Castello Reg. No. Old Antiquari G Sandblasted Panel Canadian 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 sandblast line, typically finished with a warm, reddish tan hue. Such is the case for this particular Castello, which happens to be a stellar example of the workshop’s technique. In a fashion somewhere between the Anglo-American and Italian approaches to sandblasting, the bowl on this Antiquari is both deep and craggy in its texturing, with ring grain prominently circling its bowl, while also giving emphasis to the briar’s vertical lines, expressed as a rugged, “netted” relief. The shaping on this one is quite interesting, too. It’s a group “G” size, used for Castello’s larger pipes, but it also happens to be a rare example of the workshop’s shape “32” Canadian, featuring an octagonal, paneled bowl. The pipe also features Castello’s trademark registration number, gesturing at it being an older make (though when exactly the registration number stamping was discontinued is still debated).

The condition is good. The chamber is a little over-reamed, there’s some slight rim charring, and minor handling marks.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.62″ / 41.14mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 40g