The Thrill of the Hunt (A Guide to Estate Meerschaums)
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Kevin Godbee - Sep 19, 2010
- 11 min read
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 are for display do not interest me. Knowledge in this market is limited among many Buyers and often as not, the Sellers. Lately, the marketplace has shown the value that Buyers place on estate Pipes that have coloration. The Estate marketplace has shown the value that many place on Pipes that have been colored by means of smoking. Some of these Pipes have been either the product of smoke jar coloring or baking, where the Pipe has been heated in an oven, either in the presence of tobacco or liquid suspension. My guess is that they have been packed in moist tobacco or tobacco juices in liquid suspension, and then heated in an oven. The appearance results are different than what happens when the Pipe is smoked and waxed over time.
The coloration results of these Pipes are displayed with more orange and red hues in a more consistent and even finish. These Pipes are not particularly outstanding in regards to artistic achievement, but do bring high sales bidding, because they are ‘colored.’ So many Meerschaum smokers are in a hurry to have colored Pipes that the market has responded in providing them as Estate Pipes, which has been a windfall for Sellers. The money is good enough to attract some creative thinking from Sellers. People will go to great lengths to color Pipes quickly or to expense to obtain them.
Brand name Pipes and Carvers, such as Andreas Bauer, Paul Fischer, CAO, Ismet Bekler, Golden Horn, Kaywoodie, Pioneer, GBD, Comoy, and Meerschaum Pipes made for shops to market under their own trade names, like RIECO for Iwan Ries & Co. or C.B. Perkins, which was later bought out by DES Tobacco Corporation, all offer attraction to the Estate Buyer. The range in quality of these Pipes is huge, from Pressed Meerschaum to African Block to high grade Turkish Block.
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African Block offers attraction to the collectors of Peterson, Kiko, Laxey and Isle of Man, especially since the mines shut down in 2006. The ones that interest me most often are Andreas Bauer and Paul Fischer, which were carved from high grade Turkish Block, so that is my focus in this discussion of the basics of the hunt. Identifying these old Pipes can be difficult and it isn’t unusual to find Pipes of questionable origin in the cases of sought after brands and Artisans.
Deniz Ural, who has been in the Meerschaum trades some 42 years, tells me that he believes their foundation was in 1904 and they were the original company till 1970, when Turkish law banned the export of raw Sepiolite. Then a German lady bought out the company and soon after Otto Kopp bought the trademark. Otto Kopp was the # 1 customer of Koncak meerschaums (Ekrem Bey, Sedat’s father). They were a large Meerschaum distributor to the German tobacconists along with their own briars. In 1990 Sedat Koncak and her sister, who were taking over the business from their aging father, decided to buy the Andreas Bauer trademark from Otto Kopp. Sedat made some fantastic pipes in the beginning but could not pursue this project as it was born lame, with too high a price for the trademark and not enough production. The trademark became a commodity, which has been in reportedly 3 different ownerships to date, the last of which was an unfulfilled contract with the Koncak business. The original Andreas Bauer Pipes were of legendary quality, using both high grade Turkish Block and Amber. The Figurals are of such high artistic merit, that they became the industry standard, unequaled in achievement save for arguably Sadik Yanik’s best art. When they infrequently come into the marketplace, even the plain Pipes will have an Amber bit, a bone screw joint and the Block will display the translucent quality that only the best Block shows. The Andreas Bauer Pipes from the Koncaks will be either smooth finish or lattice and have a derlin push/pull connector and a hand cut bit The cases may or may not claim to be from Vienna. These are good Pipes, but are not valued as much as the original Pipes from Vienna. This trademark is the most common fraud encountered in the marketplace and even now some are showing up that are of more recent construction that claim to be authentic. Your best recourse in evaluating one of these Pipes for possible purchase is dialogue with the Seller. Lacking this, I would suggest not pursuing the purchase.
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Pipes by Paul Fischer also attract me. Little information survives about this Artisan Meerschaum Pipe maker. A German immigrant family owned business of 4 decades that settled in Orchard Park, NY, from the late 1950’s until the early 1970’s when the shop closed. It was called the House of Fischer. Paul is often credited with being the premier artisan of the new age of Meerschaum shapes that combined his flair and traditional forms. When the shop closed, he continued carving in his studio shop until the mid 1970’s. There are many Pipes that show up in Paul Fischer Pipe cases that are of questionable origin. Paul’s style is recognizable by those who have seen his work. His bits are hand cut from the old Amberoid plastic, with the more recent ones being hand cut Lucite – likely among his last works. The bit –to-shank connectors will always be a bone screw and will not be of recent production. Again, when considering acquiring one of these Pipes in the marketplace, if you cannot establish meaningful dialogue with the Seller, then it is best to not bid.
