JOS NYMPFER - late 1800s

[UltraBlue]

Jos NYMPFER was a tobacconist, owner of a store in Liege, Belgium.
The store closed around 1895.
Most likely a St Claude pipe.
I put a rubber seal around the screw to avoid stress and ensure closure. I believe the pipe was unsmoked: no signs of charcoal on the chamber.
The ring is gold.
It looks like amber but I run all basic tests (like hardness, floatability in salty water, etc) and it failed. And I’m happy about that, Amber has an uncanny tendency to crack.

 

[xrundog]

The stem might be a Bakelite replacement. Color and pattern looks right. Nice pipe!

 

[UltraBlue]

The stem might be a Bakelite replacement. Color and pattern looks right. Nice pipe!

That’s not Bakelite. It also has the orifice lip and the pipe was nonsmoked. Why would it be a replacement?

 

[DeerparkDays]

Over a period of 130 years, who knows what could have happened…if the stem has been replaced...perhaps a kid dropped it, perhaps a cat knocked it off a bench, perhaps a rhino charged the house and knocked stuff over!

Nice pipe too, hope you are enjoying it.

 

[UltraBlue]

Over a period of 130 years, who knows what could have happened…if the stem has been replaced...perhaps a kid dropped it, perhaps a cat knocked it off a bench, perhaps a rhino charged the house and knocked stuff over!

Nice pipe too, hope you are enjoying it.

Still, what makes you believe that the stem is not original?
They had other materials available at the time.

 

[UltraBlue]

Still, what makes you believe that the stem is not original?
They had other materials available at the time.

And the pipe was unsmoked and cased.

 

[UltraBlue]

Now, if you have any evidence to say it was a replacement, I’m all ears.
But simply because it’s not Amber, it doesn’t make the case. Thanks

 

[xrundog]

Now, if you have any evidence to say it was a replacement, I’m all ears.
But simply because it’s not Amber, it doesn’t make the case. Thanks

Okay, orifiic bit, check. I am not trying to troll you. The amber or amber type stems come in a variety of hues and patterns.
I was probably fooled by the coloring as a result of the photography.
The yellow/clear swirl pattern is typical of 20s/40s Bakelite. The amber version is usually more orange. But it’s not a rule and I haven’t seen everything.

 

[jguss]

Is there any reason it can’t be amberoid/amberoide? That was a common option on pipes in the late 1800s.

 

[UltraBlue]

Is there any reason it can’t be amberoid/amberoide? That was a common option on pipes in the 1890s.

That’s a reasonable assessment. Thanks

 

[mortonbriar]

I don't have any answers, but I am curious what was used to imitate amber prior to 1895....

 

[mortonbriar]

Is there any reason it can’t be amberoid/amberoide? That was a common option on pipes in the late 1800s.

Thanks, you typed my answer as I was typing the question!

 

[UltraBlue]

amberoid/amberoide

 

[UltraBlue]

That’s right.
And before I bought the pipe I made a ton of research in an effort to avoid real amber…it cracks with time, with light, with oxygen, with alcohol…

 

[jguss]

Here’s a typical explanation:



And here’s a typical trade journal ad showing the routine availability of alternative stem materials:

 

[UltraBlue]

Here’s a typical explanation:

View attachment 441432

And here’s a typical trade journal ad showing the routine availability of alternative stem materials:

View attachment 441433

Oct 1, 1886

 

[georged]

That stem was replaced fourteen times and is made of bblrsphqz, a mineral only found on Europa (one of Jupiter's moons).

 

[UltraBlue]

That stem was replaced fourteen times and is made of bblrsphqz, a mineral only found on Europa (one of Jupiter's moons).

And it says MADE IN CHINA