Clay pipe bowl. [London(?), England]: N.p., circa 1810-1850. Approx. 3 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3/4 in. Marked "CC". 

A very rare surviving example of an abolitionist anti-slavery tobacco pipe bowl. The obverse of the bowl features a slave kneeling on one knee, beseeching the personification of Liberty on the reverse, depicted holding a Liberty Pole topped by a Liberty Cap. The bowl's seams on either side are enhanced with a vining foliate design. 

The motif is similar to the distinct "Am I Not A Man & A Brother" design used extensively by English abolitionists at the end of the 18th century. This original design was commissioned by the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade and first appeared in print in the March 1788 issue of The Gentleman's Magazine. Josiah Wedgwood produced jasperware cameos featuring the design in the late 1780s. The first numismatic instance was circa 1794, with a reverse legend reading, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do you even so to them."

The British Museum, who holds a similar example (2012, 8052.1), notes: "Anti-slavery pipes are very specific to eastern England and appear only to have been produced in that area. Known production centres include Hull, Gainsborough, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Wisbech and Norwich. The majority date to the period c 1810-1850." Another known example (Higgins Collection 21515.5) is illustrated in Dr. David Higgins's article on the National Pipe Archive in The Historic England Research Magazine (Issue 28, 27 June 2018). Higgins notes that political allegiances were frequently demonstrated by pipe motifs in England, with abolitionist sentiments of the early 19th century being no exception. 

Another pipe parallel marked "CC" was found on the Thames foreshore, possibly indicating a London origin. However, as no pipemaker from London is currently documented as having used these initials, it could equally be a stray dropped while visiting the Thames. 

Exceedingly rare. We know of no other examples in the trade. 

References: 

Correspondence with Dr. David Higgins, Chairman, National Pipe Archive.   28 July - 26 August 2025. 

Fleischer's Auctions would like to express its gratitude for the time and expertise shared by Dr. Higgins. 

David Higgins. "The National Pipe Archive." The Historic England Research Magazine. Issue 28, 27 June 2018. https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/research/national-pipe-archive/

Kyle Knapp. "Numismatic Impressions of the Abolitionist Movement." The Condor Token Collector's Journal. Vol. XV No. 1, Spring 2010. pp. 27-31. 

David J. Woodcock. "Pipes attributed to William Hensell, Clay Tobacco-Pipe Maker of Norwich Norfolk c. 1825-c. 1853". The Archaeology of Clay Tobacco Pipes. Vol. IX, 1985, pp. 325-336.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [African Americana, African American History, Black History, Slavery, Enslavement, Abolition, Emancipation] [Ephemera, Tobacciana, Pipe History] 

Residue, especially in bowl. Some areas display browning/toning. Minor loss near stem.