Tobacco Smoking

• During the European colonization of the western hemisphere, the colonists found the Native Americans smoking the tobacco herb. The taste of tobacco and the experience of inhaling the smoke coming from it quickly led the Europeans to adopt the habit. The old world pipes were scrutinized and then changed to be made more elegant and fit to be used by the European officers and traders. Over the years, pipe making became an art and new designs were used to constantly refine the pipes.
  
  

Materials

• Traditionally, tobacco pipes were made from natural materials such as gourds and corn cobs, however, in the late 19th century, pipes began to be fashioned from clay. Since clay was both inexpensive and easy to form, it quickly became popular. However, clay pipes had an inherent flaw. They could be easily fractured and therefore focus was shifted from clay to metal pipes. Still, even today, clay pipe stems are found in many archaeological sites throughout North America and Europe.
  
  

Tobacco Pipe Evolution

• By the latter half of the 19th century, it was established that clay was not the optimum raw material for manufacturing pipes. Clay was quickly replaced with metals like gold and silver, which became a symbol of affluence. For the common folk, the two main materials used for pipes were briar and meerschaum. While meerschaum is a white stone found in Turkey, briar is a root of the slow-growing Mediterranean white heath tree.
  
  

Briar Tobacco Pipes

• Briar tobacco pipes were the most popular of all tobacco pipes. The slow-growing wood takes years to mature and the quality of the pipe is determined by factors including the color, maturity of the wood, craftsmanship, and the grain of the wood. The best quality briar tobacco pipes were made from briar wood at least 50 years old.
  
  

Tobacco Pipe Value

• Tobacco pipes made in the olden times were considered very high quality. The process of making a tobacco pipe was considered an art form and a lot of value was attached to them. Most of the briar and meerschaum pipes are considered extremely valuable and are regarded as collectible items.