Missouri Meerschaum Model Guide

The Missouri Meerschaum model guide offers a comparative introduction to the corncob pipe line currently produced by the company founded in 1869 by Henry Tibbe in Washington, Missouri. The line consists of dozens of models that look very similar from the outside; the differences show up in bowl height, wall thickness, surface finish, and stem type. For the company's own history and manufacturing method, see the Missouri Meerschaum entry.

Finish and Body Construction

Most models are coated and finished with a plaster-like coating based on the method Tibbe patented in 1878. This treatment seals the corncob's porous surface and reinforces the body. Some models, however, are left untreated ("natural"); the cob's own texture and reddish tone remain visible. A third group, as with the Country Gentleman, is painted black.

Large-bowled models have a wooden plug fitted underneath. The Country Gentleman is reported to have gained this base in 2013. Stems are mostly acrylic or amber-colored plastic; vulcanite is used in some lines. Some models have a filter chamber and some don't; see the pipe filters and systems entry for details.

Main Models

• Legend: The company's best-selling model; a classic shape with a small bowl and amber-colored plastic stem. It's the visual reference point for the corncob body, since the silhouette that comes to mind at the mention of the type largely comes from this model.

• Diplomat: A mid-sized model with an apple-shaped bowl. The thick wall of earlier production runs has since been trimmed to standard thickness.

• Country Gentleman: A popular model painted a dark color, with a wide bowl and thin wall. Records indicate a special edition with a red acrylic stem was released at the end of 2023.

• American General: A large model with a tall, stack-like bowl and thick wall.

• Freehand: A large-bodied model with a conical, deep bowl; because bodies are shaped individually, no two are ever alike.

• Great Dane Spool and Egg: Two body shapes, spool- and egg-shaped; the Spool sits on a table, the Egg does not.

• Missouri Pride and Washington: Untreated and coated versions of the same small body.

• Patriot Spool, Eaton, Pony Express: Small-capacity models designed for short smokes.

Later Additions to the Line

Introduced in 2015, the Cobbit series is an attempt to combine the corncob body with churchwarden length. All four models in the series have dark-painted bodies, wooden bases, and no filter. Lengths range from about 7.25 inches for the smallest, the Dwarf, to 7.5 inches for the Elf and Shire; the 11-inch Wizard is the only member that approaches the classic churchwarden measurement. The series' vulcanite stems are also sized to fit the company's filter-chambered bodies.

The Dagner Poker is the product of a collaboration with pipe designer Jayson Dagner and is reported to have gone into production in 2016. A short-bodied model in a poker shape that sits on a table, it stands apart from the standard line with its black acrylic stem and nickel band.

Records indicate that unfinished (natural) bodies were long produced in limited numbers; large-volume natural versions required growing corncobs of sufficient length.