How To Repair A Meerschaum Pipe

Establishing Meerschaum Pipe Value

A meerschaum pipe's material and carving are the most of import factors when determining what it's worth.

Q I hope you tin assist me with the following: I have a Meerschaum pipe that belonged to my late Father that I wish to sell. It was bought in a pipe specialist store in Carlton Centre Johannesburg, S Africa in 1974. The meerschaum pipe example is not in a very good condition. The piping is, only was used by my father.

I was wondering what the value in ZAR (SA Rands might be) and saw you had brash someone on your website with the same enquiry.

— J.L., Capetown, South Africa

What is meerschaum

A "Meerschaum" (sepiolite) is a chemical compound German word equanimous of "meer" and "schaum," which means "bounding main foam" and was so named because similar ocean foam information technology is bright in color and low-cal enough to float. The term "Meerschaum" is credited to Abraham Gottlob Werner, an 18th century High german geologist. Meerschaum can be found in the United states, French republic, Spain, Bosnia Herzegovina, Republic of austria, Greece and Tanzania but the highest quality meerschaum is mined in Turkey and the Turkish authorities has fabricated it illegal to export raw Meerschaum.

During the zenith years of meerschaum piping product the highest quality carving was done in Republic of austria and Hungary and to a lesser extent in other Eastern European countries. Bare blocks of high quality meerschaum were carved into thousands of figural pipes and cheroot holders. The artisans, a large proportion of whom were Jewish, passed their skill from generation to generation. Gustav Stehr, an Austrian, came from simply such a family and was considered the best meerschaum piping carver in the earth; his son Carl started his own pipe etching business organisation in New York Urban center in the mid-19th century.

Meerschaum is malleable enough to be carved (you lot can actually scratch it with your fingernail) but durable plenty to withstand rigorous polishing. Unlike pipes fabricated of cherry or briarwood, meerschaum does non interfere with the season of tobacco nor does it conduct heat, which leaves the bowl cool to the bear on. When grading raw meerschaum colour, size, density and homogeneity are very important considerations.

Determining meerschaum pipe quality

The best meerschaum comes from deep within the footing; the deeper the source the college the quality, with superior pipes carved from a single block. Inferior meerschaum pipes are synthetic from the pressed scraps of meerschaum remaining afterwards a pipe is carved. The quality of meerschaum can exist distinguished by testing its porosity. Rub a wet finger beyond the meerschaum, high quality meerschaum volition absorb the moisture; low quality meerschaum will not. Block meerschaum (pipes fabricated from a single block of meerschaum) is lighter weight than pressed meerschaum; you should also examine the quality of the etching. There is another method to distinguish block from pressed but only on older, well-used pipes. As the block meerschaum ages with use the white colour changes to a mixture of warm browns, yellows, orange, reddish or amber at which time a grain tin be appreciated; the pressed meerschaum will non display a grain. Imagine comparison old flame mahogany with particle board – i has a rich grain, the other has no grain.

Your block meerschaum pipe was made by Andreas Bauer, known by many as the all-time pipe maker of the 20th century. The Andreas Bauer brand began production in Vienna, Republic of austria in 1908 and won a gilded medal at the 1937 Paris World Exhibition; collectors nonetheless consider Bauer pipes equally unsurpassed in quality. Andreas Bauer initially used fossil bister for the mouthpieces simply afterwards began using mouthpieces of "cultured-amber," which is nada more than than an artificial, lab-produced substitute for bister. Ernst Bauer took over the company in 1942 and thirty years after it was sold to the Mrstik family. Then in 1990 Bauer merged with Konak Meerschaum of Turkey. Although information technology was purchased in 1974, it may have been made prior to the 1972 auction of the company to the Mrstik family.

Your fisherman's head, Andreas Bauer, block meerschaum pipe in the fitted, satin-lined example could sell in the $200 to $250 range (2406.28 to 3009.66 Due south African Rand).

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