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Once you’ve determined that a Pipe in auction is one you believe is authentic, then you should consider the cost of any repairs that might have to be made, if the Pipe is to be smoked. Hopefully, you’ve been able to make this evaluation prior to the purchase, but sometimes this is not the case. Some Sellers are sincere in their attempts to provide information, but lack the knowledge required. It is good to have already discovered the nature of the Seller’s character during the sales process, but sometimes you really don’t know what will be required until you have the Pipe in hand. Over time, I’ve learned that cleaning up Estate Meerschaums can be a lesson in delayed gratification. I used to rush into removing surface blemishes with Everclear and wet/dry sandpaper, which works well and requires re-waxing. The drawbacks to this are the adverse results it can have on the Patina, which is the most time consuming aspect of bringing these Pipes back onto their path of evolution. My approach to this is less aggressive than my past efforts, as I’m doing the best I can not to disturb the Patina.
Initially, start work on these blemishes with a white cotton rag with Everclear on it, just enough to remove the surface grime, but not enough to draw the entire blemish out of the Block. Before smoking it for the first time, I cold wax the entire Pipe, paying particular attention to the blemishes, As I smoke the Pipe, I rub Beeswax on it, with attention to these spots. After a half dozen smokes, the Pipe will start to show more of the coloration and these blemishes will become diffuse, so that they are less defined. This technique seems to be better in the long run, as the Patina continues to develop more than if I’d used sandpaper. This method of waxing also works well with keeping the bowl plateau of a new Pipe from getting scorched, as the Beeswax works to spread the smoke marks as well as aid coloration and provide protection for the Block. Cleaning of the Estate Pipe should always include removing the cake, down to the Block. The use of Everclear, a shank brush and plenty of Pipe cleaners is required before the first smoke and after every smoke, as the Pipe flushes itself of the ghosts of previous use. Routine cleaning after every smoke will result in a clarity of the smoking experience unequaled by other materials used for Pipe construction.
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The use of Beeswax on Meerschaum Pipes is the most popular subject of both the maintenance of new Pipes and the restoration of the older ones. My preference is to rub refined white Beeswax on the Pipe as it is being smoked, allowing the heat of the Pipe to both melt the wax and facilitate how much of it the Block is going to absorb. Excess can be easily removed with a clean white cotton rag, preferably before the Pipe cools. Another method is to daub melted Beeswax onto the Pipe and melt the excess of with either a heat gun or hairdryer. This requires removal of all plastic parts of the Pipe, as the heat will melt them. It also makes a mess, as the hot wax gets blown off the Pipe. It’s very important to make sure that the Block is dry, as any moisture in the Block while the heat is being applied runs the risk of cracking the Block. The same precautions apply to putting the Block in a vat of melted Beeswax, after both the shank and the bowl have been blocked with cork. If you do this, remember that the Beeswax is flammable and should never be heated enough to make it boil. These techniques require that the Pipe is buffed with a clean white cotton cloth, to remove the excess. It’s also a good idea to remember that while the Block is absorbing the Beeswax, it will also absorb anything that is on your hands, so avoid touching it while it is hot. These methods work best with smooth surfaced Pipes. Lattice Pipes can be a little tricky, so avoid getting a lot of wax in the lattice holes, or you’ll have to dig it out later. With intricate carvings, I suggest using Halcyon II, as the required buffing could be a big problem if Beeswax is applied to these delicate carvings. Halcyon II requires no buffing, but it doesn’t provide the hard protective finish of Beeswax, nor does it aid in the development of coloration. The restoration of patina in an Estate Pipe is the most time consuming process involved in this work. It is better to go slow with a cautious approach than to wind up starting from the beginning of the Pipe’s evolution.
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Not all Buyers in the Estate Meerschaum market are after specific brand names or Carver specific Pipes, and opportunity exists for value purchases in both the Turkish Block and African Block Pipes available. There are issues that need to be considered before any commitment to bid or purchase is made. Is the Pipe in good shape or will it require repair?
Are there any cracks, chips or parts of the Block missing? What is the nature and condition of the bit-to-shank connector and does the bit align properly, without wobble? The status of the bit is important as well. Does it have any tooth marks, cracks or has it been repaired.
