An ironic Chinese cob sighting on TPL site

Aristocob

I just stumbled across the article titled "Official Smoker Law, 1ST ED." and while I enjoyed the article I had to chuckle when I read Rule No.5, which states "Corncob pipes are still pipes, unless they are from China."  The irony? The photo at the top of the article shows someone packing a Chinese cob. 

motie2

@Aristocob -- I'm left hungry for knowledge: how could you tell? How about clueing us in?

PappyJoe

looks very similar to a Missouri Meerschaum straight Legend.

Aristocob

@motie2 Original MM cobs do not have the large spaces and voids seen in the photo, and the steel ferrule on MM cobs are black.  That's not to say that a Chinese cob can't have a black ferrule because sometimes they do.  I've even found counterfeit cobs that have such misleading names as "The Original Corn Cob Pipe" and "Henery Tibbe" which is the name of the inventor and founder of what we now know as the Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipe Company. My experience comes mostly from smoking the original for the past 35+ years, but we've also sold tens of thousands of them over the past ten years. I've handled and seen the original article enough times that the counterfeits stand out like a sore thumb.  Here's a link to a blog post that I wrote several years ago that has a photo of a "Henery Tibbe" Chinese cob: http://aristocob.blogspot.com/2010/07/this-just-kills-me-chinese-corn-cob.html

Here's a picture of some that I saw at a gift shop just outside of Colonial Williamsburg. Almost as shocking as the poor construction was the price.  I pity the poor newbie who purchases one of these pithy pipes and concludes that all cobs smoke bitter and burn-out quickly. 

Aristocob

@pappyjoe, That pipe, being unfinished, is a knock-off of a MM Missouri Pride.  The Legend, the Washington, the Missouri Pride and the wooden Ozark Mountain are all the same size but differ in fill (plaster or not) and finish.

PappyJoe

@aristocob - thanks for the info. It is my belief that the cobs sold at the gift shops are probably not meant to be smoked. I certainly wouldn't buy one for smoking. I own five Missouri Meerschaums and can't see buying any other brand of cob.

Aristocob

@PappyJoe, That's probably a good rule. 

motie2

@Aristocob -- Thank you for answering. I appreciate your expertise.

Aristocob

@motie2 My pleasure.