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Large antique carved wood tobacconist’s trade sign in the form of an oversized bent billiard pipe, 1880 to 1910, American in origin, probably New York or Boston. Dimensions are 42” x 11” x 6” A striking piece of shop advertising from the era when carved figural signs identified specialty trades along main streets and city blocks.
The bowl is carved from a single solid piece of dense, tight-grained wood with a rich stained finish showing beautiful ring figure — a substantial block of timber shaped entirely by hand. The stem is turned and painted black to simulate vulcanite, terminating in a nicely shaped button. A hand-fitted brass ferrule joins the two sections, secured with a slotted flat-head wood screw consistent with pre-1930s hardware — an important dating detail. Hand-bored mounting points are present at the bowl top and stem, where original suspension hardware would have hung the sign outside a tobacconist’s shop.
Honest shop wear throughout: paint loss to the stem, scuffs and surface scratches to the bowl, expected oxidation, no structural issues. No hanging chains included in the sale. Sold as found, unattributed. An impressive and decorative piece of antique American advertising folk art.
