Hammer Pipe, 1985
Brier Wood, 6 1/2" x 8"
Jim Margroum (1921-2001) lived in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and was famous for his whimsical and unique hand-carved briarwood pipes. He marketed his pipes as “Mr. Groum’s Briarwood Pipes of Distinction,” engraving each pipe with the nom de plume “Mr. Groum.” What began as a creative hobby soon expanded into a successful business, resulting in Margroum carving at least 200 pipes a year and over 7000 throughout his career. He fashioned his pipes into a variety of unusual shapes—such as his signature apple-shaped pipe with a bite taken out of it, revealing half a worm—as well as everyday objects such as a soccer ball, shoes, pistols, and even a toilet (specially commissioned by a plumber). Mr. Groum’s pipes were featured in magazines, including Pipes and Tobacco Magazine and Wood Carving Illustrated, and also received several awards and recognition from Pipe Collectors International. While his pipes are works of art and are often preserved in collections, Margroum always designed his pipes to be smoked.