Castello Collection Great Line Smooth Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

Founded in 1947 by Carlo Scotti, Castello quickly became known for producing some of the finest smoking pipes in the world. Over the years, the people involved in making Castello pipes has changed – such as Luigi Radice and Sergio Ascorti, who developed their skills in the Cantu workshop before leaving to start Caminetto, or the handing of the reigns of the company to Francisco ‘Kino’ Coppo after Scotti’s passing – but the superlative quality of Castello pipes has not. It is not without reason that Castello is known as ‘the Italian Dunhill.’

Originally, Castello designated its largest, magnum sized pipes with the “Big Line” appellation. In the early 1970s, this name was switched for the “Great Line,” but the concept was still the same: hefty pipes, rendered in shapes not found on Castello’s typical shape chart, but with the same commitment to outstanding grain and finishing that the workshop is known for. This Great Line features the iconic “Carlo Scotti” stamp on its underside and, furthermore, lacks a date code, meaning it should be a pre-1987 piece, as this was when the latter was introduced. Given that the modern Great Line (as distinguished from the Big Line) was introduced in 1972, we should be able to narrow this down to around a 15 year time fame. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that the Collection was the highest grade bracket for Castellos during this time, which makes perfect sense looking at the straight grain on this beauty. I’m surprised it didn’t receive the extra Fiammata accolade. Perhaps that was introduced later, too.

The condition is great. Some inner rim darkening, minor handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 1.07 / 27.17mm

Bowl Depth: 1.95″ / 49.53mm

Weight: 2.4oz / 70g