Thanks for your patronage! I remember doing the condition statement for this pipe. The chamber is blackened from smoking, and the outside has seen its' fair share of handling without any major dings, just some scratches and a nice patina, IIRC. That thing is OLD, don't know exactly, but it has some age, and I think a bone screw attachment.
We've gotten a bit more specific with the condition for meers lately. We do our best to remove all the cake ( yes, there are meers with cake ) and we point out all the "bugs".
We do NOT do any cleaning on the outside other than a light cloth wheel buff to remove any loose dirt. If you're going to remove the patina, it needs to be done gently, and re-waxed immediately. I've tried, and failed, to whiten one of my personal meerschaum pipes using high-proof alcohol and ended up destroying the thing, basically it drew out all the oils and became as brittle to the touch as gypsum ( drywall ).
YMMV
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