(2) Meerschaum Pipes in Original Leather Cases. One shows less use and has a bull carved into it, and the other is a deeper color with a stag on it. The case holding the stag bears a faded gilt company logo from Bremen on the inside cover. 

Size: 2 1/4 x 4 in. 

Meerschaum is a hydrous silicate of magnesia, a soft white clay-like mineral (sepiolite) that is primarily mined in Turkey and is highly valued for its use in hand-carved tobacco pipes. The name is German, meaning “sea foam” to refer to its white, foamy appearance. Its porous nature absorbs tars and nicotine, providing a cool, dry, and flavorful smoke, and the pipes change from opaque white to yellow, orange, red, and amber, finally developing a rich honey-brown color as they age. The process involves scraping, drying, and polishing the mineral before it is carved into detailed pipes and treated with beeswax for a protective sheen. The first recorded use of it for making pipes was around 1723, quickly growing into a highly prized material for smokers, but the use of briar wood beginning in the early 1820s greatly reduced demand for clay and meerschaum pipes. Since the 1970s Turkey has banned the exportation of meerschaum nodules in an effort to control the trade and manufacture of pipes locally, and the once famous manufacturers in Europe (particularly in Vienna) have since closed down, making older pipes highly prized by collectors.

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