Castello 1950s-60s Sea Rock Briar SC 15F Rusticated Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Founded in 1947 by Carlo Scotti, Castello quickly became known for producing some of the finest smoking pipes in the world. Over the years, the people involved in making Castello pipes has changed – such as Luigi Radice and Sergio Ascorti, who developed their skills in the Cantu workshop before leaving to start Caminetto, or the handing of the reigns of the company to Francisco ‘Kino’ Coppo after Scotti’s passing – but the superlative quality of Castello pipes has not. It is not without reason that Castello is known as ‘the Italian Dunhill.’

The Castello workshop crafts pipes in a number of finishes, but if there’s one finish that has come to define to define the venerable Italian make, it’s the Sea Rock. It may well be Castello more than anyone else that has proven that rusticated pipes can be as high-grade as their smooth and sandblasted counterparts. This one shows off the particular pebble-dash approach that helped make Castello—and many other Italian brands—what they are today. And, funnily enough, this particular Sea Rock Briar is one of those early pipes that paved the way for so many Italian high-grades. As evinced by its “S” format size code, which preceded the later “K” and “k” format codes, this pipe will have been made between the late 1950s and mid-1960s (SC was roughly equivalent to a three “K”s or “k”s size subsequent decades). Its rhinestone stem inlay further indicates that it was made for the American market through Wally Frank—an event that would propel Castello into the pipe making big leagues. As for the shaping, it’s a classic Castello army mount billiard (the “F” in its shape code referring to such as a “floc”), with the key difference being that the mount has been turned from black Lucite, rather than silver.

The condition is good. Some minor rim darkening and some finish fading.

Details:

Length: 6.3″ / 160.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.89 / 22.60mm

Bowl Depth: 1.56″ / 39.62mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 40g