Luciano Partially Sandblasted Apple w/ Oak Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Those who were around during the 2010s may remember Luciano pipes. They were the creation of Luca di Piazza, owner of the now seemingly defunct Italian retailer NeatPipes, and were very well received when they made their American debut. First produced in partnership with Radice, then by Italian artisan Davide Iafisco, and including some designs co-created with GL Pease, Luciano became a go-to for a high-quality, reasonably priced, Italian pipe. By the end of the 2010s, however, Neat Pipes, and Luciano with it, had all but disappeared, with production presumed to have ceased.

This is a slightly weird one. A nice pipe, for sure, but i think it may have been mis-stamped. Some context: during the relatively brief period in which the make was sold in the US, Luca di Piazza’s Luciano had a similarly brief run making an annual “Pipe of the Year.” The very first, in 2011, was a Danish-style apple with an oak ferrule. We’ve had one of those 2011 Luciano Pipes of the Year come through before, and it was exactly the same design as this one, with the only differences being that the former was smooth and was marked as “Hand Finished in Italy 2011.” This one is sandblasted and marked as “Hand Finished in Italy 2011.” The finish is less of a mystery, as the 2011 release was available in smooth and sandblasted variants. The nomenclature is where it gets odd. I’m inclined to think that this was a 2011 Pipe of the Year and that it was simply mis-stamped as regards the year of production, as it also includes a serial number, just like the 2011 we had in previously. That’s nothing to detract from the quality of the pipe, of course—stamping errors happen in factories and workshops all the time, and it doesn’t seem like that stopped this one from going to retail.

The condition is very good. Some slight inner rim darkening and what looks to be a very small nick on the inner lip of the rim (though it may also just be part of the blasted finish).

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.52″ / 38.60mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g