Blog by Steve Laug

I seem to be drawn to Bakelite Pipe Gadgets. When this one came up on EBay I could not pass it up. I put in the bid that I was willing to live with and “won” this piece with no other bidders on the table. I have no idea what the age is on it but it is in great shape. The threads on the lid and the jar are undamaged. The Bakelite is a nice dark, mottled finish – almost the colour of a stoved Virginia leaf. The script on the lid looks great and the rusticated surface surround the script is really a nice touch. I believe that it was done to provide a surface to strike a match on once the pipe was loaded with the tobacco. There is a cast pattern of tobacco leaves that form a border on the lid and on the bottom of the jar. There are no dents or cracks in the bowl and it is flawless. I polished it with White Diamond and gave it a light buff with carnauba wax. The jar purports to be airtight but is not. It keeps tobacco fairly well for about a week and then it begins to dry out. It holds a place in my pipe cupboard and is a nice piece of tobacciana.