1898 or 1889? Briar Billiard w/ Silver Work and Amber Stem (Pic Heavy)

[dmcmtk]

I'm not sure that the holes are screw holes. Could just be simple open work.

Not Charles Maas. Maas worked out of London and his mark was C.M., not C.M.&C.

Jesse, I quite agree with the first. On the second, it was a bit of an guess, however note the mark (of several for Charles Maas) for London is "C.M into a thin rectangle" not "C.M.", the mark on the pipe above is also "C.M & C" (or at least that's how I'm reading the fancy ampersand), but still C.M as the mark shown here,
http://www.silvercollection.it/DICTIONARYTOBACCONISTC.html
Also, in the linked article at pipes.org, the hallmark shown is yet another Charles Maas hallmark,which appears to be CM over MM... While the description of the pipe in the second link is,

A LATE VICTORIAN SILVER MOUNTED PIPE, the briar wood bowl with silver mounted rim and stem, engraved with foliate detail, marks for Birmingham 1899, maker Cm&C, the bowl stamped ~CM Crown Pipe~ finishing with an amber mouth piece. 15cm(L) held within a fitted plush lined case marked CM Crown Pipe. Used but good condition.

Another thought, perhaps only the cases were made in Vienna, but labeled to give the pipes a fin de siècle cachet...?

 

[ashdigger]

Damn, this is getting better and better. This cool discussion is worth the price of the pipe alone.

 

[didimauw]

Right? I wouldn't care about the date of the pipe either, it's just so Damn cool

 

[jguss]

I know it can be argued but I'm with Dave on this one. I vote Chas Maas & Co, 1898.
I'm on the road with limited access to my files but here are a few quick background points:
-the makers mark is actually a sponsors mark, ie it denotes the person or company guaranteeing purity; this could be an importer or someone buying the silverwork from a subcontractor
-it was not uncommon for sponsors to register marks in more than one assay office, including offices not located near their own businesses (pipe importers, for example, would have incurred little cost transhipping tiny silver collars)
-Charles Maas advertised in London directories of the 1880s and 1890s as being the "sole manufacturers of the 'crown' pipes"
-Cases were sometimes imported from Vienna; pipes less often
I'll look for something more useful when I'm home

 

[ashdigger]

Jguss, FANTASTIC. Thank you.

 

[pitchfork]

No question, the date letter is for 1898, not 1847.
Also, the holes in the silver are almost certainly decorative. You'll find similar "holes" punched into the edges of bands from this era. That is, part of the arc of the circle will be open/incomplete.
I also would say Charles Maas for the maker. Some companies had more than one hallmark design, but it would take some digging to be sure this isn't Charles Maas.
In any case, it's a great looking pipe in pretty good condition.

 

[pitchfork]

I can't say this is definitive, but this page shows various CM hallmarks.
http://www.silvercollection.it/ENGLAMAAS.html

 

[ssjones]

Fabulous thread and pipe!

 

[ashdigger]

Pitchfork, I didn't think the 1847 was realistic in many ways, just putting it out there because the letter had that swirl.
I appreciate the time folks are taking to dig through stuff, this is quite the unique learning experience.

 

[jguss]

To clarify, briar pipes were rarely from Vienna; meerschaums (esp high end ones) obviously were relatively common

 

[pitchfork]

Pitchfork, I didn't think the 1847 was realistic in many ways, just putting it out there because the letter had that swirl.

Got it.
If you want to give yourself a hallmark-induced headache, though, try to figure out the difference between the 1913 and 1938 Birmingham date letters, or 1914 vs. 1939. 8O
I can't find a source/link right now, but lots of times the cases were advertised as "Vienna Made" -- I would guess they had a reputation for cases because of the meerschaum trade.
Here's a briar pipe with a case that says "Vienna Made Case".
http://www.ebay.es/itm/Vintage-Estate-Pipe-Chester-Silver-Hallmark-Amber-Vienna-Made-Case-/231803408380

 

[pitchfork]

I was looking for a pipe with round holes, but this is basically the same idea:

 

[ashdigger]

Nice!! I'm rapidly falling under the spell of these old pipes. Luckily I just grabbed a Ryan Alden billiard to stop the spiral. LOL

 

[sablebrush52]

I'm going to be stubborn. I had seen these examples on the silver collection site, but not one of them is CM&C. There's no shortage of makers marks that look identical except for one element and they have been linked to completely different companies. Show me a Charles Maas piece with CM&C and I'll concede. Beautiful work, nonetheless.

 

[dmcmtk]

I was looking for a pipe with round holes...

The " LATE VICTORIAN SILVER MOUNTED PIPE, the briar wood bowl with silver mounted rim and stem, engraved with foliate detail, marks for Birmingham 1899, maker Cm&C, the bowl stamped ~CM Crown Pipe~ "
from beefeater33's link above. Round decorative holes in the silver work.

 

[dmcmtk]

An interesting post about what looks like the exact same pipe as the one in the OP from 2014, scroll down to the seventh post,
http://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37041&start=20

 

[ashdigger]

Dmcmtk, that is my pipe. My case is "sun washed" on one side and the rim has the same charring. Wow!!!!

 

[ashdigger]

This from that link

 

[pitchfork]

Nice work, Dave. :clap:

 

[daddy2mbng]

Great thread read!