Ser Jacopo Pre-1997 L1 Maxima Smooth Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

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.

The key to dating this one is the stem logo. As I’ve mentioned in previous listings, Ser Jacopo pipes went through a number of different stem logos over the decades, beginning as a silver-mounted gemstone, then a silver-mounted red sea coral dot, then a similarly-hued, 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). This one looks to be the red plexiglass logo (though, given why it was chosen, it is a little difficult to tell), making it at least a pre-1997 piece. The design is indeed a very large, muscular billiard, with proportions almost like a beefed-up Dunhill LB rendition, and a superbly grained one at that.

The condition is very good. Some inner rim charring and handling marks.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 2.02″ / 51.30mm

Weight: 3.3oz / 96g