Carved Colonial pipe stem.

[Eastcoasthunter21]

Hello all this is a repost (thank you scrappy for pointing out what exactly I had )
So today I took out my new deus for a trial run
It's a slow learn but I will get it
Well I am digging everything today to learn the machine
I dig a target it's a piece of copper but in the hole was this stem
I had no idea what it was I put it in the pouch
When I got home emptied the bag I saw what it was I was cleaning it I'm thinking a cool old pipe stem so I post it. Along with the other items I found
Steve read the post and saw the photos of what I thought was not a big deal
The inside diameter is 9/64. I checked online it says from 1590-1620
This size bore was used
I hope an expert can tell me more. Thanks for reading hh gl eastcoast

 

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[patiodadio]

Whoa !!! 1590-1620 ! Thats fantastic !

 

[Eastcoasthunter21]

I'm not an expert in this area I hope someone who knows will help

 

[johnnyblaze]

Wow that is a beauty

~Blaze~

 

[relic nut]

That is way cool!!! Thanks for posting

HH, Relic Nut

 

[gwdigger]

Good grief thats killer.

 

[Scrappy]

Charlie when I texted you about the stem theory I was away from books. Here's what I found in Hume's "A guide to Artifacts of Colonial America"


Now the diameter got smaller with time, so if that 9/64" bit fits, it's potentially early. IF the entire length of the stem is 3-1/2" then it also may point to an early stem. The stems of the time got a lot longer over a short period. What I'm curious about is the material. You say it has almost a bone-like appearance so perhaps it's ivory. Dunno, but it doesn't look like clay. Maybe a close-up? Like I said on the phone get a few more detailed pics up and hopefully some heavy-hitters will chime in!

Great find, now go back and check that hole for the bowl tomorrow!

Congrats. If someone can authenticate the age I think it's banner material. I'll stay tuned!

Steve

 

[villagenut]

Your numbers match my numbers. Man that's a beauty...I bet the bowl was just as decorative. Any chance of finding it would be awesome. I don't think that was a tavern type pipe that was shared and broken as it was used by several folks. Probably a one owner pipe, which may mean that the bowl may be close by. Time to break out the sifter

 

[williedigit]

Hello all this is a repost (thank you scrappy for pointing out what exactly I had )
So today I took out my new deus for a trial run
It's a slow learn but I will get it
Well I am digging everything today to learn the machine
I dig a target it's a piece of copper but in the hole was this stem
I had no idea what it was I put it in the pouch
When I got home emptied the bag I saw what it was I was cleaning it I'm thinking a cool old pipe stem so I post it. Along with the other items I found
Steve read the post and saw the photos of what I thought was not a big deal
The inside diameter is 9/64. I checked online it says from 1590-1620
This size bore was used
I hope an expert can tell me more. Thanks for reading hh gl eastcoast View attachment 1259515 View attachment 1259523 View attachment 1259522 View attachment 1259521 View attachment 1259520 View attachment 1259519 View attachment 1259518 View attachment 1259517 View attachment 1259516 View attachment 1259524

Old timers crack pipe haha ! Nice find its a shame I didn't find it its cool

 

[pepperj]

I think that's the best stem of any pipe posted up, what a beauty!

 

[Mach1Pilot]

That's a great looking pipe stem - hope you can find the bowl!

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[Yehuwdiy]

Super find. I have several hundred pipes in my personal collection - but nothing of that age! In terms of material a lot of people get cornered into thinking that this-or-that was used for making pipes. Pipe smokers are a crafty lot and will make pipes from just about anything. Clay would have been top of the list for the age bracket mentioned.

If it's clay and factory/mass made then there will be seams on the stem. If not then you may be right that it is another material. having the entire stem made of ivory would be unusual given that it appears the bowl was made from the same material (looking at the nature of the break). The only time you really had an entire smoking device made of ivory was with cigarette, cigar etc. holders where you would remove/put out th ember before it made contact with the ivory. Ivory is simply not resilient enough to withstand the high temperatures of burning tobacco.

The other possibility is that the smooth end is actually the one that would go closer to the bowl (attached using a resin of some sort or by friction) and that the other end was designed to have a mouthpiece added. This is less likely - but possible. Given the apparent cracking it does appear to be made of a natural substance - are you certain it's not wood?

 

[Eastcoasthunter21]

After closer exam it does appear to be a hardwood. It' has a slight crack running from the end and after cleaning and drying. My guess would be it is wooden !

 

[sutphin]

SHOW CASE ITEM FOR SURE SWEET .....

 

[Yehuwdiy]

s far as dating goes I'd not put too much stock in the bore size. If the pipe was clay the bore would have slightly more bearing, but with wood not so much.

Was anything else found with the pipe? Do you know any history related to the site being dug? Being made of wood would obviously limit the amount of time it could stay in the ground without rotting. Regardless of age it's still a cool find. Do you have any photo's of the piece of copper that was in th hole with it?

 

[Isaac]

I would not say it's 1590-1620 right yet either. In my opinion, bore size shouldn't be the only thing that dates a pipe stem. Either way, it's probably the most incredible pipe stem I've ever seen recovered. Wow. Just amazing the craftsmanship on that piece.

 

[Eastcoasthunter21]

Thank you I know little about pipe stems. I believe it is my first one. The site dates to the early 1600s. I recovered four rev war cannon balls from a nearby site this week and have found coins to mid 1700s the site has been almost dormant for a few hundred years. The area it's in is a colonial historic site. I hunt the woods nearby not the town !
And a large Lenape indian presence was here prior to that. The Dutch settled this area in 1620.