Amber bits are frequently seen that have been repaired and/or shortened. The cost of repairs can quickly make the final price of the Pipe increase substantially. Amber is fragile and expensive to repair. Previous repairs to the Block should be evaluated for both artistic merit and quality of craftsmanship, as both of these factors directly impact the future service expectations of the potential Buyer. Cleaning up a Pipe is one thing, but the repairs required to bring it back in service are another important aspect of any purchase consideration. If you are looking at a Pipe in an estate sale, you have the benefit of being able to see it and evaluate it’s value firsthand. If you are dealing with a reseller on the internet, dialogue is absolutely necessary, especially if the Seller has a ‘No Returns’ policy.
I have found the reward of smoking these old Pipes to be a pleasure. Once the Pipe is cleaned up and allowed to flush the ghosts of past fires, they smoke wonderfully and share the lessons they have learned from Fire and tobaccos. They can be wonderfully carved treasures of functional art or simply witnesses of past glory from years that have gone by. The potential gems are worth the occasional loss. Every good Pipe should have more than one owner and these old sages have many years of service still in them. It is the thrill of the hunt and the pleasures of using these old masters of the Meerschaum Experience that keep me involved. These are the basics. Come and join in the fun!
Related Article: The Meerschaum Pipe Experience
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Fred Bass is the founder of the “All Things Meerschaum Group” on Smoker’s Forums. All but one of the pipes shown in this article are from his collection. You can see more of Fred’s Meerschaum Pipe Collection in his Pipe Photo Album, which includes close to 100 pipes. |
Written by Kevin Godbee
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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 636. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Barry Kane. Barry started smoking a pipe in 1961 when he was 14-years old. Back then it seemed like everybody smoked, and you could buy pipes and tobacco just about anywhere. Barry is a true old-school pipe smoker, sticking to just one blend. See if you can guess which one before listening. At the top of the show Brian will give his take on Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s purchase of Mac Baren and Sutliff Tobacco and their announcement that they will be shut down.
There’s a pipe in my collection that I cannot bring myself to smoke, though I’ve had it for more years than I care to recall. It’s old, or shall I say, well experienced; that experience, that oldness came to it long before it was in my possession. The pipe is an old Comoy’s Grand Slam from the 1940s. The shape (#93), a slightly canted, stack billiard (sometimes referred to as a Belgian) is right up my alley, and it’s a beautiful example of it. It came to me with some wear and tear; nothing unusual for an old pipe, but more the signs of one that has been well loved, smoked a lot, treated as a favorite tool, cherished, in a sense, by frequent use. It’s the pipe equivalent of a vintage car that’s been driven a lot, enjoyed fully and maintained adequately, rather than one kept in a spotless garage, dusted and detailed weekly, brought out only for leisurely Sunday drives, or to be ogled behind the ropes at the next Concours d’Elegance. When it arrived, those uncounted years ago, it wanted a little restoration. Nothing dramatic needed to be done to it, but the stem was oxidized, the finish a little dingy. The cake was even and fairly thin, and the airway was relatively clean, both signs that its previous owner cared for it, but the bowl’s surface was a little drab and dull. It took little effort to reveal its beauty, to show the lovely contrasted stain and interesting grain beneath the old wax. I often think I should do before and after photos of pipes that I work on, but those thoughts always come after the work’s been done. This one would have been a great illustration of how years of handling that can sometimes make a pipe more beautiful, can other times make it just look grungy. Once I’d cleaned up the externals, it was time to address the inside bits. I approach this a little bassackwards, I realize. It would be more sensible to take care of the inside before addressing the outside, but it’s how I roll. If an old pipe isn’t pretty to look at, it’s unlikely that I’ll care much about it, and cleaning is usually the hardest part, or at least the most boring part of any restoration for me. Alcohol and pipe cleaners. Lots of pipe cleaners. That’s why I leave it for last. Sometimes, I’ll even give a pipe a test smoke before a deep cleaning, just for a point of reference. I gave it a sniff to get an idea of what I was up against, and it stopped me cold. There in that bowl was an aroma that I had not smelled in decades. My head was instantly filled with memories of being in the back room of a fabled Berkeley tobacconist’s shop where I stumbled upon a few jars of long discontinued blends. One of them, a blend called Forty and Eight, had the most engaging and unusual scent of any tobacco I’d stuck my schnoz into. It was sweet, but not in a candy store way. There were none of the usual vanilla, cherry, berry or anise notes of typical aromatics, nothing that could be compared to aftershave or deodorant soap, but something almost musky, a little earthy, something exotic. The shop’s owner couldn’t tell me what