Aldo Velani 102 Smooth Calabash Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Aldo Velani pipes are made by Cesare Barontini at the latter’s factory in Italy. Originally, Aldo Velani was conceived by Mastercraft to be a new Italian make for the American market, as all of Mastercraft’s other pipes at the time were of English or French origin. Mastercraft partnered with Barontini, and thus the Aldo Velani make was born. More recently, Aldo Velani was acquired by Mitchell Thomas, with production—still by Barontini—recommencing after 2008.

I have noticed that calabash shapes seem to feature prominently in Aldo Velani’s portfolio. Sometimes these are closer to “true calabashes,” with a few even having removable caps, and other times, as with this one, they take on forms that are more in line with the typical calabash-inspired staples of briar pipe design—the Peterson Specialty rendition being the exemplar here. In any case, this one makes for a nice pipe, with a “saxophone”-like figure and an impressively deep chamber, all while remaining quite lightweight and very much low-maintenance.

The condition is great. Minor wear to the rim.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 1.88″ / 47.75mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g