Unsmoked J. T. Cooke for Levin Pipes International LPI, Briar Pipe, American [SOLD OUT]

Description

LPI, or Levin Pipes International, was a brand of pipes commissioned by Barry Levin, a major figure in the American tobacco pipes scene who was, among other things, instrumental in popularizing estate pipes collecting. He would later go on to have pipes made for his company, LPI, by his collaboration in estates restorations, J. T. Cooke.

While many today might not have heard of Barry Levin, most who are clued into the contemporary pipes scene know who J. T. Cooke is. Dubbed ‘the Bo Nordh of the blast,’ Cooke first learned pipe making in the Vermont-based The Briar Workshop under Elliott Nachtwalter and Jorg Jemelka, and alongside other soon-to-be legendary carvers such as Brad Pohlmann. After leaving The Briar Workshop, Cooke teamed up with Barry Levin, for whom he made a special line of pipes under the LPI name.

This LPI, made by Cooke, is a stout cross between a billiard and a poker. It looks to be sandblasted, though it could be a combination of blasting and rustication. With Cooke, the blasts were always so deep and rugged that one might mistakenly assume they were rusticated. Either way, it’s a fine piece of American craftsmanship. It’s also, quite remarkably, completely unsmoked, meaning whoever buys it will have the honor of lighting up its first bowl. As Cooke’s pipes are prized both as excellent smoking instruments and as collectors’ items, I can’t imagine this pipe will stick around for long.

 

Details:

Length: 6.1″

Bowl Width: 22.5mm

Bowl Depth: 1.9″

Weight: 1.9oz / 55g