Sasieni (Family Era; c.1924-35) Four Dot 40 Smooth Lovat (Estate)

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.

After a legal battle with Dunhill prevented Sasieni from using a “One Dot” stem inlay, Joel Sasieni was forced to come up with a new way of marking the company’s most perfect pipes. So, Sasieni started using “Four Dot” inlays instead. Thus was born the Four Dot, which, funnily enough, came to rival even Dunhill’s “White Spot” as a signifier for high-grade, English-made pipes.

Going by its cursive nomenclature and lack of a shape name, this particular pipe looks to belong to the first decade of the Four Dot, having been made under Joel Sasieni’s stewardship of the company prior to the Second World War. Taking the form of a classic English lovat, it’s a beautiful little pipe, with strong bird’s-eye and cross-grain patterns lit by a golden brown finish.

The condition is fair. Minor rim charring, some nicks and scratches on the bowl, and slightly faded (though legible) nomenclature.

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.73 / 18.54mm

Bowl Depth: 1.57″ / 39.87mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g