Lloyds Deluxe by Lorenzo Smooth Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

The history of Lorenzo is a long and somewhat complicated one. In 1900, two brothers from Varese, Italy, established the “Fratelli Lana” company, through which they produced briar pipes bearing that name. Fratelli Lana enjoyed considerable success both in Italy and abroad, thanks in no small part to a partnership with the Tagliabue family from Milan. After the Second World War, Fratelli Lana was taken over by the Tagliabue family, headed by Lorenzo Tagliabue, who ultimately changed the name of the make to “Lorenzo.” Lorenzo not only changed the name, but the production standards of Lorenzo pipes, aiming to produce pipes on par with those of the great Italian post-war makes, such as Castello. In 1987, Lorenzo Tagliabue passed away, and in 1988, the Aliverti family acquired Lorenzo. Lloyds was a sub-brand of Lorenzo during Loranzo Tagliabue’s tenure at the helm of the company.

When this pipe first landed on my desk I could have sworn it was a GBD. The “tell” for me was what looked to be a perspex stem, just like the mid-century GBDs, along with some very pretty grain. Instead, it turned out to be a Lloyds, by Lorenzo. We don’t get many Lorenzo, or Lorenzo-made (such as the Spitfire) pipes coming through here, but I’ve heard good things from friends over in Europe, where they are a little more common. It’s a good, relatively lightweight billiard, and as mentioned it has some kind of translucent acrylic stem and plenty of pretty bird’s-eye patterns.

The condition is good. There’s some rim darkening and what looks to be a small spot of char among it.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.77″ / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.48″ / 37.59mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g