Castello Old Antiquari 4K Partially Sandblasted 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 Old Antiquari is Castello’s flagship sandblasted line and, as I’ve mentioned before, the Castello workshop’s sandblasting falls somewhere between the “Anglo-American approach” and “Italian approach” to such finishes. The former tend to be deep and craggy, while the lighter are typically a little lighter, exhibiting a tight, netted relief. This Old Antiquari, on the other hand is one of the few I’ve seen to have gone “all-in” as far as sandblasting is concerned, with the result being an uncharacteristically gnarly aesthetic, though one still tempered by classicism in form and high-grade artisanry in construction.

The condition is fair. Some over-reaming of the chamber, inner rim charring, and finish fading.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.91 / 23.11mm

Bowl Depth: 1.70″ / 43.18mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g