When I was growing up, my mother enjoyed restoring old furniture in her spare time (when she had it). Odorous mélanges of turpentine, paint remover, and wood stain often permeated the garage while her latest project occupied the back corner, paint chips and crusted rags surrounding. Honestly, I don't remember seeing her work on many pieces, but she must have because much of our home's décor comprised various hutches, chairs, side boards, and other such items that she had refurbished. However, I definitely remember being dragged to any and every antique store within 50 miles of our home.

Joining mom on her antique-hunting excursions wasn't so much a defined chore like mowing the lawn or doing the dishes; it was more of an understood prerequisite of being her child. I didn't pay for groceries, or housing, or utilities, or really anything, so there wasn't much leverage against having to go antiquing. Plus, every so often, she would claim we were going shopping only to surprise us with a trip to the movie theater. That slim potential was just enough to keep me from begrudging the outings too openly. Absolute parenting genius.

Still, 95 percent of the time we merely did go to an antique store, and I was forced to follow behind as mom perused people's former trash in hopes of finding a treasure.

At the time, I didn't appreciate the decades — sometimes centuries — of history contained within those dusty items; to me, they only seemed worn, old, and worthless. Nonetheless, what was once indifference and even derision later transmogrified into the opposite: a love for antiques and for the people and experiences they represent.

It's now rare that I will visit a city and not prioritize its antique shops. What was once a bane as a child is now something I enthusiastically seek. And as a pipe smoker, I am naturally always on the lookout for vintage pipes. It's a fairly fruitless endeavor, admittedly — I've found precious few antique pipes in person and even fewer that didn't have broken stems or shanks — but the potential is enough to excite and the discovery satisfies in and of itself.

In my years of antiquing and pipe hunting, I've recognized a few patterns and developed a few strategies that either help in finding pipes or in determining whether they're worth acquiring.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask

This is an obvious suggestion, but it's proven the most successful: Ask the antique shop attendant if they know of any pipes available in the store. Unsurprisingly, trying to find a pipe among a shop full of (often unorganized) wares and memorabilia is like haphazardly strewing a decades-long tobacco collection across the backyard and attempting to find a particular, one-of-one tin. To some of us, that's actually part of the enjoyment, but for those who are solely interested in the pipes themselves, I highly recommend asking one of the staff members. More often than not, they're incredibly well versed on the store's layout and contents.

Prioritize Glass Display Cases

If you're in it for the adventure, though, or if the staff isn't sure, then prioritize any glass display cases that may be in the store. Often times they're located at the front near the register — waist-high, shelved displays — but taller, more slender cases are sometimes found deeper on the store floor. It's in these displays that smaller, more delicate items like jewelry, watches, buttons, coins, pipes, etc. are showcased. They're often locked, so looking for pipes is like reading Where's Waldo? or I Spy.

Look for Stem Logos

Unfortunately, most antique pipes haven't been well maintained, and many will have severe condition issues: burn out, charring, broken stems, cracked shanks, etc. However, pipes from some brands are still valuable even when in rough shape. It's important, then, to know what brands to look for and the brands' stem logos. With pipes most likely displayed in locked cases, stem logos are often the best means of identification, informing whether or not to ask the attendant to unlock that case for closer inspection.

Keep in mind these brands especially and their stem logos when on the hunt for antique pipes:

Of course, this is nowhere near an exhaustive list, but it's a solid foundation. For a more complete list of brands and their stem logos, check out Pipe Phil's website.

Don't Forget About Meerschaums

I would say that meerschaum pipes are more ubiquitous in antique shops than briar pipes, which has always surprised me because more people smoke briar pipes than they do meerschaums. That said, to a non-pipe smoker, a carved meerschaum looks more intricate and distinctive (and valuable) than a standard briar, so maybe it shouldn't be surprising. So, don't forget to look for meerschaum pipes.

Survey the Entire Store

Just because you've found a selection of pipes doesn't mean you've found all the pipes a store has to offer. If the store is non-consignment and contains only wares sold by a single vendor, then all of the pipes might be displayed next to each other. However, the vast majority of antique shops are actually multiple vendors arranged in distinct booths or sections. In these cases, be sure to look through all of the stalls since any pipes will be located in the section of their respective vendors.

Even if the pipes I've discovered while antiquing have been smoked beyond their limits or are valueless basket pipes, the excitement of discovering them "in the wild" is more than worth the effort, and the potential of finding a true gem whose worth no one realized will always entice me.

Have any of you found any vintage pipes at antique shops? What's been your best find so far?