Joe Cortegiano Magnum Rusticated Zulu Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Joseph “Joe” Cortegiano was an American artisan working out of New York. Cortegiano made pipes under his own name – as with this one – as well as house-brand pipes for New York’s iconic pipe outlets, such as E. Wilke, Barclay-Rex, and Ed Burak’s Connoisseur make.

From a distance, this pipe may look a little unconventional. Up close, it’s even stranger. I’ve categorized it as a Zulu, as it does possess that shape’s distinctive, sharp forward cant, but there is just so much more to the design that standard categories don’t capture. For example, the exterior of the pipe is entirely composed of flat – albeit partially rusticated – planes. So, it’s a panel Zulu of a kind. It’s also very large, to the point where I would say it just about meets the requirements to be considered a “magnum.” By far the most distinctive element of the design is its chamber, however, which has been drilled in an oval shape. It’s similar to the bowl of an opera pipe, though in this instance the oval is wider and more like a standard conical chamber that has been laterally extended. Needless to say, it is very different, but it is no less an absolute blast to behold.

The pipe is also completely unsmoked. Likely a 1960s-1970s piece.

 

Details:

Length: 7.2″ / 182.8mm

Bowl Width: 1.08 / 27.43mm

Bowl Depth: 2.19″ / 55.62mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g