Question About CAO Meerschaum Pipes

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Apr 26, 2012
3,352
5,165
Washington State
I'm interested in a particular CAO pipe, but it doesn't appear to have Bekler's signature on it. It does say CR 1982 CAO on the bottom. It's my understanding that Bekler signed all of his pipes from 1974 until his passing. Does anyone know who any of the other pipe carvers were for CAO? Is there any significance to this pipe being dated as I'm not that familiar with CAO Meerschaum pipes, but i don't ever recall seeing one being dated. Thanks for any info you can provide.

 

jonasclark

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 4, 2013
738
384
Seattle
Yes, nearly all Beklers from approximately 1974 until his retirement were signed. His earliest imported pipes, via Royal Meerschaum, were not signed, but were accompanied by a tag. However, I've seen a handful of pipes that were most definitely his work, but were not signed. These I've IDed were mainly abstracts; nobody carved abstracts like Bekler, and once you've seen twenty or so and handled a few (and especially if you've also seen his relative Kural's abstracts, which are also distinctive) you can look at one and 'know.' All of these I've seen were made during the CAO era.
The pipes carved with a date and "CAO" seem to have been done in the very early 1980s, and I haven't seen any rhyme or reason as to why this was done. Some have "(copyright symbol) CAO," with or without a date. Some I've seen with dates, I doubt were Bekler's. Bekler's limited editions were also almost always dated, signed and titled, with a few having "CAO" etc. too (I say "almost" here because I have a pipe which is unmistakably Bekler's, and definitely from his abstract "a la Rodin" series' from 1980, 1981 and 1982, but is unsigned).
Is this in a local shop, or online, or what? What kind of carving is it? Do you have any photos?

 
Apr 26, 2012
3,352
5,165
Washington State
Yeah, I'm 100% certain it isn't Beckler's work either. I am curious as to who else may have carved it. I don't think Kural carved it either, but I don't know for sure and I don't think I will ever know. Oh well, it's a very nicely carved pipe and a great smoker too. I appreciate the information though.

 

pappymac

Lifer
Feb 26, 2015
3,273
4,270
I have a CAO Meerschaum Cavalier I was given as a Christmas gift in 1984. My wife bought it at a Tinderbox in Miami. The stem has the CAO logo embedded into it. It is not dated or have CAO stamped into the meerschaum. Don't know who carved it, but after 33 years it still smokes great.

 
Jan 10, 2014
48
2
CAO is Cano A. Ozgener, an Armenian Turk, Columbia University engineering graduate and meerschaum pipe merchant. Cano (pronounced “Johanno”) is currently more involved in producing some of the best cigars, an enterprise he passed to son Tim. Read that Scandinavian Tobacco purchased CAO but that might have been only the pipe making enterprise. CAO also produces a limited line of pipe tobaccos.

 
Jan 10, 2014
48
2
CAO is Cano A. Ozgener, an Armenian Turk, Columbia University engineering graduate and meerschaum pipe merchant. Cano (pronounced “Johanno”) is currently more involved in producing some of the best cigars, an enterprise he passed to son Tim. Read that Scandinavian Tobacco purchased CAO but that might have been only the pipe making enterprise. CAO also produces a limited line of pipe tobaccos.

 
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