Savinelli (c.1960s) Giubileo d’Oro IRC Selection 4005 Smooth Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

It is probably fair to say that Savinelli is Italy’s most famous pipe brand. Founded in Milan in 1876 by Achille Savinelli, the brand has continuously offered high quality pipes for over 150 years. Though various Savinelli lines have come and gone over the years, the brand has always been notable for putting out classically styled pipes with a distinctly Italian twist.

Savinelli’s Guibileo d’Oro (English: “golden jubilee”) pipes are the pinnacle of its output as far as traditional shapes are concerned. For any given year, just 0.1% of the already high-quality briar blocks that Savinelli acquires will be of the standard required for its Guibileo d’Oro grade pipes. For comparison, 1.2% of these blocks will qualify for Savinelli’s other traditional high-grade line, the Punto Oro, making the Guibileo d’Oro more than 10 times as uncommon as even the latter within Savinelli’s output.

Already this is a rather rare and unusual pipe, though there are other aspects to it that make it even more so—or, at least, make it all the more interesting. For one, it is rendered in a shape that no longer exists, the “4005” Dublin, which was in production from the opening of Savinelli’s Milan factory in 1948 until around 1970. From around 1970 onwards, Savinelli switched to the three-digit shape codes used today, and while some pre-1970 shapes continued life with new shape codes, the “4005” did not. As a corollary, this pipe will also have been made prior to 1970s, and more specifically during the first years of the Giubileo d’Oro’s production in the 1960s.

The pipe’s “IRC SELECTION” nomenclature is another uncommon sight. As far as I understand, it indicates that this Giubileo was made for Iwan Reis & Co., a famous American tobacconist whose close history with Savinelli stretches all the way back to the mid-20th century. Savinelli has, over the decades, made many exclusive lines just for Iwan Reis, and it looks as though non-exclusive, high-grade pipes included references to their relationship as well.

The condition is good. Some inner rim charring, finish fading, and stem slightly over-buffed.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.66″ / 42.16mm

Weight: 1.0oz / 30g