Under the Radar....

[fred]

This Estate Paul Fischer Prince looks to be in excellent shape and not

smoked enough to really need much cleaning up. It displays the simple

grace that Paul gave his Meerschaums, even in the traditional shapes

such as this Prince. The Prince is an uncommon shape in the Meerschaum

community, so this Pipe will be the second Prince in my modest collection.

It didn't attract any attention, much to my surprise. The Seller wasn't

sure that the Pipe is one of Paul's, which would limit bidding from those

unfamiliar with his art. The bit is hand cut lucite and the joint is a bone

screw. I got lucky on this one and the low bid made it a steal.
http://pipesmagazine.com/members/fred/album/picture/1716

 

[jcsnaps]

Very nice looking pipe Fred. You are right it is an odd shape, strangely appealing though. Doesn't look like it was much used from the photo colors. Best of smokes with it.

 

[krgulick]

Great looking pipe. Hope it is a good smoker for you.

 

[igloo]

That is a nice prince , fit for a king .

 

[romeowood]

Lovely and understated. Nice find!

 

[bubbadreier]

great looking pipe, it looks tiny for some reason!

 

[menckenite]

Congratz on getting that beauty Fred!

 

[bowhatchie]

Nicely done!!

 

[buck67]

I like it. One day, I will own a Meerschaum. It's on my list.

 

[puffintuff]

Very nice pick up. Is it possible to date this pipe to a specific year ?

And what about dating meers in general ?

 

[fred]

Bubbadrier writes: great looking pipe, it looks tiny for some reason!

I believe that this effect is an artifact of the Pipe's shape. The length is 6".
Puffintuff writes: Very nice pick up. Is it possible to date this pipe to a specific year ?

And what about dating meers in general ?

From the bit material used, I believe that it's one of Paul's last Pipes, which

would date it to the early '70's. Dating Meerschaums is a case by case task,

which requires both knowledge and luck. Much of the information on these Pipes

is lost, as record keeping is spotty. Ben Rapaport's list of International Academy

of the Pipe Data Base doesn't always discern between Carvers, Importers and Sellers.

The more recent Meerschaums are no exception to this. Not much was written down

about Paul Fischer, so much of it has to be from personal experience and what little

the literature provides. The Meerschaum Pipe industry has been a cottage industry

for centuries and much of the information was regarded as proprietary, so many

parts of how this art was done went to the grave with the Carver. Some of the most

famous Meerschaum art goes without knowledge of who the Carver was.

 

[classicgeek]

A thing of beauty. I'd say "enjoy it", but that would be completely unnecessary.
Simon

 

[fred]

This Pipe arrived today and required light cleaning and Beeswax. Tomorrow, the

bit will get some polish and the Pipe will start being broken in. It has barely been

smoked but it should take a lot of Beeswax as the last 35 years or so have left

the Block very dry.

 

[unclearthur]

I snagged a nice Meerschaum bent a while back that was extremely dry and looked fine until the beeswax showed up what seem to be surface cracks. None go to the interior though so I plan to just smoke it.

 

[iowamike]

Wow that is a beaut!

 

[fred]

Thanks Iowamike. This Meerschaum is one I was truly lucky to get.

The first smoke of Full Virginia Flake in this Pipe is surprisingly

smooth. The Beeswax is absorbing nicely. Since the Carver's Beeswax

dried out long ago, it makes sense that the volatiles used in the Block

preparation didn't hang around long either.