Thread: Meerschaum Pipes, anyone?

I used to collect pipes like I do razors now. I have a few really nice meerschaums. A couple are very darkly colored, even more so than those two earlier in the post. The darkest I have is nearly black- very old and carved with a native american in full dress with a spear and shield. I don't have pics now though since I'm away from home. I don't smoke actually. I'll try to get some pics in June when I get back.

I have one meer, it's a sultan's head, found it in an antique shop for 10 bucks.

Originally Posted by mparker762

I've got a dozen or so, but these two are my most fully colored.

Wow! I'm amazed at the coloration on that claw... Were the talons pre-colored or did they color up that much darker than the bowl all by themselves?
Mine is the middle one in this picture taken at a coloring contest we had at the store at the end of 2007:


I'm actually impressed by all your talk of meerschaums, I discovered this thread from Google Alerts for the word Meerschaum. You all have some very nice pipes here!

As for tobaccos in my meer, I'll actually smoke just about anything in it, although these days my tastes have been running towards VaPer blends. That is one of the things about a meerschaum pipe that I love; the fact that you don't have to worry about muddling the cake 'cuz there shouldn't be one anyway!

Thanks for letting me jump in here. Love to see pictures of some of these others that people are talking about!

Welcome IKMeerchaum !!!!

I see you know how to smoke the right way

Now you gotta do some reading and shave the best way!!!

Originally Posted by IKMeerschaum

Wow! I'm amazed at the coloration on that claw... Were the talons pre-colored or did they color up that much darker than the bowl all by themselves?

They colored up like that themselves. Actually the bowl was much lighter colored at one time, but one day I left it sitting in its little stand while I ran a "quick errand" for the wife, and it got rained on, and in getting waterlogged the coloring bled through the bowl. It was a real shame because it was really stunning up to that point...

BTW the tobacco I used on the claw was Butera's "Sweet Cavendish" mixed with a little bit of latakia - I'm not normally a fan of flavored tobaccos but they're not bad in a meer or calabash, and this one will color a meerschaum like nobody's business. The Cavalier was smoked with a straight Burley from McClellands, with just a little bit of their red virginia mixed in.

Lovely pipes! I haven't yet purchased any Meers, but I do plan on getting at least one. But seeing the claw pipe ... that's simply amazing! I've only seen pictures of new ones. So that makes two I now want!

Mine is a small one, carved in the shape of a smiling head w/ grapes hanging from his hair--maybe the Greek god Dionysus? I just picked up an unflavored Virginia yesterday and had a suuper nice smoke out of my meer. Any other recommendations for unflavored tobaccos? I think I prefer it to flavored.

Originally Posted by PA23-250

Mine is a small one, carved in the shape of a smiling head w/ grapes hanging from his hair--maybe the Greek god Dionysus? I just picked up an unflavored Virginia yesterday and had a suuper nice smoke out of my meer. Any other recommendations for unflavored tobaccos? I think I prefer it to flavored.

Bacchus (the god of wine and inspired madness) is name usually used to describe figure head pipes like you describe. Dionysus would be the Greek equivalent to this.

Once you are bittten by the meerschaum bug, having one of the god of inspired madness would probably be quite appropriate!

ah, miss the pipe......nice pipes guys. I gave smoking up so I'll just admire yours.

I have several. Antique eagle claw one w/ cherrywood stem; Sultan's, Victorian Lady's, and Lion's heads; a bulldog, an apple and the one I'm currently smoking:
First smoke in days! Bill Bailey's Balkan in an Ehrlich meerschaum quarter-bent billiard. My chest cold seems to have passed! PTL!