Meerschaum Quality

[hodirty]

I purchased a pipe from royal meerschaum pies, and it smokes excellent. I paid less than $20 for it, but am curious whether they sell good quality or poor. Anyone know anything about them?

 

[rmbittner]

Never heard of Royal Meerschaum, but that doesn't mean much. If it smokes well, though, I'm assuming it's good quality. . . ?
But at $20 I don't see how it can be block meerschaum, which is considered the best kind of meerschaum. If it's not block, then it's likely a composite of meerschaum. It may still smoke fine, but it won't likely color over time the same way a block meerschaum would.
Anyone else?

 

[hodirty]

Thanks guys. I guess it really doesnt matter what quality it is if it smokes good, well in this case.

 

[sparroa]

I am not a meerschaum expert, but I personally consider new meerschaum pipes under $150 to be rather suspect.
(With that said, there is nothing stopping a shyster from charging $300 for a flawed meer; dealing exclusively with "reputable" carvers/vendors is the only real "protection" against that, but its far from perfect)
If you find an inexpensive meerschaum, though, it is really a crapshoot.
It could be a great little smoker or a worthless piece of junk.
If its resale value and collectibility that you are after, though, you are better served by playing it safe and buying a recognized brand.
Still, dishonest sellers try to sucker people with fakes all the time. The meerschaum pipe market is really shady at times, IMO.