was in it, how, or where it had been produced. The old blend had been retired before he’d bought the place. The printed catalogue gave no clues, either, other than being overprinted with the word “DISCONTINUED” in bold, rubber-stamp type. (And, I don’t recall it as being “highly aromatic” as the description indicates.) There was still quite a bit in the jar. Being, at that point, an intrepid explorer of all kinds of tobaccos, whether I thought I’d like them or not, I had to give it a try. It was burly based, but also comprised a good measure of virginia leaf, and maybe some other varieties; I didn’t have enough experience at the time to really pick it apart. But, that aroma was unlike anything I’d experienced before or since. It was something now completely lost to time. Until it wasn’t. Memories are powerful things, and there is no sense more tightly bound to memory than our sense of smell. One whiff was all it took to carry me back in time, conjuring a vivid recollection of something long submerged in the inky depths of a subconscious mind. Look, I know as well as anyone that pipes are meant to be smoked, and that many feel it almost sacrilegious to have a pipe and not set it to its intended task. In this case, I simply can’t. I won’t. Ever. Rationally, I am fairly certain this pipe would probably be a great smoke. It was too well loved by its previous caretaker to be anything less than that. My choice not to smoke it is an emotional one, not something rational. Of the thousands of pipes that have passed through my hands over the years, this is the only one to create such a singular and vivid, almost Proustian recollection of temps perdu, of lost time. It revivified a long dormant memory that is mine, and mine alone, and that’s enough. I keep it in a drawer with other old English pipes. In some ways, it’s nothing special, just a nice old pipe. I don’t lavish it with any particular care that arguably befits the hidden treasure that it holds. It’s not in a special box, or displayed preciously in a glass cabinet. Every once in a while, I take it out, point my nose bowlwards, and every time, those memories return just as powerfully as they did the first time. I have no idea how long it’s been since its last owner smoked it, but in the years I’ve had it, there seems to have been very little degradation of the aroma, and that’s […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 635. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with James Ravenwood. James is the boutique tobacco blender of Ravenwood Blends. His blending started out as a fun hobby, and he now has professionally packaged commercially available products with some great tin art. Part of his interest in pipe smoking goes back to fond memories of a retired Navy Veteran that lived on his street while he was growing up that would sit in his driveway smoking a pipe all day. Later, in 2011 he began smoking pipes and soon after started experimenting with mixing different tobaccos. His other hobby, that he has been doing for 30 years, is photography. He takes wonderful photos of outdoor spaces, and still life pictures of pipes and tobacco. You can see them on his Instagram @thebriarfellowship. At the top of the show we’ll have an Ask the Pipemaker segment with renowned pipe artisan Jeff Gracik.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 634! Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Warren Ertle. Warren is an extremely accomplished musician with a PhD in music. He started early as a percussionist in sixth grade. Later his grandmother got him a cheap Casio keyboard which he taught himself to play. He started playing in blues bands in high school, and has been a pianist with jazz big bands for years. Even though he was already a professional musician, he took his first real piano lesson when he enrolled in college with his studies in classical music. He is of course a pipe smoker. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.
Soon now, supposedly, our neighborhoods will shift from grinning pumpkins, skeletons in various assortments, and zombies dashing about to pretty reindeer, angels, and flashing lights illuminating homes with sparkling stars and laughing, scurrying Santas. But, lest we forget, there is the turkey season, fancy pie aromas wafting from kitchens, and a national pardon of a big Tom Turkey. Remember, now, that only one of these holiday personalities is a pipe smoker. And that is the hefty, bearded fellow in a bright red suit sitting in a sleigh with a herd of deer hitched up and ready to streak across the globe, bringing tidings of joy and many presents. Ok, the scene is set for the next couple of months, right? So, before we get too far off the beaten path, let’s just take a deep breath of fresh autumn air, shall we? Ahh. That’s better, isn’t it? What’s got the Pundit in a snit is not all the Halloween spooks who came a-jostling for candy. Or the wild turkeys gobbling in the backwoods or all the fuss and feathers over the big one—Christmas. No, it is that we might need to take note of all the little things that mean so much to us. Like a good sunrise (seriously, Pundit has not gone all Pollyanna.) Mayhaps we need to appreciate more of what we have than what we have not. Or something like that. Like, a good pipe in the morning with coffee as the dawn brings us coolish weather now that we have flipped the calendar to autumn. But it also brings beautiful leaves that have become a spectacle of technicolor in the wind. It is the little things. The rereading of an enjoyable book and finding something you did