Small Collectables - Pipe Tampers

What is a pipe tamper?

Pipe tampers have been around since the 17th century, made of wood, ivory, bronze, mother of pearl, silver or any combination of such materials, pipe tampers take many forms and are fairly widely available online. There are reproductions available cheaply of antique designs of pipe tamper and the novice collector must be aware of this and should do a little research to ensure they are not paying an antique price for something which is a modern replica.

Almost as long as there has been pipe smoking, we have had pipe tampers. A pipe tamper, sometimes referred to as a pipe stopper, is used to pack down the loose tobacco in the pipe bowl, to block the flow of air to extinguish a half-smoked pipe, and to crush the topping of ash before relighting the tobacco. In general, those with the smallest tamping ends are likely to be the oldest and larger tampers come from later dates. When tobacco was first introduced to Europe it was relatively scarce and pipes used for smoking were correspondingly small, in later years pipes were much larger and the bases of pipe tampers grew to fit the size of the 'modern' bowl.

No pipe tamper is earlier than the 17th century and to find a really early one is quite rare. The bulk of the tampers I have seen for sale are late Victorian through to the mid twentieth century and they are usually available for less than £15, indeed, you may pick up quite a few pipe tampers individually for less than £5. Of course, quality and materials have a considerable bearing on the price realised as the best examples can go for more than £200. The two examples photographed in this lens which are not in my own collection (ivory and silver and the handpainted tamper) are good examples which both sold between £40 and £50 recently on eBay, prices which I would consider a bargain.

The 'ultramodern' pipe tool usually has a pick, tamper and spoon (or scraper) and is usually made in steel.

Modern reproductions of Victorian and earlier designs are available for around £10 + shipping from various sites on the internet and, although I would not form a collection from the reproductions, useful information can be gleaned from these sites.

A metal detector find

This little pipe tamper was a metal detector find which has been partially cleaned but not fully restored. If you are interested in metal detecting you will need to know how to clean up any finds you make and one method, used in this instance, is electrolysis. You can find information on the internet on how to devise your own electrolytic process for cleaning metal detection finds and a video can be found here on YouTube showing simple rust removal. The process is the same for cleaning small finds.

I used an old plant pot holder, a couple of small crocodile clips, a mobile phone charger (from a defunct phone) and an odd steel spoon - don't use one from a set for this purpose as you won't be using it to stir your tea after this process. It's fascinating to watch but also a bit smelly so ideally you need to do this in a shed or a very well vetilated area.

The pipe tamper which came out from under the dirt turns out to be a very old sexy lady's leg with a period shoe, placing its age at somewhere between 200 - 250 years old. It is probably bronze or brass and the gentleman who lost it all those years ago will have missed this trinket greatly as it is incredibly comfortable and tactile in the hand.

Pipe in hand

Dating from the 17th century onwards, this pipe in hand design is a popular representation of the pipe tamper and is copied today by modern reproduction makers. This particular tamper probably dates from late 18th to early 19th century, and a certain amount of appropriate wear and tear can be seen on the item when handled.

With the availability of modern reproductions, the collector must be aware of the differences which are evident. When bidding online for a pipe tamper never assume that it is what the seller thinks as they may be unaware of the age of an item they have picked up for sale and sellers are prone to saying 'I found this in my grandad's drawer' without realising that 'grandad' may have bought the item relatively recently.

Exercise caution when bidding and Google 'pipe tamper' to see examples of reproductions for comparison.

Welsh Lady

Another small based pipe tamper, this probably dates from the mid to late Victorian era. A lady in full Welsh dress with hat sits on a wonderfully detailed chair (see below for rear view) in this superb little example..

This is all the more remarkable when you realise that the entire pipe tamper is only 2.25 inches tall, with the Welsh Lady herself just one inch in total height.

This exquisite definition is something you would be unlikely to find on any reproduction and is an obvious sign of quality. Pipe tampers were often made with a jump ring to attach them as a fob to a chain.

Imp Pixie or Devil

I have seen these little chaps sold as Lincoln Imps, they are not. The Lincoln Imp is a very specific creature, which stands on one leg and if you Google the name you will find images of it. I have seen a pipe tamper of the Lincoln Imp and the base of the foot it is standing on is the tamper.

So, we are left with Pixie or Devil and I can't honestly decide which he is. Of course those could be horns on the sides of his head but they could equally be pointed ears, it's very hard to tell.

He is just over an inch tall and may originally have had a pillar similar to that of the Welsh Lady above, although he may not have had a pillar at all. His base is fairly small and he probably dates to the last quarter of the 19th century.

Dickensian Characters

A great many Dickensian characters are to be found as pipe tampers. In my opinion, the chap on the left resembles the Artful Dodger. The bases on these figures are fairly large.

It would be perfectly possible to make an entire collection of Dickens characters because the variety and frequency with which they come available lends itself towards a niche collection. Some of the characters will be rarer than others, but in the main they sell for around £30 - £40.

If you are lucky, you will find an eBay auction ending at a silly time. I have been known to set the alarm for 4.30 am just to catch a bargain, not many people will do that but it is well worth the effort.

A fob pipe tamper

This charming tamper is remarkably heavy and makes an excellent fob tamper.

