Ser Jacopo Pre-1994 Maxima Smooth Long Shank Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Ser Jacopo is one of the most famous contemporary examples of high-grade, workshop-made Italian pipes. It also belongs to a very special tradition in Italian pipe-making, having been established by Giancarlo Guidi and Bruno Sordini after the two had left another great Italian workshop, Mastro de Paja. Together, Guidi and Sordini created a brand of pipes that reflected their Renaissance sensibilities – even the figurehead of Ser Jacopo happens to be taken from a painting of a nobleman from centuries past—one that would soon become esteemed for creating unique and beautiful tobacco pipes that smoked just as perfectly as they looked.

Originally, the Ser Jacopo workshop used the Latin designation “Maxima” for their over-sized pipes. I’m not entirely sure when, but as Ser Jacopo’s over-sized pipes became even larger, it became standard practice to increase the number of “Maxima” stamps on a pipe, up to a possible eight “Maxima”s for the very largest. This Ser Jacopo is a relatively early pipe from the workshop, so it is possible that, today, it might receive more than just the one Maxima designation.

I say “early” as this particular Ser Jacopo comes from before 1994, during the first 10 or so years that the workshop was in operation, and during which time Giancarlo Guidi was firmly at the helm. As I’ve mentioned in previous listings, Ser Jacopo pipes went through a number of different stem logos over the decades, beginning as a gold-mounted gemstone (now used solely for ultra-high-grades), then a silver-mounted red sea coral dot (soon abandoned due to trademark disputes), then an un-mounted red sea coral dot, then a red plexiglass dot (now used solely for more affordable sub-brands like La Fuma and Modica), and finally the silver “J” on Ser Jacopo pipes today. This one features a coral dot which, as also previously estimated, was discontinued and swapped for the silver “J” around 1994, as EU conservation legislation was introduced around that time to protect endangered coral species (or, possibly, as early as 1989, when similar legislation was introduced in Sardinia, where red sea coral was predominantly harvested).

As for the design, like many Ser Jacopo pipes from this one’s era, it’s closely aligned with the early “Pesaro school” approach—distinctive, yet still classically-oriented renditions of more traditional shapes, with the beauty, grain quality, and precision engineering afforded by artisan production techniques.

This pipe is completely unsmoked and comes with its original box and sleeve.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.94 / 23.87mm

Bowl Depth: 1.96″ / 49.78mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g