Mastro Geppetto Rusticato Rusticated Panel Author Estate Briar Pipe, Italian Estates

Mastro Geppetto pipes are made by the Italian workshop brand Ser Jacopo. One could call them Ser Jacopo’s series of ‘affordable’ pipes, and while this would be correct purely from the standpoint of price, it wouldn’t be entirely fair to them in other regards. Geppetto pipes are hand made from the same high-grade briar as Ser Jacopo pipes, but the former do not use the plateau cuts that the latter does, which are more expensive; Geppetto pipes also tend to be simpler shapes, meaning they do not require the use of the highly technical flexible drilling machinery that Ser Jacopo’s wilder shapes do. Ser Jacopo’s Mastro Geppetto brand has been something of a masterstroke in Italian pipes, offering high-quality, handmade Italian workshop pipes in styles more in keeping with the time-honored Anglo-French approach to pipe design. In the case of this one, it’s a very interesting throwback to the early briars of Saint-Claude, taking the form of a stout, paneled author (there’s something of bullmoose overlap there, too). As is common with Mastro Geppetto pipes, the finishing is more Italian, with the bowl’s sides textured with a sharp, tan pebble dash rustication. The condition is great. Some very minor wear to the rim, but the pipe is nonetheless well preserved.   Details: Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm Bowl Depth: 1.19″ / 30.22mm Weight: 2.1oz / 62g