Clay Pipe Stem (or Bead) Question

[MarkDz]

Hi... I recently found this near a PA site with Native, colonial, and 1800s history. It looks like a fragment of clay pipe stem... but it seems surprisingly narrow to me compared to most pipe stems, and it is brown rather than the usual white. It appears to be clay or a similar material.

I wasn't sure if it was an unusual pipe stem or perhaps some sort of bead.

I measured the inside bore diameter (roughly 5.5/64") on the Harrington scale and the results matched best with pipes from the years 1680-1750, which is very early for Europeans in the area.

Sorry for the blurry pics... cheap camera.

Any ideas?

 

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[Indian Steve]

I don't think it is a pipestem. Too small, wrong color and ends look finished instead of broke off like tavern pipe pieces. Could it be bone?

 

[jude061]

My guess, having found hundreds of pipestems, is that it is a pipestem. I've found similarly colored ones, and ones that looked "cut off" rather than broken. The hole looks regular, and 1680-1750 is a pretty broad date range to rule out pipestem based on age alone. PA was settled in the 1680s and was a burgeoning colony by the 1750s.

 

[MarkDz]

Thanks for the reply, Steve. I also thought about bone, but my guess is still clay. There even seems to be a light mold impression on it, as you might see with clay pipes.

 

[MarkDz]

Thanks, Jude. So you've seen narrow, brown pipe stems before? I wonder if this was a particular style, or by a particular maker?
My region didn't see many Europeans until after the 1760s, which is why this was a bit extra odd to me.

 

[geo4472]

part of a tavern pipe the stems were long because the pipes were left in a container for the next person to use and they broke off a part of the stem the person had in their mouth from the prior use so that a "clean " part of the stem was being used