Question: What Was It?

[Bill Sabol]

My grandfather, a pipe smoker, in the late 50's had a little marble-like thing with a small statue of a dog and a narrow piece of metal about 3 inches long that I think came out of the dog's head. I think it had to do with pipe smoking. Tobacco grinder? Some kind of pipe cleaner? What was it?

 

[gatorhazard]

Maybe a pipe tamper. A tamper is used to tamp down the tobacco to keep the burning ember in contact with the tobacco

 

[sandollars]

Surely a Tamper. The thing that came out of its head was surely a pick to fiddle with the ash and tobacco in the bowl.

 

[craig61a]

Surely a Tamper. The thing that came out of its head was surely a pick to fiddle with the ash and tobacco in the bowl.

 

[Bill Sabol]

Thanks guys.

 

[BROBS]

Sounds to me like he’s talking about a pipe rest. ?

 

[mikethompson]

Sounds like a tamper or pick to me.

 

[buzkirk]

Can you post a pic of it?

 

[BROBS]

 

[mso489]

BROB's is definitely a pipe rest, if that is the same item described in the OP, though I can certainly imagine a dog themed tamper. The fifties were a hay day for pipe smoking, so there were many pipe related accessories.

 

[BROBS]

BROB's is definitely a pipe rest, if that is the same item described in the OP, though I can certainly imagine a dog themed tamper. The fifties were a hay day for pipe smoking, so there were many pipe related accessories.

He said a marble item like a dog with a 3" metal piece...
that would be awfully big for a tamper IMO.

most of the metal "scoop" pipe rest pieces seem about three inches.

 

[Bill Sabol]

No picture, but it must have been a tamper. Correction: I don't think the pick was in the dog"s head, but there was a hollow vertical part it went into.