Sasieni Trafalgar Sandblasted Lovat Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates [SOLD OUT]

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.

Trafalgar was one of Sasieni’s sub-brands. It was one of the many ‘seconds’ Sasieni produced, though this should not be taken as a sign of low quality. Their standards were exceptionally high, so Sasieni sub-brands were used to sell pipes that did not quite meet the exacting standards required, for example, for a Four Dot pipe. I personally can’t note anything wrong with this Trafalgar. It’s a nice, lightly sandblasted Lovat with a natural, blonde stain applied so as to not smother the briar underneath. The pipe is also in an impeccable condition – I thought it might be unsmoked when it landed on my desk. The rim and lip of the bowl is completely untarnished, the stem is free from indents, and the bowl remains a light tan color (natural blonde pipes, such as this one, or Dunhill’s Tanshell line, will darken with age if smoked regularly). The pipe is also wonderfully lightweight, so can be clenched – as Norman Rockwell did with his Sasienis – easily while one goes about one’s business.

 

Details:

Length: 5.7″

Bowl Width: 19.1mm

Bowl Depth: 1.7″

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g