Savinelli Autograph question

[TJDiesel]

Thats interesting, the pipe i got has a vulcanite stem and is unfiltered, so i guess it must be an older production auto. I did smoke it, cracked open a really old tin of Midnight Ride just for it. It smoked great, only gurgled once, but that was prob because i was smoking outside and it was really windy. As soon as i went inside the gurgling stopped without me having to use a pipecleaner.

 

[Rusty]

If you want a cheap Auto, buy an older Estella, they are Auto rejects for appearance reasons. The two I have are rusticated, and excellent smokers.

I have a bunch too. They were very popular pipes back in the 70's and into the 80's. Those of us that took a dim view of Savinelli's filter plumbing found some respite in the Estella Lines at least for a few years. And yes, there were multiple lines of Estella's and not all were Autograph seconds. In fact most of the time one can see each line represented on eBay. And that is the case right now.

Estella's are all acrylic stemmed rusticated pipes but the rustication varies and certainly has some interest if you enjoy that ... ahem... aesthetic. They were very popular pipes in N. America through into the 80's.

1) The big Hand Made Estella's are all Savinelli Autograph seconds. They're all made from plateau block rather than regular ebauchon. Like Auto's they are large freehand pipes. In fact they look like rusticated Autographs. Instead of a gold etched 'Achille' signature on the stem, typical of Autographs, they have a dragon etched into an acrylic stem. Both Auto's and the HM Estella's have a rep as great smokers. I have a few of these. Including one that is still pristine and unsmoked. My most prized Bohemian Scandal smoker is a HM Estella.

2) The Savinelli Non-pareil (non pareil ="no equal" in Italian) line, also made from Plateau, had a corresponding Estella line too - Estella Non-Pareil's. They look much like rusticated Non-Pareil's. Except instead of horn they used Lucite at the stem-shank fitting. Nowadays the Non-Pareils are not what they once were and I'd prefer an old one or an Estella Non-pareil any day.

3) The regular production line numbered shapes also had an Estella line. These are made from medium to large regular ebauchon block. They all have the same numbered shapes as the rest of the Savinelli classic numbered shape lines.The rustication varied over time to finally produce the vining that you see on some starting in the late 70's. The variations suggest that the rustication is hand done so it's odd that they spent so much effort on seconds.

For quite a few years Savinelli only stamped the pipes Estella, with no Savinelli logo's on them. But with the Italian invasion in full swing in the US (which was their largest Estella marketplace by far) they started putting the Savinelli logo on them as well. After all Caminetto and others were selling pipes that really weren't so different.

The rumour mill says Savinelli had some of the deepest oldest stocks of briar block so this is what you're with an older model Savinelli and that certainly includes the Estellas.

Great old pipes.

 

[Smoker99]

Thanks for the info Rusty. This is one I smoked earlier today. I think I bought it in the seventies. I do know it is an excellent smoker.

 

[dbreazeale]

Back in November, I think it was, I picked up a Sav Auto #4 for $60. I'd always heard that the 4's were partial rusticated but this one is completely smooth. I've been wondering if it was stamped incorrectly or they graded it that way for a reason that I can't seem to find. :scratch: Anyway, that's a fine looking pipe you picked up.

 

[Rusty]

I'd always heard that the 4's were partial rusticated but this one is completely smooth. I've been wondering if it was stamped incorrectly or they graded it that way for a reason that I can't seem to find.

Savinelli has always produced both in the first three or maybe four grades eg 3, 4, 5, 6 (I'm trying to remember if I've seen an 8 that was blasted or rusticated partially or completely). I have a clear finished 4 as well. They grade based upon the organization and fineness of the grain. So 3's & 4's have organized grain that looks reasonably like flame or even fairly straight but it's not particularly fine nor as dense as the better grades.

Without a clear statement of philosophy concerning grading it can be difficult to understand how they see the grade of blasted pipes vs smooth. For example, Upshall & Dunhill are very clear about this topic. But Savinelli hasn't always been as clear. In absence of a clear philosophy of grading it might be that a clear 4 vs. a blasted or partially blasted 4 can be distinguished by price, for example.

Today Savinelli is actually much clearer about the Auto finishes. They have delineated the Autograph line by finish and style so that it is explicit and the implication is that the same grading applies:

Savinelli Autograph Liscia - Clear finished (smooth = Liscia)
Savinelli Autograph Sabbiata - Blasted (sabbiata = matte?)
Savinelli Autograph Panel - Smooth & Blasted combo

plus they even have a couple more: an Autograph Freeform and Autograph Vero Argento (Silver banded).

http://www.savinelli.it/en/pipes