Castello Sea Rock Briar KKK Rusticated Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates [SOLD OUT]

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.’

This Castello doesn’t have a shape number on it, but I think it’s a shape 35. On the other hand, a helpful enquirer also suggested to me that could also be a shape 19. As this pipe is from the late-1960s to 1982 – as evinced by its uppercase ‘K’ grading – and because Castello pipes are handmade, it may be that, at this point in time, Scotti hadn’t settled on a consistent form or code for this shape yet. The pipe also has the ‘wavy rim’ that has become associated with Castellos today, but today these are differentiated by the ‘NS’ (‘non-standard’) stamp. Anyway, it’s a Castello, and an example of Castello’s coveted Sea Rock Briar line, dressed in the classic dark grey-to-black, pebble-dash rustication that the make is known for. The shape could be called a quarter-bent Liverpool-pot hybrid, but it’s really more of its own shape. It’s also fairly lightweight, at 42 grams. There’s not much more one could ask for.

The condition is great. There’s some minor, inner rim darkening, but it’s superficial. The pipe is well preserved and ready for its next owner.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g