not see or learn in the first go-round. Or a stunning phrase you commit to memory with the re-read, while smoking that favorite pipe. And you notice a superior puff that just seems to be different. It’s in the air and the seasons of meaningful little things. It’s aromatic! Or perhaps it is that sense of satisfaction knowing and appreciating you made it to another day. With the world in a kind of rinse-and-repeat history, reminiscent of a Shakespearean play, it is perhaps a good moment to remember some of Pipedom’s philosophers whose cogent thoughts brought light to clear a path in the mists of confusion and confounding opinions. Ok. No gloom and doom. Just some down-home thoughts. Think of times in the past when history was running off the rails. It took our pipe-smoking thinkers (the mind workers of the world) to speak of better pathways to more light. Think for a moment, with a pipe in hand, these wizards of the world and word: Albert Einstein, J. R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edwin Hubble, Bertrand Russell, C. S. Lewis, and Jean-Paul Sartre. All learned and enlightened. They offered wisdom instead of storms of meaningless roads to nowhere. All while smoking their pipes! Maybe especially with the help of their pipes in the art of thinking and philosophy. Recall the words of Mr. E=MC2 when he said, “I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs.” Amen and amen! Dealing with world-rattling events takes a calm and objective view of things, to the Pundit’s way of summing it up. You just don’t go messing around with quantum physics without a calm and objective approach, methinks. Or as the extraordinary physicist Robert Oppenheimer said after he and a team in the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Labs developed a way to split atoms into bombs during World War II. “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” said Oppenheimer referring to the development of the first nuclear bombs dropped on Japan. It must be pointed out that Oppenheimer was more of a cigarette smoker than a pipe smoker. Nonetheless, pipes were part of his personality. Now, if you have read some of the great authors of the past and present, their pipes were always nearby. Reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle can be a three-pipe problem at times. S. Lewis and Jean-Paul Sartre require time with your pipes to reflect on the existential problems and solutions these authors provide in learned novels and other narratives. Or take Edwin Hubble and Bertrand Russell, philosophers of another world. Pipes are required for reading. The quantum lode of ideas Pundit is attempting to sort out is that our pipes are relaxing and stimulate our thoughts and creativity. Especially in these last months of the year. Many times Pundit has had that light bulb flick on while smoking my beloved pipes. And friends in Pipedom, it ain’t easy to turn on the lights in Pundit’s rock pit head. Now it’s time for a quote from a Pipe Smoker of the Past. Shelby Foote was born Nov. 17, 1916, in Greenville, Miss., and died June 27, 2005, in Memphis, Tenn. A fact is not a truth until you love it—Shelby Foote. A parting thought: It is said that famed Southern author William Faulkner carried a packed pipe in a coat pocket wherever he went. That’s one effective way to deal with workday conflicts and confusion. A calm and objective judgment in our everyday human affairs, as the quantum man said.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 633. Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. We’ll have JD and Brian talking about what’s new at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss tobacco growing, what happens to the leaf, and provide updated information on where tobacco is being gown today. Tobacco production originated in the United States and we were once the #1 producer. It’s quite different now.
Excellent…thank you for a very good read !!
Joe N.
Great article as always Fred
Great article – as always Fred
Thank you for imparting your knowledge to us in this highly digestible read.
You are a wealth of information in all things Meerschaum.
Can’t wait for the next article.
Very very informative, thanks.
Another great article on meerschaum pipes Fred!
Thanks guys. Again, Kevin deserves huge recognition for his
skills in taking a raw product to a great result.
Wonderful piece, Fred. I just re-waxed three of my prized meers. I wish I had read your article first!
A great article. I had thought that the meerschaum was strictly ornimental. I just learned something new. Thankyou very much. Their beautiful. thezman.
Another great article fred. As always a lot of info presented.
Very nice article Fred. I went over to the Up In Smoke by Northpark yesterday while my girlfriend was in the container store next door. I got to talking with the worker there and he asked if I posted on any forums. I said PM and he dropped your name saying he knew you and that you were a regular at the store and talked about how you just wrote an article for PM. It was a pleasant surprise. On a side note, very nice place with a large selection of both tinned and bulk tobacco. I picked up an ounce of the Pot Luck, though the guy didn’t know what the heck was thrown in lol.
Hello.
I’m Spanish and I don’t know what \everclean\ is, because I don’t find any translation for this word.
Please, can anybody help me?
Thank you.
Everclear is the brand name for 95% (190 proof) alcohol by volume grain alcohol.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everclear_%28alcohol%29
Great article, very informative.