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simong

Lifer
Oct 13, 2015
2,610
15,599
UK
Maybe not the right thread, it’s not mine but at a shop near me, but has anyone seen anything like this before?

Apparently late 1800’s Barling made from a crab claw? Thoughts?

Edit: looks like maybe 1910 from the hallmarks. Not really my cup of tea but quite unusual I thought.


View attachment 264461
View attachment 264462
View attachment 264463
View attachment 264464
Looks like a meerschaum to me.
We don’t see many pipes as unusual as yours. Thanks for showing us!👍
 
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bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
6,109
54,022
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Louisville

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,759
27,369
Carmel Valley, CA
Now I am thinking it's a Franken-pipe. Nice hallmarked Barling fitment, stem from some where, and the "stummel" could be bone, meerschaum or plastic. EDIT: I didn't remember the OP said it was a crab claw. Sunday, November 26, 2023

Can you ID if those bumps are applied, or part of the original?
 
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simong

Lifer
Oct 13, 2015
2,610
15,599
UK
It looks like a cheroot holder to me.
Could be I suppose, still think it’s a pipe myself. A better photo of the chamber would help determine but looking at this photo, charring suggests tobacco use, not cheroots?IMG_4771.jpegAlso the shape itself, that type of horn shape was quite popular in the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Here’s a ‘Smokarol’ pipe, used to incorporate a pre packed bowl of tobacco.
IMG_4772.jpeg
 
Dec 3, 2021
4,915
41,530
Pennsylvania & New York
Could be I suppose, still think it’s a pipe myself. A better photo of the chamber would help determine but looking at this photo, charring suggests tobacco use, not cheroots?View attachment 264573Also the shape itself, that type of horn shape was quite popular in the late 19th & early 20th centuries. Here’s a ‘Smokarol’ pipe, used to incorporate a pre packed bowl of tobacco.
View attachment 264574

The charring itself doesn’t necessarily means it’s a pipe—just that it was used as one (if it is a cheroot holder); the popularity of the horn shape makes for a more compelling argument that it’s a pipe, though.
 
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simong

Lifer
Oct 13, 2015
2,610
15,599
UK
Definitely genuine crab claw
The plot thickens...... Definitely?
Don’t get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's not & if anyone was capable of oxblooding a crabs claw & lining it with something, it would of been the victorians.
I've seen cheroot holders lined with amber before now, if it's a genuine crabs claw, be interesting to see what the chamber has been lined with. Hopefully the OP will return & grace us with more photos.
 
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OzPiper

Lifer
Nov 30, 2020
5,856
31,191
71
Sydney, Australia
The plot thickens...... Definitely?
Don’t get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's not & if anyone was capable of oxblooding a crabs claw & lining it with something, it would of been the victorians.
I've seen cheroot holders lined with amber before now, if it's a genuine crabs claw, be interesting to see what the chamber has been lined with. Hopefully the OP will return & grace us with more photos.
Definitely.
Alaskan (and North Atlantic) king crab, if I’m not mistaken

Looooove shellfish - crabs, lobsters and prawns. And molluscs.
Sydney (indeed, all Oz) is a cornucopia of sea‘s bounty.
 

bayareabriar

Part of the Furniture Now
May 8, 2019
942
1,542
Definitely.
Alaskan (and North Atlantic) king crab, if I’m not mistaken

Looooove shellfish - crabs, lobsters and prawns. And molluscs.
Sydney (indeed, all Oz) is a cornucopia of sea‘s bounty.

I’ve been waiting to see if the historians are going to chime in on this one! I think it’s meerschaum?
 

RaoulDuke

Lurker
Apr 25, 2020
23
92
Australia
Nothing to apologize for. Can you get additional photos? I still stand by my guess of a Franken-pipe or cheroot holder.

@RaoulDuke
Cheers,

I found the photos online but it’s at a shop just down the road from me.

I’ll try and pop down there during the week for a closer look and get some more photos.

I don’t think I’ll buy it, like I said, not really my cup of tea. They want about US$270 for it.

Definitely an unusual and interesting piece though.