A very long shot but a beautiful pipe to look at. Does the note and initials mean anything as far as maker? I collected antique large pipes. This baby is beautiful and scares me to smoke but I should have a professional clean it. I think it's amber stem but not exactly sure.
A Very Long Shot...
- Thread starter Sharp_tungsten
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My attitude is that pipes are meant to be smoked and was thinking that as I read your post . . . until I saw the pic.
Wow, what a pipe. Yes, I see your dilemma.
I've not anything so fancy but if I did choose to light up a piece of art like yours, I'd only smoke it sitting in my lounge chair where if it did fall, it would land on the carpet.
From what I can tell from the pic it's in really good condition.
Although I have a little experience restoring and cleaning estate pipes, no way would I even attempt to clean yours [in case I did something stupid] so would definitely send yours to a professional.
The note suggests it was gifted in 1914. Apart from that I have no idea [at a guess I'd say it was a gift from one friend to another]
Do you mind sharing what a magnificent pipe like that costs?
Wow, what a pipe. Yes, I see your dilemma.
I've not anything so fancy but if I did choose to light up a piece of art like yours, I'd only smoke it sitting in my lounge chair where if it did fall, it would land on the carpet.
From what I can tell from the pic it's in really good condition.
Although I have a little experience restoring and cleaning estate pipes, no way would I even attempt to clean yours [in case I did something stupid] so would definitely send yours to a professional.
The note suggests it was gifted in 1914. Apart from that I have no idea [at a guess I'd say it was a gift from one friend to another]
Do you mind sharing what a magnificent pipe like that costs?
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To determine if it's an amber stem; when amber is rubbed with a dry cloth it becomes electrostatically charged and will pick up small bits of paper and lint.
I bought it years ago from an antique dealer for 105 dollars. A bargain in my book.
I forgot to add that I bought it thinking it was highly sanded briar which is what the antique dealer said as well. I showed pics of it to a highly regarded pipemaker and he is saying meerschaum with a very nice patina. But also that it was a cigar pipe and its missing the bowl he said if you look close at the case it has indents where the bowl would have been. I'm not entirely sure what to think but figured I'd share.
A few more photos would help. You may as well post them full sized.
It is a pre-coloured meerschaum pipe, and given the 1914 date, most likely Austrian. There may be further clues inside or printed on the side of the case.
As for the stem - I really can't tell from the one photo you've posted.
I'll defer to the members who have significant collections of antique meers.
As for the stem - I really can't tell from the one photo you've posted.
I'll defer to the members who have significant collections of antique meers.
Bargain? BARGAIN??? That's a bit of an understatement.
Worth every single dollar. Well done.
I'd smoke it. Pipes are very rarely meant to be museum pieces. Unless that's your thing.
How can you tell? I'm a noob so genuinely interested to learn the difference. I have cigar and cigarette holders that I collect as well. But the are usually angled way more than a typical pipe is. Here is an example a friend in Poland found for me.
Attachments
Definitely a cheroot holder. You place the butt of the cheroot or thin cigar in the holder or hole. These were very common in the early 1900’s in Germany and Austria. Watch the movie “M” to see one in action.
Thanks for posting this info - I’ve got an estate meer on its way to me with what appears to be an amber stem but I suspect it may not be. Now I know how to test it.
Yeah to me it looks like a meer with maybe some type of coating. I’ve never seen a non-meer with a leather pouch like that, and to me looks like amber in the stem.
I've never seen amber turned like that. May be bakelite or redmanol.
Or watch M just because it's an all-time classic and shows Peter Lorre in the performance of a lifetime.
I've seen ones that look more like a typical pipe like yours, ones where the cheroot points straight up at the heavens. They are pretty neat though. Personally if I had one and it was intact I'd have to try it at least once with a cheroot. I've always have been super curious how it effects the cigar. I know personally that I used to love cigarette holders (why I got so good at doing a perfect hand rolled cig), I found it had a similar effect as a reverse calabash (or really a filter pipe with no filter or adaptor) does with a pipe. Even if it's the same precise effect on a cigar a cigar is a different enough beast that the gestalt would be different.
def. gestalt just in case you have to ask.