1935-46 Sasieni Four Dot Cowes Oom Paul Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Along with names like Barling, Charatan, and Dunhill Sasieni holds a special place in the history of English smoking pipes – one near to its very beginnings. So the story goes, Sasieni himself worked for Dunhill during its early days. But eventually he left Dunhill, having his own ideas about how pipes should be made, and founded Sasieni. This was 1919, and Sasieni has been the closest thing to a household name in English pipes ever since.

The “Cowes,” named for a town on the UK’s Isle of Wight and (so I’m told) pronounced much like the farm animal, was one of Sasieni’s early Oom Paul shapes. This one, for example, is a Four Dot, making it a post-1924 pipe. The English towns shape-naming convention it exhibits furthermore situates it as post-1935. The underlined “Sasieni” nomenclature,” on the other hand, puts it as being pre-1946, with the (slightly faint) patent number on the stem making it likely pre-war, as far as I understand. It’s a great, old English pipe, with Sasieni’s signature rustication style from that era. Interestingly, I have heard that Sasieni’s approach to rustication during these years was not unlike contemporary ring grain sandblasting – i.e., one of following the growth rings of the briar, to spectacular effect.

The condition is very good for the pipe’s age. Some definite rim darkening and a few handling marks. Fully intact original stinger.

 

Details:

Length: 5.2″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.83″ / 46.48mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g