Looking for assistance with this pipe's history and maker.

[teknoviking]

Howdy everyone. This is my first post here, so I appreciate your patience as I learn the ropes.

I am hoping that someone here could point me in a direction to find out more about this pipe that a dear friend gifted me last year.
This belonged to her great-grandfather who, according to family history, owned a small tobacco shop in Boston in the mid to late 1800s. Unfortunately, I don't have any information other than 'It was his favorite pipe, and he was never seen without it.'

I've been over it with a magnifier and even tried some UV light, to see if I could pick up a maker's mark or logo of some kind, but there is really just nothing on it. The velvet/satin lined leather case appears to be leather molded to look like alligator/crocodile skin and is stamped "Warranted Real Meerschaum".

As you can see from the photos, it's obviously been heavily smoked and has considerable caking/build up and tarring in the bowl. (Which, by the way, smells like death warmed over.) There are some small chips and some light tooth marks in the two piece amber stem, but other than that it's in great shape.

I believe that the carving is that of a crocodile, rather than an alligator, but that's just from me watching too much of the Discovery Channel, and I could be wrong.

So, that's the little I know about it. I am following up with pics in the hope that someone might be able to point me at the history here.

Thank you for your time and any insights you might have.

 

[Day2Day]

I wish I had some info for you but I don't have the foggiest idea who the maker could be. I just wanted to say What a cool pipe.

 

[Waning Embers]

What does the hole in the mouthpiece look like and what kind if tenon does it have?

 

[xrundog]

Wow! I have not seen one exactly like that. It is super cool!
Looks like a standard 19th century meerschaum case logo. Might be European. American pipe would probably be case branded. The pipes themselves aren’t branded.
But there were smaller companies around the US. The stem is amber or an amber type. I’d clean it up and smoke it and be excited to have it.

 

[xrundog]

The cased is leather or leatherette and the pattern is embossed.

 

[jguss]

xrundog is right; identifying the manufacturer is unlikely. Finding out more about the original seller is not. If that interests you some basic information on the great grandfather might lead to an answer.

 

[Hillcrest]

See post #8 below for history of shops in Boston:

142-Year-Old Pipe Tobacco Shop on Harvard Square :: Pipe Tobacconists - B&M's and Internet Retailers

Many of us have ordered from two famous Boston area pipe tobacco shops-- LJ Peretti and Watch City. But how about 142-year-old Leavitt & Peirce located directly on Harvard Square? I noticed on their website a first —to me at least-- a house blend of menthol pipe tobacco...

pipesmagazine.com

 

[teknoviking]

Thanks so much for the feedback, everyone! I appreciate the thoughts and I will try to find out more about my friend's great-grandfather and his business in Boston.

@Chasing Embers — You asked about the stem/mouthpiece details, so here are a few more pics. Both amber pieces thread on what appears to be a steel insert into the bowl.

Cheers!

 

[Waning Embers]

Thanks so much for the feedback, everyone! I appreciate the thoughts and I will try to find out more about my friend's great-grandfather and his business in Boston.

@Chasing Embers — You asked about the stem/mouthpiece details, so here are a few more pics. Both amber pieces thread on what appears to be a steel insert into the bowl.

Cheers!

View attachment 414875

View attachment 414876

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View attachment 414878

Orific bits help to date it. Easily pre-1950s, possibly pre-1930s.

 

[jhowell]

Thanks so much for the feedback, everyone! I appreciate the thoughts and I will try to find out more about my friend's great-grandfather and his business in Boston.

@Chasing Embers — You asked about the stem/mouthpiece details, so here are a few more pics. Both amber pieces thread on what appears to be a steel insert into the bowl.

Cheers!

View attachment 414875

View attachment 414876

View attachment 414877

View attachment 414878

Howdy everyone. This is my first post here, so I appreciate your patience as I learn the ropes.

I am hoping that someone here could point me in a direction to find out more about this pipe that a dear friend gifted me last year.
This belonged to her great-grandfather who, according to family history, owned a small tobacco shop in Boston in the mid to late 1800s. Unfortunately, I don't have any information other than 'It was his favorite pipe, and he was never seen without it.'

I've been over it with a magnifier and even tried some UV light, to see if I could pick up a maker's mark or logo of some kind, but there is really just nothing on it. The velvet/satin lined leather case appears to be leather molded to look like alligator/crocodile skin and is stamped "Warranted Real Meerschaum".

As you can see from the photos, it's obviously been heavily smoked and has considerable caking/build up and tarring in the bowl. (Which, by the way, smells like death warmed over.) There are some small chips and some light tooth marks in the two piece amber stem, but other than that it's in great shape.

I believe that the carving is that of a crocodile, rather than an alligator, but that's just from me watching too much of the Discovery Channel, and I could be wrong.

So, that's the little I know about it. I am following up with pics in the hope that someone might be able to point me at the history here.

Thank you for your time and any insights you might have.


View attachment 414643View attachment 414644View attachment 414646 View attachment 414647 View attachment 414649View attachment 414650

Hard to tell if it's a gator or a croc without the nose...

 

[Jo L.S.]

Indeed, she is absolutely gorgeous.

 

[agnosticpipe]

Wow, one of the most interesting looking meerschaum pipes I've seen! Hopefully with those teeth it won't give you tongue bite if you smoke it. I'll show myself out now...

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I have no information to offer, but that is an amazing meer. I hope it brings you many happy smokes if you choose to smoke it. If not, it's a great display and conversation piece.