Well...I'd guess it was briar...because it's a pipe and pipes are usually made from briar. That may seem idiotic, but it actually does hold up. I mean, there's no markings on it cause some company likely didn't want to put their name on it. That would be due to either flaws of one kind or another or substandard (meaning, not real pretty) briar wood...and then putting a stamp or two or three on it just makes the manufacturing more expensive. And so they let it go as a 'basket pipe' and didn't put any manufacturing steps in it they didn't have to so as to keep the cost down. And since briar is the wood that surrounds the pipe making industry, I'd think it was briar.
What else could it be? Well, I'd want to look at the grain and ray pattern more closely to really give it a call...but pipes are sometimes made from Cherry (which has a nice flavor)...perhaps most likely Maple. And that's not just the Ozark version things put out by the folks at the Missouri Meer place. There ARE others out there I think. Maple particularly would lend itself of a machine made manufacuting process as it's so even and all.
But if you think about how it got into the basket on top of the counter at your local shop...it wouldn't have been via some little craftsperson or a cottage industry shop or whatever. Those things are made in factories, machine carved, etc. where some machine carves something like ten or twenty at a time. Then they are shipped out across the country to shops that have little baskets on top of some counter. I'd guess they were distributed by the same folks that send them their "in-house blands" or maybe one of the companies that supplys them with lighters, or other smoker's gear.
So...guess #1 = Briar, guess #2 = Maple, guess #3 = Cherry...then it would go downhill repaidly from there.
Again...it doesn't really matter if it's briar or not. Both Maple and Cherry smoke well, and long, and will give you good service if you do your part. I'd also guess that the worst thing about your pipe would be the stem. If it's lucite, you're lucky...which it likely is. If the stem will pass a cleaner while the pipe is together you're very fortunate. If not, try putting a little bend (about 1/8" to 1/4" of maybe 30 degrees in the end of your cleaner and insert it, bend down, into the stem and push gently til it stops. Then rotate the stem 1/8 turn and push slightly, and again, etc. until it does pass into the shank and strummel. There's likely some pattern of bend and rotation that will get it to work.
Good luck and good smoking.
(and if you want a really nice smoking MM...try this
http://www.marscigars.com/corncob-freehand.aspx
