Monday 23 April 2012

Out of Africa.


I recently acquired an interesting Peterson 1989 System African Meerschaum, complete with a steel wind-cap. It is a 312 shape with sterling silver collar and P-lip mouthpiece. What caught my attention other than the wind-cap,was the beautiful honey colouration.
They used to make pipes from meerschaum from Africa,Tanzania. This source run out some 10 years ago, the company closed around 2002. These pipes where made with a slightly different technique than the higher quality Turkish Meerschaum. They where dipped in a hardening oil to make it much more resilient to knocks and everyday use. African Block is heavier and doesn’t have the same degree of absorptive properties as Turkish.
Some photos below of the new addition.

 

 


 

 

3 comments:

  1. I have 6 Peterson Tanzania meers and they are really good smokers! I don't think that turkisch meerschaum is better. It is completly different. I love both materials :)

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    1. Hi Jim, congrats, I ve been watching her on eBay, but resisted the temptation to bid. She ´ s in good hands now. Lukas

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  2. Hi, I bought one of these in 1994 together with a rustic version - my first two Peterson pipes. Later on I came across a smaller version of the rustic. All three are still in my collection and I simply love them. I agree that they are excellent smokers even though the Tanzanian meerschaum is not as absorbent as Turkish. What I like most is the fact that they are far more robust, not only the bowl but also where mouthpiece joins the shank. I've had a few Turkish meerschaums, some imported from Turkey at great expense and although they offer a great smoke, most of them seem to suffer from the problem of tobacco oil seeping out of the shank - never a problem with the Peterson. Regards.

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