Ok, I Bought Another Old Pipe, But It Had A Note In The Bowl

[agnosticpipe]

I seem to be having a really bad case of PAD right now, and have been buying weird old pipes, a couple of which will need some TLC for sure. I just got this old panel pipe today, and have no idea what it is. I know I've mentioned in the past that I'm not fond of panel pipes, but octagon shapes I do find interesting, especially if they're old. The odd thing is that there was a small piece of old paper folded up in the bowl with writing that appears to be written with a fountain pen, and it says: Paris 1933. I have no way to know if it has anything to do with the pipe, or why it was there. The pipe itself is a bit of a mystery too. The only thing stamped on it is the word FERODO. I searched online but the only thing I could find was a UK company that makes high performance brake pads and other friction products. It appears they've been in business since the turn of the century and are now a very modern company still producing these products. Nothing else on the pipe to indicate where it came from. I does look old, possibly from the 30s, but hard to really tell. It has a few fills, an odd tenon, and a small really mangled button. Looks almost like its been melted or something. How do you get a bite mark inside the slot?!
So I post it here to see if anyone has any ideas about it. I haven't worked on it yet, but inside it looks pretty clean, no cake or gunk. That button is going to need some work though....

 

[misterlowercase]

Cool!
It's always neat to get a little memento like that,

nice handwriting too.
You are correct about Ferodo,

still in the biz and mostly known for brake linings & etc.
Look here and you'll note that their older logo is exactly the one as is on your pipe:

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Ferodo
Perhaps there was a convention or something in Paris, maybe a car show, and the company handed out pipes to commemorate the occassion? Perhaps a prize given to a top salesman?
I've seen a similar pipe marked with the old Michelin Bibendum logo.
Neat stuff.
Good score!
I love those oldtimey sporty looking billiards,

nobody seems able to make them like that anymore for some reason.
Congrats!

::

 

[mso489]

It does set the imagination spinning. It seems to be a company "house pipe" made by someone else for a Paris event (maybe). That it could be a French pipe is less certain. It doesn't have an especially Francophile look, but it could be. The note seems to be either an enclosure to remind the recipient of the event, or maybe the owner's note to himself. It's a snappy looking pipe, nice and solid too.

 

[agnosticpipe]

Thanks for the feedback and info guys! MLC, I think you're on the right track with the auto show idea. For over a hundred years there has been one of the worlds largest auto shows in Paris, so it could have been from the 1932 or 33 show. It appears too, that in 1933 Ferodo changed their logo from the way it appears on my pipe to the one in use now.

I did find out one interesting thing about the 1910 Paris show, and the was the entry of a car made in Belgium called The Pipe, that actually had a smoking pipe as their logo. Maybe Ferodo made brake pads for them?

 

[woodsroad]

Exceptional. Good call on the history, Troy.

 

[xrundog]

Cool old advertising piece! The button type looks right for that date. I have a City Deluxe from the 20s that has a very similar type. The stem rubber on my pipe is pretty soft. Yours looks the same. Hence the easy deformation. Looks like a bone tenon. If it was older that the 20s I'd expect a screw tenon instead of a push type.

 

[lonestar]

Neat looking old pipe, I'd call it an awesome find ! The car show theory makes perfect sense, and the year 1933 is in line with the pipe I'd say.

The tenon looks like bone, and I would guess the stem damage may have come from the pipe laying in an ashtray and having a cigarette or cigar land on the stem.

 

[huntertrw]

"We'll always have Paris." - Rick Blaine

 

[cynicismandsugar]

I wish I had something to contridute, but I did have to say that it's a wonderful find, and thank you for sharing!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I love a pipe with a story! Great find!!

 

[hawke]

Great tracking down work there Orley! The pipe has lots more character now. Great story and glad I read this thread!

 

[disinformatique]

At first glance it look like a Dunhill LB albeit quaint because of the panels. Great Find !!
Chris :puffpipe:

 

[lifesizehobbit]

You should find an e-mail for FERODO and send them a pic of the pipe and note. Some companies keep corporate histories and they might have some information for you.
Great piece!

 

[jpmcwjr]

Great find and story. Is the tenon in fact bone? Does that help in dating it?

 

[agnosticpipe]

I did a modest restoration on this pipe and found out something interesting about the stem. It was covered with something black, and the button had been repaired with some kind of white filler and then the black stuff. Using alcohol on it removed some of the black which came off on a rag. I started sanding with mico-mesh pads, and whoa! This stem is made of horn! With the use of some black super glue I reformed the button, filled in the odd holes, and tried to make a decent slot in it. I suppose it could have been an orifice opening originally, but I went with the basic size of the slot already there. With the bowl, I cleaned it up inside and out, and didn't do much to the fills. I re-dyed the bowl very lightly, and polished and waxed it. All in all I'm happy with it, but I'm not a big fan of horn stems. Gonna give it a test drive tonight with a little Gaslight...

 

[pitchfork]

That's cool! I never would have guessed it from the first pics you posted. What a great find -- I would be that the stem and the slot are both original. I have pipes from that period and they all have slots very similar to that one.

 

[okiescout]

Good job, Orley. looking at the original damage to that button it just would not have occurred to me that it was horn.
That guy must have gad a set of teeth like a bulldog.