Some Kind of Pipe? Authentic?

[stoogeco]

Do you guys think this is authentic, if so what is it?  Looks like some kind of pipe to me.  Thanks again for helping this amateur.

[painshill]

Hi Stoogeco
Since it is completelyunrelated to the bone hide-scraper I have moved it here and given it a more appropriate title.
You can bring your pictures up from thumbnails to full-size by using the "Insert" button after you have uploaded the pictures and befre you click "submit". I've done it for you here. 

[rixdafix]

I can't give an opinion on if that's authentic or not but I bet some more pics would be helpful to the more knowledgeable people here. Try taking some pictures outside in natural sunlight at different angles and maybe try to get some straight on shots of the holes too. Important thing is, they have to be in focus. Use the cameras macro setting if it has one for close ups and make sure the camera actually focuses on the area of detail, not your fingers or something in the background. Digital pictures are free, take a bunch and just use the really crisp ones. Cool pipe by the way, hope it's old. Looks old.

[Olden]

.
No doubt that it's a pipe: what's the story behind it?

[rmartin]

It resembles the form of a Great Pipe. I too would like to see better pics but to be honest, I am skeptical

[dirt kicker]

Is the material banded slate? Looks like some banding in first pic left side.

[gregszybala]

Skeptical is the word, too much wrong not enough right. That's not banded slate and it looks more like somebody painted those lines.

[stoogeco]

[laswell67]

This is how the inside of the stem should look. there should be rings showing all the way to the bolw from mouth piece.  take a flashlite ,shine it in the bowl and look down the stem.   this is what I learned from reading  a lot, I mean a lot about great pipes.  I inserted the link to show you,, here it is.  http://www.arrowheads.com/index.php/...&childforums=1

[gregszybala]

Etched, not painted, thanks for the pics. Still a tough call, if it's real it's been in the water for a long time.

[Olden]

.
The pipe does look old, and reminiscent of Laswell's Great Pipe: which doesn't mean a thing. Stone can be aged by an acid bath, then a patina
can be layered on in many forms.  I'd take it to an authenticator for closer inspection. I'm assuming it's a purchased piece.

[kreative]

Posted by [GarScale]:

If all those rare items came from the same place, I would be skeptical of all of them. If it was just the pipe, I would tend to think it was old.

[CMD]

Looks like sandstone. Or limestone? Maybe. Rings in holes won't show up as well in those materials.

[stoogeco]

It is sandstone

[stoogeco]

Here are photos of the tag that was on it. I found it on the bottom of the box. It gives it some provenance.