Seek Info On 4 Cheap Estates: Meer, Charatan's, Sav, Pete

[seldom]

I recently acquired some cheap, less than $10 estate pipes that I am seeking information on. Any input gratefully excepted!

First is a Meer in rough shape. Case reads "Finest Cultur-Amber" although the bit appears to be synthetic. Inside is a sticker from the Pfeifen Huber shop in Munich.

Next is a Charatan's Make 149X. It is stamped "Charatan's Make, London. England 149X. There is a period after London.

 

[seldom]

 

[mikethompson]

Well it is Austrian, so I love it. 'Finest Kultur' would suggest to me that it is a cultured Meerschaum from Straumbach, based in Vienna. This is just a random guess though.

 

[seldom]

Seems funny that this one is marked 149X and yet has a double comfort bit. Any idea what era this might come from?

 

[seldom]

Okay couple of more. Next is a Savinelli "Straight Grain" bulldog 623. I'm not familiar with "Straight Grain". Any ideas on it's age or on the model "Straight Grain".

Finally is a Peterson's KAPRUF XL90 Made in Republic of Ireland.

All of these are rather beat up and will require considerable restoration. At the price I can't complain. That said I welcome information on them. Knowing the provenance and other information about a pipe enhances my pipe smoking experience. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

 

[seldom]

 

[seldom]

 

[seldom]

Information is greatly "accepted" not "excepted"!!

 

[seldom]

Think I have something on the meerschaum. Marking on the case are consistent with Andreas Bauer. Apparently a made in Turkey era pipe has it has a push tenon. PipePhil

 

[mikethompson]

Bauer would be my other guess. The two biggest players in Austrian Meerschaum IIRC.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

They could use some TLC, but at that price point you've done well for yourself.

 

[sablebrush52]

Is there an "AB" inside the case? That would make it a Bauer, and you would have done exceedingly well. Can you upload a picture of the Charatan's CP logo? Ken Barnes would probably be the best guy here to help you with dating it.

 

[seldom]

Strangely the CP logo is missing from the stem on the Charatan's. This along with the fact that the stamp is 149X rather than 149DC leads me to question whether the stem is a replacement. Odd to have a replacement that is a double comfort shape (DC).
Inside the case of the meerschaum is a sticker for "Pfeifen Huber" a store in Munich Germany. Poking around online I found this Pipephil about Bauer:

Company founded in Vienna (Austria) by Andreas Bauer in 1906. In 1942 Ernst Bauer, the founder's son, took over the management of the enterprise until early 1970s when Turkish law banned the export of raw meerschaum. At this time Otto & Kopp Gmbh bought the trademark. They were a large Meerschaum distributor to the German tobacconists and good customer of the Turkish Konçak Meerschaums. Lastly Sedat Konçak bought the trademark in 1990. Unfortunatly the pipes carved in Turkey continue to be labeled "Made in Austria" (pipe next).



Perhaps this could be an Andreas Bauer from the time when they were bought out by Otto & Kopp considering that they were a distributor to German tobacconists (such as Pfeifen Huber perhaps).

 

[georged]

Strangely the CP logo is missing from the stem on the Charatan's. This along with the fact that the stamp is 149X rather than 149DC leads me to question whether the stem is a replacement. Odd to have a replacement that is a double comfort shape (DC).

Definitely an original stem. They are an absolute pig to make, and no repairman has ever done a decent copy that I've seen.
My guess is the X is indicative of a second---an "X out" of sorts---and that's why there's no brand stamp on the stem.

 

[seldom]

Thanks for the input. I notice on the pipedia page for dating Charatan's there is this Dating of Charatan's:

From 1961 they use the 'Double Comfort' style still used today. By the way there are some saddle bits (without the double comfort) used in pipes that date after 1960 but these models are always characterized by a X (in the place of the DC) engraved after the shape number on the shank.​

Maybe somewhere along the way the stems for different pipes got mixed up? I really don't know anything about the estate but believe that a family member is selling off someone's old pipe collection.

 

[georged]

Hm.
The shank/stem fit of the Charatan you posted is definitely wonky. (The mortise isn't coaxial, which looks wrong/bad when mated to that particular saddle stem. The leveling also looks a bit crude.)
Which introduces a possibility that would explain everything: the stem IS an original, just not to that pipe... the surviving halves of two fatally-damaged pipes, one with a burned-through bowl and the other with a chewed-through stem, for example, were joined to make a complete pipe. Since most factories used consistent mortise/tenon sizes within their shapes, the biggest difficulty would be off the table.
There's a legit, for-real, not-kidding, world-class Charatan authority who drops by from time to time named Ken Barnes who needs to see this. (this board needs a Bat Signal equivalent for him)
.

 

[seldom]

Ha! I notice that Mr. Barnes has been mentioned by two people in this thread. Is there a way to tag this post so that it comes to the attention of the erudite gentleman if he drops by?

 

[mso489]

Sorry, no info from me, but at that price point, these looks like good buys and all look likely to be smokeable and good to restore. The meer looks more or less new.

 

[seldom]

The photo makes the meer look in better shape than it is. Top is pretty charred and there are a number of large and sometimes deep scratches. Not new but good enough for me. It's my first meer. And honestly I would spend more on 2 pints of Guinness at the pub than what I bought if for. I've contacted Pfeifen Huber in Munich and if I'm lucky perhaps they'll have some useful input (the case contains an old sticker of theirs indicating that they sold it at some point in time). I look forward to restoring these pipes. Not sure how old that Peterson's is but she is a beast. And I really think that Savinelli is going to shine with a little work. The grain looks very nice but hidden under some scratches and what-all. Thick cake on these pipes indicate many enjoyed smokes before me. We'll take good care of each other.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

The Meerschaum pipe is post 1970, and I'm certain it's Strambach as they're the only meerschaum maker that uses cultured meerschaum. Since Turkey outlawed the exportation of block meerschaum in 1970, Strambach created Cultured Meerschaum to keep their business going. Andreas Bauer only used block meerschaum, and after their meerschaum stock was used up they merged with another meerschaum company in Turkey. Strambach is the last of the Austria meerschaum makers.
Meerschaum is a soft material so it will show scratches, nicks etc., but that's just character for the pipe. As for the rim charring you can use a cloth and some water to clean it up.