ANTIQUE HAND CARVED MEERSCHAUM TOBACCO SMOKING PIPE SULTAN HEAD MAN Ca.1880-1920

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ANTIQUE HAND CARVED MEERSCHAUM TOBACCO SMOKING PIPE SULTAN HEAD MAN Ca.1880-1920.My Dad would have picked this Meerschaum pipe head up in his early travels between Morocco and Great Britain in the 40's -- 50's. He never smoked a pipe, so it is in the condition in which he acquired it. Dad just loved old stuff! My research shows that Meerschaum pipes are vnry collectible and most specimens date after the mid-1800swhen meerschaum replaced porcelain in German pipe making. Meerschaum is mined as a white, porous, brittle rock that can be hard carved into intricate smoking pipes. Meerschaum is now rare, and antique Meerschaum pipes are prized by collectors. Those who would smoke a meerschaum pipe chose them because they do not burn out and can be smoked multiple times in a day. Meerschaum was known by many nicknames such as White Goddess and Venus of the Sea. Meerschaum is a German word meaning "sea foam" and is the mineral sepiolite, a hydrous magnesium silicate. The first recorded use of Meerschaum for making pipes was around 1723. Because the porous nature of meerschaum draws moisture and tobacco tar into the stone, Meerschaum became a prized pipe. The Briar factory produced Meerschaum pipes since the mid-1800s. I feel this pipe could be a late 19 th century product of that factory because current productions show many sultan heads, read more

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