Antique German Reservist Pipe with Porcelain Pipe Bowl 1906-1908.
'RESERVISTENPFEIFE MIT PORZELLAN-PFEIFENKOPF' (1906-1908)
These pipes were popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the German Empire. Soldiers would commission or purchase them after their compulsory military service as a commemorative souvenir. They served as a form of personal pride, a tangible symbol of their completed duty and status as a trained reservist, ready to be called up in a time of war. The porcelain sections are often richly decorated with military scenes, regimental symbols, and personalized information. The eagle on the stick is the Imperial German eagle (Reichsadler), a symbol of the German Empire.
Inscribed on the pipe:
1st Company, 98th Regiment, and the location as Metz. The city of Metz (a city in the north east of France, close to the border of Belgium, Luxemburg & Germany) was a significant garrison town for the Imperial German Army, having previously been annexed by Germany during the Franco-Prussian War. After their defeat in World War I, Metz was returned to France.
The dates 1906 to 1908 - places the pipes creation squarely in the period of Imperial Germany before WW1.
The text on the back of the main porcelain piece, "Zur Erinnerung an meine Dienstzeit", is German for "In remembrance of my time of service." The phrase on the front of the porcelain, above the image of the soldiers, roughly translates to "Whoever has not sat through a tearful night, is also not a reservist."
There are many porcelain pipe bowls but not many that are still complete and in such good condition as this. A very interesting piece of history.
