What have I found?

[KLF]

I was in a second hand shop looking for safety razors and stumble upon this pipe. Looks like it has never been used, carved in some kind of bone. I can be taken apart in 3 parts. Do anybody know what kind of pipe is it? I never smoked pipe but when I saw this, I thought maybe I'll start

 

[Griz]

Thats awesome

 

[mdwest]

Looks like a hand carved meerschaum pipe to me..

could be worth anywhere from $50 - $500 depending on who the artist is/was..

if its from a single block, it will hold together better, and will be worth more (lots of "powder" (crap quality) meers in the middle east.. they get imported in from Turkey.. and US service members and tourists buy the hell out of them in bazaars and markets in Iraq, UAE, and Qatar, etc.. not knowing any better).. this one doesnt appear to be one of those.. but Im not an expert.. and I cant really tell much from the pics..

If the price on that pipe is in Israeli Shekels.. as opposed to US Dollars, I'd probably take the chance... (doing some quick currency converting in my head.. I think they are asking about $45 USD for it.. or 185 ILS?

 

[KLF]

Looks like a hand carved meerschaum pipe to me..

could be worth anywhere from $50 - $500 depending on who the artist is/was..

if its from a single block, it will hold together better, and will be worth more (lots of "powder" (crap quality) meers in the middle east.. they get imported in from Turkey.. and US service members and tourists buy the hell out of them in bazaars and markets in Iraq, UAE, and Qatar, etc.. not knowing any better).. this one doesnt appear to be one of those.. but Im not an expert.. and I cant really tell much from the pics..

If the price on that pipe is in Israeli Shekels.. as opposed to US Dollars, I'd probably take the chance... (doing some quick currency converting in my head.. I think they are asking about $45 USD for it.. or 185 ILS?

Yes, they ask for 50$, however the lady was ready to reduce the price when I saw some interest in it. She said it sits a long time in the store and she wanted to get it of it. She said the carving looks like some Indian God so it may be its from India, hand crafted,but i have no idea. It comes apart in 3 pieces.

 

[mdwest]

If its meerschaum (im pretty sure it is)... then it likely came from Turkey.. almost all of the worlds meer comes from a small section of Turkey.. it isnt readily found in India..

and since labor is cheap in Turkey.. there is no real need to export meer to China or India to have it turned into pipes.. (although there are a couple of Chinese meer pipe makers that I am aware of)..

The Turks make meer pipes of all sorts of people, animals, gods, flowers, shapes, etc.. its possible that the depiction is an Indian god.. but it looks more like one of the traditional turk "Ottoman" faces to me... or maybe one of the traditional "viking" faces that are pretty common on meers...

Here are some links to places where you can see a pretty wide variety of meer pipes:

http://www.royalmeerschaumpipes.com/Regular-Meerschaum-Pipes-s/21.htm
http://www.meerschaum.com/Artwork-Large.aspx?Page=1

 

[JustTroItIn]

It looks like that Meer also may have an amber stem. I would guess it's either that or bakelite.

 

[mikeman84]

That is a great looking pipe

 

[Tennessee Dave]

That pipe is a meerschaum and from the pictures I agree with @mdwest. It appears in the photo that it was carved from a solid block. There should be some kind of mark on the pipe denoting the carver. I wouldn't hesitate to buy that pipe as I believe that all pipers need a couple of meerschaums and you very well could be picking up something worth several times what they are asking depending on the carver.

 

[Tennessee Dave]

There are different levels of carvers and it takes a lot of years work as an apprenticeship under a master carver before intricate work is done. The pipe shown in the OP looks like a solid block carved by a carver still under instruction. Nothing at all wrong with the pipe because of that. Who knows it would be pretty neat to have one of the first few pipes of someone who is to become a real master carver. The photos below show an Altinok Gandalf pipe carved by Master Carver I. Baglan. Notice the level of detail of the carving on this pipe. Can also see the carver's mark in the 3rd photo. BTW the detail of the carving in no way affects the pipe's smoking quality.

