Down the Research Rabbit-hole
The struggle is real. Sometimes a fascinating item catches my imagination and down I fall into the reasearch rabbit-hole. I just want to know more, and before I know it, it's 2 am and my visit into the past enters the realm of extra.
How to Identify Real Amber
A huge inventory of unused vintage tobacco pipe stems were rescued from being tossed into the trash and a few lots were posted to the shop. To my surprise, several friendly emails suggested the amber colored stems were real amber. These emails inspired me to take a moment and share with folks how I identify amber from other stuff.
So what is amber anyway? Amber is fossilized tree resin. It is a prized healing "gemstone" that can be carved and fashioned in to jewelry, beads, and yes, pipe stems (The stem on the antique meerschaum pipe in the blurb "Forgotten Heroes" below is made from three separately carved, in tact, amber pieces which date back to 1906)!
The most common amber substitutes I have come accross are different types of plastics like bakelite, lucite, and acrylic. Copal, is a very old resin "gemstone" that hasn't been fossilized. Copal is also sometimes substituted and/or confused for amber. So how do I know if it is amber, plastic, or copal? Here are two ways I use together:
Black Light test: Amber fluoresces blue or yellow under a UV light. Copal will not.
Saltwater test: Another easy way to identify amber is to place an item in salt water (Mix about 1/4 cup of salt into 16 oz of warm water until the salt dissolves). Amber will float. Most fakes sink.
Forgotten Heroes (updated)
This massive, unique antique pipe has such a cool story. Vince Bonafede, a professional pipe maker and restorer who married into the Vottis family, also ran the Vottis Pipe shop in the Capital region of New York. Vince valued this piece himself with the jaw dropping price tag still inside. The store closed in 1990 and this pipe has been sitting in it's case until now.
Genuine amber stem
Engraved gold band dated 1906
Close up of carved meerschaum
The pipe itself was made by the William Demuth Co. and is made from real Amber and quality hand-carved meerschaum. The pipe is 12 inches long - half of the length contitutes the amber stem.
A gold engraved band on the shank suggested the pipe was gifted from Rensselaer's Fire Chief to the Chief of Police in October of 1906. I found an old photo of the 1st Police chief, James Hutchinson in the police photo archives of the City of Rensselaer. The city's Fire Chief's history was lacking. The rabbit-hole began.
Since the gold band on the pipe suggested Thomas F. Kemmy was "Fire Chief," I looked up his name in a 1906 Sampson & Murdock city directory available on archive.org. I discovered Kemmy was not a Fire Chief at all - but a cigar and tobacco dealer! The same directory indicated the chief of the Fire Department was actually John Thompson, Jr. The inscription on the pipe, now was understood as a punny joke about the smoke and fire created by Kemmy's cigar business.
The relationship between Chief Hutchinson and Thomas Kemmy is unknown. I imagine this impressive pipe was quite a lavish gift back in 1906. Were the two old buddy's or was Kemmy trying to network and gain some political muscle with the new Police Chief? This last question may be lost to time, but the journey into Rensselaer, NY history and its connection with a beautiful piece of hand held history was worth the extra research.
City of Rensselaer, NY. 2023. History https://rensselaerny.gov/police-department/history
Tokens of My Affection.
My understanding of the story goes something like this: After WWI, France owed money to the US. Also, their economy went bust, and denial about going back to the gold standard overvalued French currency.
Coins like this franc were minted by the Chambers of Commerce from 1920 - 1927 but they were intended to be just emergency coinage. While most sources say these coins were similar to German notgeld and American trade tokens, a few claim the "bon pour" coins were considered actual currency that were backed by the French government. If you know more, please share! These tokens are fascinating pieces French history!
American Numismanic Society. 2023. France: From the Franc to the Euro https://numismatics.org/france-from-the-franc-to-the-euro/
The Money Museum. 2023. Republic of France, Chambres de Commerce de France, Bon pour 1 Franc 1921 https://www.moneymuseum.com/en/coins?&id=1188
A Little More About Danmore
The once popular pipe manufactuer had a very short lived run. Between the 1970s and 1980s Danmore pipes were handmade exclusively in Kolding, Denmark by skilled pipemakers. This pamphlet is posted for Damore collectors looking for a little more informationon these beautiful pieces of hand held history.
When I found this vintage Danmore Special at an estate sale, I was very happy to discover a pamphlet inside the box along with the bag. The tiny catalog showed the line of Danmore Special (DS) and Corvet pipes the manufacturer offered. The handsome pipe I acquired is a DS 3027 and was made with Corsican briar.