I am unsure of the age of this particular piece as it came to me with no provenance at all. In appearance it could be Art Nouveau / Art Deco although it could just as easily be later. It presents me with something of a conundrum. Looking at the face, it could be from any continent and the style of decoration around it (see the back below) doesn't help much either. If you have an opinion on this piece, leave me a message in the guestbook below.

However, it is a well made and practcal piece, attractively finished all round and sits well among the rest of my modest collection.

Horse hoof horn pipe tamper

Horse hooves and horse shoes are a popular theme in tobacciana. This little pipe tamper is made from horn with tiny silver nails in the hoof and a silver cap on the leg end.

It has its own little green soft leather case to live in and shows a certain amount of age but is very difficult to date precisely as there are no marks or maker's name on it anywhere.

The tamping end is quite small but in this case it's really of no help as other elements about this tamper lead me to believe it is a later rather than earlier example.

It is very important when selling collectables to give the history of a piece as far as you know it. Even if it is something which you bought so many years ago and that is all you know of its history, it is important to say so in your auction description. If it is an item left to you by an elderly aunt, say so but if you don't know how long she had it in her possession, tell prospective buyers that. Unless you can date an item precisely through a hallmark or maker's mark, always give as much history as you truthfully can.

Picaninny pipe tamper

The cute little chap on the right ought never to have been polished and it will take years to get his patina back as, of course, he should be darker.

I know some folks think of the word 'picaninny' as a derogatory term but it shouldn't be. The little pouting cherub is, indeed, intended to be a little African boy and he dates from the 1920s

Black Africana is a highly collectable niche and these little chaps can fetch quite a high price. He is so typical of all toddlers with his chubby legs, pot belly and lick of hair that he appeals to many tastes.

The origin of the word 'picaninny' is probably Portuguese - pequenino - which means little, small, hence any little thing even though it came to be associated with little black children, it seems to have originally been intended as an endearment in this form of use.

Crazy cat

Pipe tampers come in so many forms that it's perfectly possible to limit your collection to a theme such as animals. This slightly crazy looking cat could also find an appropriate place in a collection of cats and these strange kitties are not all that rare. You have to wonder whether the cat is grimacing because he could be forced to stand in the hot coals of tobacco sometime soon.

Many pipe tampers have an element of amusement and would have been conversation starters anywhere that gentlemen gathered. Fewer women smoked in past centuries, perhaps the pipe was considered more masculine, but you do find records of women smoking as far back as the 17th century. Although in the Victorian era it was more common to find women smoking cheroots, it wasn't until cigarettes were manufactured and widely available that smoking really took off amongst women, this is why most pipe tampers appeal to male preferences.

Little Duck

The little duck shown to the right, is probably one of the most common of the pipe tampers you will see on eBay and hence one can be picked up usually for less than £5 in auction.

Although it has a smaller base, I suspect most of these are modern reproductions of an old design and you will find examples of this character offered at prices varying from a few pounds up to about £30. Short of sampling and testing the brass, it would be very hard to tell if one of these ducks is a reproduction or an original antique but if you can buy one for less than £10 it is still worth adding to your collection.

There is more than one size of this duck available, my one is just 1.75 inches (4.5 cms) tall.

Merry Gnome

This little chap is a gnome with beer tankard in hand.

It is impossible to tell from the tamper itself just what age he might be as this could be anything from very late Victorian through to the 1950s or 60s. With some character pipe tampers you can point to an approximate date when the type of characater was popular or the style may be suggestive of a particular period, as with a couple of the pipe tampers above. The gnome is, however, a different story since these little people have been popular for centuries, even the common or garden gnome has a much greater pedigree than you might think.

Were it not for the fact that his base is large, one of the largest I have, it would be difficult to date him but the size of his base places him quite late in period, I would say early to mid 20th century.

Ivory and Silver

This stunning pipe tamper is an early one made from ivory in the shape of a lady's leg and capped at the business end in silver. Small pieces of silver such as this were rarely hallmarked and so it can be difficult to date them precisely. In this case, however, it is quite easy to see this is an early tamper, not only from the size of the silver end, but also from the style of the item overall.

When looking at this kind of pipe tamper the fashions of the day come into play and therefore the style of the shoe and garter can safely be used to assist the dating process.

This little beauty is, sadly, not in my collection but was recently sold on eBay by seller cb-no9. The image reproduced here with the kind permission of cb-no9.

Hand painted pipe tamper

This stunning pipe tamper, hand painted on china, in the style of Watteau, over a brass base with a raised gilt decorative finish around the painting, is just 3 inches tall and the detail is simply exquisite. You can be sure that this is quite a rare item to find in such good condition.

Recently sold on eBay by stevenhelen, it will be a while before we see another like it coming up for sale.

This particular item shows that the appeal of pipe tampers is not limited to collectors of tobacciana but, given the right piece, it can extend to other categories of miniature collector, equally, a pipe tamper may turn up amongst a collection of miniatures when the seller is not aware of the nature of the item and so it can be worthwhile checking other categories of miniatures just in case you find a pipe tamper masquerading as a dollhouse miniature or miniature ornament.

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