Stem'd My 1800's Trade Pipe

I came across some bamboo reeds (sold as tomato stakes) on sale at work. I decided to make a period accurate stem for my 1800's trade clay pipe.

Here it is hollowed out and sealed at the shank with beeswax.




I loaded it with some burley and lit it up for the first time in over 150 years.

Somewhere, I hope the previous owner is smiling down.

It was kind of surreal filling it and lighting. It smoked as clean as any clay, but didn't get as uncomfortably warm as the thinner white ones. I will be displaying it in a place of honor, to smoke only when I have been a good citizen to my fellow man, when I've done something to deserve smoking a pipe owned someone who helped build the world we live in today.

The pipe doesn't look as if it's ever been smoked, but it had to have belonged to someone at one point.

Maybe this gentleman, who knows?

Scrolling down a bit on this page shows more pipes like mine, and some fascinating history behind them.

http://www.ramshornstudio.com/pipe_.htm

I was given this one as a birthday gift by a friend/coworker, but I'd love to dig one up myself one day!
[update] here's something I just found on that page:

https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/1811/38942/1/mold_marks.pdf

My pipe looks like figure 'b' and has the + mold mark in the base:

I just checked eBay, wow, so many of them! I might make a few purchases.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sop=1&_sac=1&_nkw=clay+trade+pipes&rt=nc&_dmd=2