Castello Sea Rock Briar KK 15P 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. This particular Castello Sea Rock Briar comes from around 1969-1982, as evinced by its uppercase “K” size code and is an uncommon example both of a lighter, tan rusticated rendition of the finish and a Castello with a red and gold Lucite stem, rather than the standard black.

The condition is good. Some darkening and general wear to the rim, and minor finish fading. The pipe features a gold band which I suspect is aftermarket, though it is a cosmetic one if that is the case, as the shank shows no sign of requiring any repairs. I suspect a previous owner had it tailor made for them, or that someone in their life went the extra mile in gifting it.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.91 / 23.11mm

Bowl Depth: 1.40″ / 35.56mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g