I'm putting this in the general pipe forum because I think this is a pretty cool old timer and probably more people will see it here.
I got this pipe in the mail today and was excited to get started on cleaning it up. The ornate cap and band look like something that would have come out of India during the Raj. Of course in that case it would be hand made with precious metals. This appears to be stamped and plated. Probably American made. Even so it's one of the higher end more ornate models. At first I thought the lower section showing flowers was tarnished silver. After cleaning it appears to have just been really dirty. The whole thing looks to be brass plate. Looking at the pics, I think I need to figure a way to get into the crannies and get it really clean. It's been banged around a bit but still looks pretty good.
The stem is a reddish amber Bakelite in a color That is unusual. The barrel isn't quite cylindrical making me think it was hand shaped. My guess is that it's a replacement for an original amber stem.
The body has a good coat of wax. I elected to just clean off some of the dirt and leave the scratches. For now anyway.
I'm sure this pipe came with a case when new. But I don't have it. It's impossible to say who made it without seeing a case logo. It could have been any of the big companies doing business around 1900. I'll bet it was expensive! It smokes good. The wide chunky bit makes it good to clench.
Here's what I saw when I opened the box:
After cleaning the bright work:
Top view. It's a sharp looking pipe.
I got this pipe in the mail today and was excited to get started on cleaning it up. The ornate cap and band look like something that would have come out of India during the Raj. Of course in that case it would be hand made with precious metals. This appears to be stamped and plated. Probably American made. Even so it's one of the higher end more ornate models. At first I thought the lower section showing flowers was tarnished silver. After cleaning it appears to have just been really dirty. The whole thing looks to be brass plate. Looking at the pics, I think I need to figure a way to get into the crannies and get it really clean. It's been banged around a bit but still looks pretty good.
The stem is a reddish amber Bakelite in a color That is unusual. The barrel isn't quite cylindrical making me think it was hand shaped. My guess is that it's a replacement for an original amber stem.
The body has a good coat of wax. I elected to just clean off some of the dirt and leave the scratches. For now anyway.
I'm sure this pipe came with a case when new. But I don't have it. It's impossible to say who made it without seeing a case logo. It could have been any of the big companies doing business around 1900. I'll bet it was expensive! It smokes good. The wide chunky bit makes it good to clench.
Here's what I saw when I opened the box:
After cleaning the bright work:
Top view. It's a sharp looking pipe.
