Ser Jacopo Limited Edition Bilbo Rusticated Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Like Castello, Mastro de Paja holds a special place in the world of Italian high-grade pipe workshops. Founded in 1972 by Giancarlo Guidi, the MdP team was soon joined by Giannino Spadoni and Bruto Sordini with the Guidi and Spadoni at the helm of the company until 1981. Guidi then left with Sordini to found Ser Jacopo, and Sordini would later leave Ser Jacopo to found Don Carlos. Spadoni, on the other hand, stayed at MdP until he also left, after which he founded Fiamma di Re. Today, Mastro de Paja is guided by Alberto Montini, with the workshop being known for both the manufacture of some of Italy’s most admired pipes, and for having launched the careers of some of its most respected artisans.

I just love it when pipes have a story behind them, and this one certainly does. It’s no secret that many pipe smokers were first introduced to the pastime by J.R.R. Tolkien, both through his pipe-smoking characters in The Lord of the Rings, and through Tolkien’s own fondness for a good Virginia flake. While Ser Jacopo is a make more associated with Italian culture, especially that of Renaissance Italy, the workshop was invited in 2001 to create a special, limited edition pipe for a North American retailer. Ser Jacopo, under Giancarlo Guidi’s tenure, obliged and thus was born the “Bilbo,” with only a very small number being produced. This is one of those pipes. It’s an unusual, but comfortable, design, created by Ser Jacopo based on various descriptions found in the Middle-earth books. They also feature the workshop’s recognizable sterling silver finery—but this time engraved with Tolkien’s own “Elvish” script. In the decades since this one was made, other Italian makes have been enlisted to make their own Bilbo pipes for the same retailer, such as Cavicchi and Castello, with one consequence being that Ser Jacopo’s version is now near-impossible to locate.

-J.M.

The condition is great. Some minor, inner rim darkening. I know that the Castello version comes with two stems, but I’m not sure if that was the case with the Ser Jacopo one. This one has one stem.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.74″ / 44.19mm

Weight: 2.6oz / 76g