JWB and his pipe!

[L Verge]

It was those kinds of price tags, Herb, that brought my thoughts of collecting Meerschaum pipes and cigarette holders to a halt! I did have a dealer give me a great lesson on meerschaum, however, about forty years ago. It may appear to be ivory, but it really is a soft, opaque mineral that was first found readily in the plains of Turkey. One of the Scandinavian countries is known for it (but I can't remember which one). Spain and France produced some too, and even U.S. has sources in Pennsylvania and a few other states that have veins of serpentine.

The name Meerschaum is actually German for sea foam and is taken from similar looking froth that lies on the Black Sea. When the mineral is gathered, it is laid out in the sun to be hardened. Even after hardening, however, it is easy to scratch or carve - hence the pipes and cigarette holders. The dealer showed me several that had gone from the traditional opaque whitish/gray color to shades of yellow, orange, and near-red. He explained that the products from the burning tobacco had caused that.

One thing I never asked was when the Meerschaum pipes were introduced into America. I suspect - but can't confirm - that they may have been a result of soldiers returning from the Crimean War, just as Turkish cigarettes became so popular and spread from Europe to America.