Picked up this "vintage" meerschaum pipe this morning at an antique/collectible shop. It's been a while since I've seen one where the screw in tenon was one piece instead of a push pull.
Nice find indeed. I'm not even a Meer smoker, but if the price were right, I'd likely grab that one. I like the carving, pleasing but not over-the-top.
I pretty sure the original stem is made from an acrylic as it's translucent. It came with a bone screw in tenon. At least I think it was bone because it was real brittle and broke. Fortunately I had a spare acrylic stem that was the same length and curvature that lines up perfectly to the bowl.
Was the original stem Yellow and a bit swirled? I remember seeing the yellow stems on older meerschaums (not antique ones). Those stems felt lighter than acrylic and had a dull finish.
Yes, the yellow stems, gloss or matte, are plastic, though maybe not acrylic. The later amber stems from 1950s Austrian pipes were more of an orangey color.
Nice pipe, with a classic Turkish motif.