Pretty Versus Ugly Algerian Briar

[milk]

That one is the $3.50 grade Mel-O.

While it sort of looks unsmoked, I think it has been reamed back to bare briar.

I’ve had unsmoked or once or twice smoked Marxman pipes, and every one was light tan color from the factory, with no applied varnish. That Mel-O is in fine shape, but it’s colored brown like every Marxman I own soon does, from smoking .

Here is the color they came.

View attachment 207823

All through the thirties the $3.50 Mel-O was the bottom grade, and a $3.50 pipe was the price of a Kaywoodie Drinkless, a true luxury item.

I think Marx may have either bought oil cured Algerian briar or he oil cured it at his factory. The pipes are all superb smokers.

When the Algerian War of Independence started Marx cashed in and sold out to Mastercraft.

Marx had some very unusual and artistically carved pipes he sold, and those are relatively expensive today, for the carvings.

But it was the briar, that made a Marxman smoke so well.

I’ve seen this one on eBay. I almost got it but opted for the one I found on BRBs instead, which has more of Marxman’s trademark craft embellishments. Is it the fact that they have no varnish that leads them to color or is it the type of briar? I guess it’s the varnish and stain that keeps a pipe looking somewhat the same?