Old pipe ID help please (pictures)

[nakitathedog]

This was DH's grandfather's pipe. I have ID'd two others that are not collectible, but I can't find any maker or model on this one, though there is (in pic 3) what might be very faint lettering, worn away. Does anyone have any ideas on what this might be? I'm including pics of the case as well. It is obvious this pipe was treasured.

 

[nakitathedog]

 

[cobguy]

I don't know the maker, but that's a cool old Meer! ::
Maybe Simon (Condorlover) will see this and add his expertise ... he's seen a ton of these old Cutty's.

 

[theediabeticman]

I'm with cobguy. I don't know..but it's a beauty

 

[condorlover1]

Its a standard heavy duty meerschaum 'cutty' pipe with a later addition stem. I assume the pipe cleaner is in there to hold the stem to the shank due to thread wear. These show up quite frequently and were very popular between 1890 till just before WW1. Their high survivability is entirely due to the robust thickness of the meerschaum which results in well colored ones being rather rare. They were made in Austria and France by a variety of pipe makers and tend to show up with silver stem bands and more often then not damaged threads due to being carelessly dismantled and cleaned. Specimens with the the bottom third of the bowl and shank colored are usually the result of a silver three pence being placed at the base of the bowl which acted in the fashion of a modern day 'coloring bowl' sold for the meerschaum pipe market. Anything else you may care to know feel free to ask or visit my 'all things cutty' blog which deals with these types of pipe that I exclusively smoke!

 

[nakitathedog]

Condorlover1, got some questions about your post.
When you say "which results in well colored ones being rather rare", what is a well colored one? Is this one well coloured, or is this one discoloured?
And is the bottom third of this one and the shank coloured? Does that have any bearing on its interest to a buyer?
I found your blog. Thanks I did read it, but this is all very new territory for me so was beyond my ability to comprehend and apply.

 

[condorlover1]

If you wait till after breakfast I will post some pictures to illustrate my point if you would like me to.

 

[nakitathedog]

condorlover 1, that'd be great, thank you!

 

[condorlover1]

Here is an example of a well colored 'cutty' pipe from the turn of the century. Note the shank and bottom third of the bowl have turned a deep brown from the use of the silver three penny piece trick I have discussed elsewhere.

 

[condorlover1]

Here is another example which illustrates that the ticker walls of these 'cutty' style pipes made coloring them a very long term proposition for the dedicated smoker. The example below was a 21st birthday gift for someone is 1905 and was returned with their personal effects from France after they were killed in action in 1917.

Below shows you what one of these pipes would have looked like before it was smoked to death by the likes of me!

 

[nakitathedog]

Thanks very much! What a touching story about that one pipe, it is wonderful you know its back story.
I'm SUCH a novice, I have to ask the most basic of questions....
Does DH's grandfather's pipe compare favorably or unfavorably with the ones you have posted? Or just "different"?
Would it be of interest to a collector/smoker of these pipes?
Do you have any sort of idea when it may have been made? (The family history is pretty vague, to be kind....)
I guess I'm really trying to figure out if I should ebay it or Etsy it, or just wrap it carefully and send it to the Salvation Army Thrift Store for them to decide what to do with it....
(If I sell it, the proceeds will go to DH's parents to help them with their move into a "care" facility)
Thanks again for your patience, and your knowledge!

 

[condorlover1]

This where it gets interesting. There are a few 'cutty' collectors around like myself and a very good friend of mine Dave in Ohio but we buy them to smoke them. The ones that attract the most money (i.e.) +$300 are the very early pipes known as 'straws' or 'cutty churches' since these were of similar dimensions to the traditional clay pipes and as such didn't have a high survivability on their 9+ inch stems and usually show up with multiple band repairs and totally knackered cases. It would seem you have a good undamaged case with the hinges and catch which are more often than not either damaged or missing so that is a plus for the pipe. Does the stem fit tightly into the shank or are threads on the shank buggered? If the shank threads are buggered then the pipe is worth very little as repairing that type of damage is expensive and will involve cementing a new bone tenion into the shank. This will place stress on the faux amber stem every time the pipe is dismantled for cleaning. What is the stem made from as in the picture it appears to be black and a later replacement? You have slight damage to the bowl rim probably from some idiot knocking the pipe ash out on either a wall or hob nailed boot. This cannot be polished out since all meerschaum bowls should be emptied by spooning the ash out and then wiping out with a sheet of bog roll! In essence to the right buyer about $35-$50 tops although you never know your luck on Ebay. In answer to your other questions I would guess without looking at it closely that it was made around the turn of the century and it is a very common style of pipe that was mass produced for the UK and strangely US markets since I have seen quite a few show up on this side of the pond in recent years. I hope that has answered your question as fully as possible.

 

[nakitathedog]

Condorlover1, thank you AGAIN, so very very much! I appreciate the time you are taking to help, and the knowledge you are so willing to share!
I will check the stem. And will do my best to not mess it up.... will report back.
I am pretty near 100% sure the stem is not amber (though I did personally purchase something made of near-black amber recently). Will be able to tell more if I can get it undone from the shank.

 

[condorlover1]

DONT UNSCREW THE STEM!

 

[nakitathedog]

Too late

 

[nakitathedog]

uh-oh what have I done? It unscrewed perfectly.... and went back together perfectly.... oh dear

 

[condorlover1]

Puuuw! The threads on the shanks of these pipes are their achillies heal. Leave it in situ and read the section on my blog about cleaning pipes. What does the bowl look like inside?

 

[nakitathedog]

A picture of the bowl. There is nothing in the bottom such as a coin or such.

I also took a pic of what might be a crack along the shank???? A very straight line. I will post that in a minute or two.

 

[nakitathedog]

Can you see the very straight line that starts (more or less) about the middle of the shank and goes all the way to the stem?

I assure you -- that mark has been there since the pipe came into our house -- it has nothing to do with my earlier "detaching" of the stem....

 

[condorlover1]

O boy! New stem needed and silver band for the shank. The bowl is a real beauty with enough clinker build up to cover an average drive way! You will have to be very careful removing that lot and use an iron bladed knife to chip that lot out.