Pre-1970 Savinelli Punto Oro 1028 Sandblasted Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Description

It is probably fair to say that Savinelli is Italy’s most famous pipe brand. Founded in Milan in 1876 by Achille Savinelli, the brand has continuously offered high quality pipes for nearly 150 years. Though various Savinelli lines have come and gone over the years, the brand has always been notable for putting out classically styled pipes with a distinctly Italian twist.

When Achille Savinelli expanded his operation in 1958, opening a factory in Milan specifically to produce pipes for the Savinelli brand, the very first models featured a golden stem inlay. This was Achille Savinelli’s “Punto Oro,” or “gold point,” which no doubt was inspired by the marketing practices of classic English pipes, like Dunhill and Sasieni. As production expanded to feature more lines of Savinelli pipes, the Punto Oro designation (and with it the Giubileo d’Oro) was reserved for only the highest grade Savinelli pipes, with only around 1% of turned stummels making the cut and becoming Punto Oros. This Punto Oro is a little different to the ones you’ll find Savinelli selling today, however. In fact, it’s different to the Punto Oros that Savinelli have sold for the last 50 years. It is also a shape that has not featured on Savinelli’s shape charts in those last 50 years. That’s because this Punto Oro dates back to the earliest production from the Milan factory, around the 1960s. In those times, Savinelli pipes featured four-digit, rather than the contemporary three-digit, shape codes. This Punto Oro is a lovely example of the line’s early iterations. Its sandblasting is crisp and craggy, it features a sterling silver army mount, and its stem is vulcanite, unlike contemporary Punto Oros, which are primarily fitted with acrylic stems. At 34 grams, the pipe is also sure to be an ideal clencher.

-J.M.

 

The condition is very good. Some rim darkening.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.49″ / 37.84mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g