Rossi (Pre-Savinelli?) 103 Sandblasted Apple Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

If you’re familiar with Rossi pipes, you’ll probably know them as a brand owned by Savinelli, typically offering affordable versions of Savinelli lines. The history of the Rossi brand, however, is one almost as long as Savinelli’s, and indeed the two were competitors for a long time. Rossi was formally established in 1886 (just ten years after Savinelli) and was a major pipe manufacturer until closing in 1985, after which it was absorbed by Savinelli.

I suspect this might be a pre-Savinelli Rossi or, at the very least, a Rossi from the very early days of the Savinelli merger. Most notably, the “103” was an apple shape during the mid- to late-20th century for Rossi, prior to the merger, whereas no Savinelli-made Rossi has been a 103 shape to my knowledge (Savinelli also lends many of its shapes to its Rossi sub-brand, but the “103” for Savinelli is very different to the traditional apple seen here). Based on the stem inlay and sparse nomenclature, my best guess would be 1970s-1985 as far as the production date goes, but it’s an interesting find in any case. A very classical apple shape, with a craggy, tan sandblast finish is a difficult combination to beat, at least to my tastes.

The condition is good. Some wear to the rim and slight finish discoloration.

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.89 / 22.60mm

Bowl Depth: 1.43″ / 36.32mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g