypenco, made by Dunbar. The pipes have been refinished.

This is the second time I’ve had these pipes. I purchased them back from the previous customer who was downsizing to a less expensive set. The seller from whom I bought them some years ago had originally gotten them from Jim McIntosh in the 1980s.

Tonally, these pipes are top of the line classic Henderson — steady, rich, with a lovely bass and refined harmonics that only ebony can offer.