Meerschaum Quality

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hodirty

Lifer
Jan 10, 2013
1,295
2
I purchased a pipe from royal meerschaum pies, and it smokes excellent. I paid less than $20 for it, but am curious whether they sell good quality or poor. Anyone know anything about them?

 

rmbittner

Lifer
Dec 12, 2012
2,759
1,994
Never heard of Royal Meerschaum, but that doesn't mean much. If it smokes well, though, I'm assuming it's good quality. . . ?
But at $20 I don't see how it can be block meerschaum, which is considered the best kind of meerschaum. If it's not block, then it's likely a composite of meerschaum. It may still smoke fine, but it won't likely color over time the same way a block meerschaum would.
Anyone else?

 

hodirty

Lifer
Jan 10, 2013
1,295
2
Thanks guys. I guess it really doesnt matter what quality it is if it smokes good, well in this case.

 

sparroa

Lifer
Dec 8, 2010
1,466
4
I am not a meerschaum expert, but I personally consider new meerschaum pipes under $150 to be rather suspect.
(With that said, there is nothing stopping a shyster from charging $300 for a flawed meer; dealing exclusively with "reputable" carvers/vendors is the only real "protection" against that, but its far from perfect)
If you find an inexpensive meerschaum, though, it is really a crapshoot.
It could be a great little smoker or a worthless piece of junk.
If its resale value and collectibility that you are after, though, you are better served by playing it safe and buying a recognized brand.
Still, dishonest sellers try to sucker people with fakes all the time. The meerschaum pipe market is really shady at times, IMO.

 
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