Going to have a blend I've dubbed “Modern Major-General”—a 1:1 mix of Esoterica Penzance and Lane 1-Q that
@Chasing Embers mentioned in another thread—curiosity got the better of me and I had to try it! I thought it only fitting to have it in a Figural Meerschaum Skull pipe (probably from the late 19th Century or early 20th Century) that Duane would appreciate.
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This pipe came in an Au Pacha leather case. The address is 7 Rue Mont Blanc, Geneva. It’s most likely this was sold through a chain of tobacconists that had shops in France and Switzerland and not made by the Paris company that bore the same name. There is stamping on the band that bears the letters “EP” in a diamond (electroplating). It also has three letters that might be V, C, F or U, C, F.
@Ahi Ka has suggested the VCF might be “Vincent-Coutier & Fils.” Any help or ID with the hallmark would be much appreciated.
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The original amber stem is broken and includes a fairly nicely fitted fill using a soft compound; the threads in the stem and mortise appear to be stripped, but, the shank of the pipe doesn't appear to have any breaks in it, so I’m not entirely sure the band is a repair one as
@Ahi Ka and
@OzPiper have suggested. I’ve successfully fitted an acrylic amber-like stem with a Delrin push tenon that fits reasonably well and will make the pipe smokeable. I considered commissioning a Ryan Alden stem a la
@ashdigger, but am loath to entrust the pipe to the USPS for fitting. I met a pipemaker at the Lehigh Valley Pipe Club the other week in Pennsylvania—I might see if I can enlist him to fashion one that will fit in the case. I also recently bought a tenon cutting tool and might try making a stem myself that will actually fit in the case, but, I’ll need to practice a bit first. The amber-like acrylic one will suffice for now.
Below is a picture of this pipe with my other Meerschaum Figural Skull by Colossus Pipe Factory—a Savinelli 320 KS is shown in the middle for scale. The CPF pipe is quite diminutive.
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Wasabi is sleeping on my pillow and exuding cuteness:
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