eBay Meerschaum

[JMcQ]

So I recently bought two small lots of estate pipes off the 'bay. Some pipes definitely had issues and some weren't even worth the postage. Both lots included a Meerschaum and when they arrived, there were chunks broken inside the bowls and it seems one of the stems is just stripped out. I've never specifically been attracted to meerschaums, so this was my first experience. Is buying them used just a lost cause? Are they very fragile? Am I just having bad luck?

 

[canadianpuffer]

Used meers are fine to buy as long as they’re quality. The ones I’ve seen are cheap pressed meer and not block. Those pressed ones are super fragile.

 

[cortezattic]

Don't know much about estate meers, but check out:

The Thrill of the Hunt (A Guide to Estate Meerschaums)

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor By Fred Bass The Estate Meerschaum marketplace offers opportunity for both the budget minded and the collector of fine antiques. It also is rife with deception and prices that have little to do with product quality and value. I buy Pipes to smoke, so antiques that...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[cshubhra]

I prefer buying Meerschaum’s new (or at least unsmoked) - you start with a blank white canvas and paint your own pictures.

I get attracted to some very old previous century Meerschaum but have never been motivated to pull the trigger - because they always fail the following test (For Me)

“Any pipe bought should be smoked - No pipe will be bought which is a display piece “