Clay Pipe Fragment
Ceramic smoking-pipe fragment
Also known as Clay pipe stem, Tobacco pipe fragment
Markings and exact colorations may vary.
A narrow hollow ceramic stem or part of a small pipe bowl, rounded by sand and surf.
- Typical size
- 0.5–4 in
- How often it turns up
- Uncommon; strongly location-dependent
- Collecting
- Archaeological, leave in place
- Handling
- Sharp edges
Loose modern pieces may be collected where permitted. Leave artifacts in state/federal parks, preserves, protected historic or archaeological sites, shipwrecks and submerged cultural sites; check local rules.
Watch for sharp edges; photograph potentially historic material where found.
How to tell it apart
- Stem is a narrow ceramic tube with a central bore
- Bowl fragment curves into a small smoking chamber
- Plain pale clay or decorated surface
Found one?
Photograph it and BeachNut ranks the likely matches with a confidence read, then logs it to your collection with the beach and date.
Browsing beaches and the full field guide is free. A free account logs unlimited finds and gives you three photo identifications a day.
Commonly confused with
Porcelain SherdVitrified white ceramic
A pipe stem is a narrow clay tube with a central bore; a porcelain sherd lacks that stem channel.
More beach pottery in the field guide
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