Old Chinese Pipe

[i.wood1234]

I have this old pipe that my friend gave me to clean. All i know about it is that it was purchased in San Francisco from a man near height ashbury and the man claimed it was an antique from china. To me this makes sense because San Fransisco has a large Chinese population. The pipe has some worn down engravings, the engravings wrap around. There is a what i think is a female deer then an old man with a dragon head staff, he is wearing robes and has a very long beard, then what looks like behind him in the scene is a swan. Near the mouthpiece of the pipe is a line of Chinese letters on both sides, one side is worn so i cant tell if they're identical but the line goes down toward the bottom. I don't have a camera that can get pictures of the engravings so I could only get pictures of the whole pipe. If anybody can provide any information or clues as to when and where this was made and what it was used for that would be greatly appreciated.

[i.wood1234]

here're the pictures

[talesofthesevenseas]

Well, I can tell you that it is NOT an opium pipe. A lot of Chinese pipes are mistaken as opium pipes, but the ones actually used for opium are long and tubular and have a "door knob" style platform with a hole in it, usually made of porcelain instead of a bowl. There is an excellent Web site that shows actual Chinese opium pipes and other opium paraphernalia at http://www.opiummuseum.com/

The method of heating the opium over a lamp flame makes it impossible for this to be an opium pipe. But whether it was intended for tobacco or something else I don't know.

It would be helpful to be able to see the engravings to determine if it is Chinese in origin or from somewhere else.

Any idea what the metal is? Does it tarnish?

And just in case anyone out there in the "Peanut Gallery" is wondering... I have a scene in the book I'm writing that takes place in a 19th century opium den. I did a whole lot of reading up on that so that I could write it well, and when I couldn't quite get the specifics of the technique from reading, I went on You Tube found some pretty fascinating home videos that explained it quite thoroughlyl!

[ironlord1963]

     I almost didn't want to comment on this because it might show my expert nature on issues of pipes  .   That pipe was made for one thing and looks very vintage 60's    .  It appears to be a old bubbler pipe. remove the stem add a little water and other stuff and pass it around.  I would like to see the engraving also, but understand how hard that can be to get a shot of.  From my perspective I see a hand made brass pipe, right out of the 60's or 70's, if it is a bubbler, then Tabacco pipe is not it.   

[i.wood1234]

Thanks so much for all of your help, it is a bubbler. The bowl does unscrew and there is a downstem. Ill try and get some pictures of the engravings soon because i would really like to know the origin of this pipe.

[i.wood1234]

And as for the metal, I'm pretty sure its brass, it does tarnish. I can rule out copper because copper is unsafe to smoke out of and I'm not sure if it could be bronze or not but for some reason i highly doubt that.

[KC]

So....ironlord....y ou are an expert here?!?!?!   

[ironlord1963]

Lets just say I have studied other things before     

[talesofthesevenseas]

The things Ironlord does in the name of historical research... It's truly humbling! 

[syl]

Pipe? Haight-Ashbury? Come on.

[Jeff313]

Dont smoke outta brass, i am a state certified expert.

[talesofthesevenseas]

By any chance do those engravings look anything like this?

[i.wood1234]

no they dont. although yellow submarine is a pretty amazing movie, the engravings are old-esque if you get what i mean, like i could imagine it to be like an old chinese painting engraved on it.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I was just playin' with ya!  Sorry 'bout that!