Sasieni 1946-50 Four Dot Amesbury Patent Rusticated Lumberman Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Along with names like Barling, Charatan, and Dunhill Sasieni holds a special place in the history of English smoking pipes – one near to its very beginnings. So the story goes, Sasieni himself worked for Dunhill during its early days. But eventually he left Dunhill, having his own ideas about how pipes should be made, and founded Sasieni. This was 1919, and Sasieni has been the closest thing to a household name in English pipes ever since.

As I’ve said before, Sasieni’s “Rustic” (or, in this case, what would later become known as the “Rustic”) approach to rustication was a highly unique one, which makes it all the more strange that it didn’t take off more widely as a finishing technique. Instead of merely chopping away at the briar without much thought for what was underneath, Sasieni’s craftsmen would instead use direct their tools at the wood’s natural grain patterns, not unlike the ring grain sandblast approach found in post-war pipe-making. Rusticated Sasienis would therefore each be distinct, as their advertising used to say, because every block of briar possesses its own patterning. This one is a lovely example of that approach in action. Based on the stamping, it should be from prior to 1950, though I’ve found that current sources are in disagreement as to when patent number stamps were removed from Sasieni stummels (this one features a US patent, indicating that it was made for export), so it could perhaps be from just slightly earlier.

The condition is fair. Some rim darkening and general finish fading, a replacement stem, and a sterling silver repair band for a hairline crack in the shank. The pipe will be priced accordingly.

Details:

Length: 6.0″ / 127mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.44″ / 36.57mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g