Anthony’s Mom sent in this note on the above pipe.
Wow — Steve Laug has done another fabulous job!
And I think he has found the clues to my wondering whether the Andre we patronized locally at “Andre’s pipe shop” made any of the pipes he sold — first, the label “Andre, 1981” on this pipe (but apparently not on the others). It seems too coincidental not to be the same Andre.
His referenced internet search found likely evidence too — pipemakers “Andre Mermet and son” and a 1985 sample of one or the other’s probable work. Although date spans of their lives or work are not available clues, nor is the son’s name identified as also “Andre” (but might have kept his dad’s business name in any case), I suspect our Andre would be the son if in fact our Andre was this maker (because ours was not old when we knew him and had no accent, as a “French immigrant” father would have).
Oh well, the guessing stops there, but it’s fun for admirers of vintage crafts (such as I) to imagine such connections!