 

[ZippoGeek]

That's pretty slick Lior...I would pull the trigger -- seems like a very fair price!

 

[KLF]

I went back and bough it for 33$ However to me it looks like made of bone and not meerschaum stone, even if I never saw a meerschaum in my life.
Can it be such a thing, a pipe made entirely of bone, or am I just imagining ? Is there anyway to test from what is made ?
Do anybody knows of a good website(with international shipping) for a starter kit for pipe smoking ? Looks like I have a lot to learn

 

[mdwest]

With those new pics, I am almost 100% certain its meerschaum.

Bone isnt a good medium for pipes. Too fragile for most artisans to work with... the very, very few bone pipes I have ever seen are super expensive, and arent really "smokers".. they are more for looks (scrimshaw artists, etc will do beautiful artwork on them.. but they arent practical or well designed for smoking)..

The good news is it looks like the components in your pipe are of good quality. Tenon screws in lower cost meers (even some more expensive ones) are usually a cheap, white plastic. From what I can tell in your pics, your tenon screws may be metal? and looking closer at the meer itself, it definitively looks like its single block as opposed to any powder being used..

I agree with TennesseeDave.. this looks like something made by an apprentice, working under a master carver.. the detail and accuracy in the actual carving isnt great.. but the components are the sort of things you would only see a master carver using..

At $33 you got an incredibly good deal IMO...

 

[KLF]

One last question : how do I clean it up a little bit ?

 

[mdwest]

you want to be super careful when "cleaning" the exterior of a meerschaum.. the stone is porous, and very soft.. any abrasive material will scratch the surfaces pretty quickly..

also.. many meer owners like their pipes to show age (to include staining)...

because meers are porous, they will pick up oils from the hand, which will over time begin to discolor the pipe.. they also change color over time/use from the heat in the bowl...

old, well used meers will turn shades of yellow, brown, pink, etc.. just from handling and use.. which is considered highly desirable by some smokers..

If you absolutely must clean the exterior, I'd recommend just warm, soapy water, and a very soft cloth... and cotton swabs for the crevices..

Another good thing about meers.. is the inside needs much less maintenance/attention than wood pipes like briars.. they do not build up a "cake" like wood pipes do.. or have some of the other common problems..

IMO for the inside, all I would do is run a couple of soapy pipe cleaners through it.. followed by several dry ones.. and then fire it up... it doesnt look like its ever been used before.. So I dont think it will need much more than that..

 

[ZippoGeek]

Nice grab, Lior!

 

[JustTroItIn]

One last question : how do I clean it up a little bit ?

Here is my thread on how I cleaned mine up.

http://www.botl.org/threads/cleaning-an-estate-meerschaum-pic-heavy.78172/

 

[KLF]

Here is my thread on how I cleaned mine up.

http://www.botl.org/threads/cleaning-an-estate-meerschaum-pic-heavy.78172/

Thanks for the info. I thought to clean up a little bit the carving part, it has red smearing on some small parts

 

[JustTroItIn]

Thanks for the info. I thought to clean up a little bit the carving part, it has red smearing on some small parts

I wouldn't use anything other than spit.

 

[Tennessee Dave]

My advice would be to NOT remove the coloring that is beginning to take place on the pipe. Meerschaums are supposed to color. The only thing I would do after sanitizing it would be to rub it will bee's wax and polish it off with a soft cloth. The more you smoke it the better the coloration becomes. Highly colored meerschaums are highly prized by there owners. Check the photos of the two pipes in the first post of this thread. The first is brand new and the second has reached a great state of color with smoking. http://pipesmokersforum.com/community/threads/why-i-love-my-altinok-meer.14011/.

Would also offer this advice. Meerschaum is very soft particularly during smoking so be careful not to scratch it. I would recommend letting the pipe cool completely to room temperature before taking apart for cleaning as it can easily crack if you attempt to do so while the pipe is still too warm. You got that pipe at a great price. I am certain it is carved from a single block. Let her color up and keep it in good condition. It's a real keeper.