Guessing it's not a real Barlings?

[oldguyoldpipes]

I recently purchased a pipe that the seller claimed to be a Barling, but I don't believe it is. I have never seen a real Barling that had no stamping on the pipe itself.
This pipe looks very old and used and has the Barling Cross on the stem and the word England. No other identifiers.
Has anyone seen a Barling that has no markings other than on the stem?
I will try to post a picture.

 

[alexj52]

Is it meerschaum?

 

[oldguyoldpipes]

No, I believe it is a briar. I am awaiting delivery next week. These pictures are from the sale.

 

[mikethompson]

 

[pitchfork]

It's meerschaum. Looks real to me! 1970s or 80s maybe.

 

[voorhees]

I agree it’s meerschaum. I have a Barling Meer. No stamping on pipe, just stem.

 

[redglow]

That's a great looking pipe. Kind of has that "snapping turtle" rough texture.

Very cool.

 

[SpookedPiper]

It's a cool pipe are you planning on smoking it?

 

[alexj52]

If it's a meer (I've never seen such texture on a briar Barling), it's probably a genuine Barling from the 70s-80s made in the Isle of Man. Those pipes only have the Barling cross on the stem, as far as I know.

 

[sablebrush52]

No, I believe it is a briar. I am awaiting delivery next week. These pictures are from the sale.

It's a meerschaum in a Regency finish from the 1970's.

 

[oldguyoldpipes]

Thank You all for the information.
To answer some of the questions from above:
Yes, I plan to smoke it. I can't seem to just let a pipe sit there unused. Same as a car. They need to be smoked.
It was not advertised as a meerschaum, but that would explain the lack of stamping. I have several other meerschaums, but none have coloring like this. My other meers are just starting to turn a nice color. I will try and research more about these now that y'all have sent me in that direction. Many Thanks.

 

[paulfg]

it would probably have been made from Tanganikan meershaum which is harder than Turkish meer and nearly always was pre coloured /stained

 

[sablebrush52]

Probably made for Imperial by Laxey Pipes, who were located on the Isle of Man.

 

[oldguyoldpipes]

Everyone, I am obviously new to this piping adventure. Thank You for your correct guidance in this matter. It never occurred to me that it was a meerschaum so I am both happy and disappointed. The interior of the bowl looks a bit rough. None of my meerschaums look like that so I am concerned about the integrity of the pipe. I buy all my pipes to smoke them so I am hoping this one is a good smoker. Does anyone have any smoking experience with this type of Barling? My Barling briars are all sweet smokers. Can anyone suggest how to clean one? All my meerschaums have been bought new and after I smoke them, I just wipe out the bowl with a soft cloth and run a soft pipe cleaner through the stem. I have never had to clean an estate meerschaum. I use Q151 rum alcohol on my estate briars because California no longer sells Everclear in a higher proof. The Q151 is the highest proof alcohol I can buy. Go figure. Again, Thank You all for educating me on this.

 

[oldguyoldpipes]

It's a cool pipe are you planning on smoking it?

Yes, I smoke all my pipes. To me, that's part of the fun of buying older pipes.

 

[SpookedPiper]

Yeah I agree, just because it looked a little rough to me as well. Either way it's a cool one!