Antique Cob Pipes

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Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,960
14,359
Humansville Missouri
I found one of the half a dozen or so $1 factory rejects I bought at MM about 25 years ago.

Some of them I can’t tell why were rejected. This one was left unplastered and unpolished, but completed with a plain dowel shank and black plastic stem. Somebody’s wife, mother or grandmother didn’t catch this one at the end of the line, it was rejected early on.

Missouri River town Missourians are NOT Ozark Americans. Most of their ancestors were German Catholics, not Scottish independent Christians.

An old Ozark hillbilly would have just about died before he’d have had any kind of boss other than his mother or wife, or punched a time clock.

And his mother or wife would have never broken a nail or soiled her dress working in a factory, under any circumstances, whatsoever, and their men would have never lived it down if she did.

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Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,960
14,359
Humansville Missouri
One of the 2 cobs I own, a reed stem Phoenix American Pipe Works Number 1 Jewel.

View attachment 198410View attachment 198411View attachment 198412

Really nice old cob, draw isn't nearly as tight as I would have expected for a reed.
At the MM museum there’s an interesting exhibit about Wangee bamboo reeds.

At first all five cent cob pipes used reed stems. The best reeds came from China.

A century ago protectionism and tariffs might have been more prevalent than today. A Missouri Senator led a successful effort to put the Chinese reeds on the duty free list, claiming the entire domestic supply from Louisiana was negligible and inferior.

In time the stems were made in two pieces, with the shank a corn cob and the stem a celluloid or other kind of plastic bit.

Today a wooden dowel is used, printed with a corn cob pattern.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
16,860
31,618
46
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
The reed ones you mean the ones that look like a straw for a stem? I haven't tried one of those. I like my MM Emerald though. I had a couple others but lost 2 and broke 1 was my fault though.
those ones. I've had two. One I broke the other is still going strong and taking on some great coloring. I want to get one of the shellacked ones too though. If it was the only kind of pipe I could get I'd still love pipe smoking, even though I prefer briar.
 

Coreios

Lifer
Sep 23, 2022
1,637
2,722
42
United States Of America
those ones. I've had two. One I broke the other is still going strong and taking on some great coloring. I want to get one of the shellacked ones too though. If it was the only kind of pipe I could get I'd still love pipe smoking, even though I prefer briar.
I prefer Briar too. If none existed I'd smoke tobacco out of a crack pipe. Love it too much. lol
 

Coreios

Lifer
Sep 23, 2022
1,637
2,722
42
United States Of America
just remember to use choreboy if you resort to that ever. Brillo already has soap in it and will ruin the tobacco.
I just was thinking about what you said. lmao that would suck Id have to join a crack pipe forum to learn how to clean and care for my new crack pipe. None of them would respect me smoking tobacco out of it. lol