Please ID this Tamper and Where to Find One

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Drucquers Banner

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

AJL67

Lifer
May 26, 2022
5,491
28,116
Florida - Space Coast
Knife and steel tool production in Sheffield England goes back to the late 13th century I believe. There has been a multitude of cutlery makers based there over the centuries.

Your tamper is likely a modular design that various pipe and tobacco companies could have had their name and logo emblazoned on.
Yes they are Richard’s Sheffield England pipe tools i have a few different ones, different texture patterns on the handle and they have different blade shapes depending on when they were made it seems. I think i paid about $20 each for these and two of them are unused mint condition.IMG_0642.jpegIMG_0643.jpeg
 

NightSkyFlash

Starting to Get Obsessed
May 1, 2023
147
1,305
Chicago, IL
I like this one because of the end is oblong instead of round. I like that for my travel case so I have less worry about the edge being jammed into my pipe through the case if it inadvertently gets squashed. Plus the knife is sharp, which I personally appreciate.
 

kcghost

Lifer
May 6, 2011
15,140
25,700
77
Olathe, Kansas
We had a tool like this on the KC Pipe Club. Thought they'd sell like hot cakes, but they were more like turds in the punch bowl. It is a pipe tool very similar to a Czech tool and sold for $20, I have no idea what happened to them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: yanoJL
Jan 24, 2021
1
4
West Yorkshire, UK
I just picked up a lot on eBay and it had the very same tamper with a Dunhill Rollagas and a Solingen cigar cutter. My friend sent me the link to this thread so I thought I'd share. I signed up a few weeks back but haven't had opportunity to post yet.

All three of these are barleygrain so someone must have liked the look and put them together as a little smoking set at some point.

16933527323806891977364466296136.jpg
 

jguss

Lifer
Jul 7, 2013
2,658
7,212
The design reg was granted in February or March of 1967. It could be retrieved with time & money but not sure the documentation would tell you enough to be worth it.
 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
8,524
30,257
New York
Standard Sheffield pipe tool. The later models shown on here had that nice rounded end to the blade. I cannot remember if I have ever had one of those since I am rather fond of my Czech pipe tool, the one that is a tamper, spike and coke spoon. Here are a few earlier examples that have come from various dead members of my family. The one that is nickel plated with the pointed blade is post WW1 and came from either my Mother or Fathers side of the family. The one with the white ivory side was my Fathers and the other one came from lord knows where but I use that to cut up plugs with and very rarely take it out the house. The knives shown earlier are really nice and I suppose I should try a visit to the 21st century sometime just to see if I like the pipe tools!

thumbnail-4.jpeg
 
Jul 17, 2017
1,766
6,535
NV
pencilandpipe.home.blog
View attachment 243520
OK, so there must be something going on here.
Has the seller miss placed the decimal point?
Or are these tampers made from platinum, or white gold?
Nope. I actually reached out to this guy a while backand told him these are a dime a dozen. He said "nope! These are real Massag, made in the Czech Republic"
Makes them rare and expensive he says. I found a place selling "Massag" Czech tools for a couple bucks and sent him the info. He stopped replying.