Given its provenance, the pipe in that eBay auction likely was made from the original stash of rare 30-year air cured briar with which Ascorti and Radice began their enterprise in 1968. Assuming the pipe was stored properly since then, one can only imagine how mellow its smokes must be now.
Apart from the well-cured wood, the Caminetto-Ascorti-Radice (CAR) rustication was (and still is) valued by pipers who appreciate a cool smoke. The highly figured carved surface greatly increases the surface area available for radiative transfer of heat from the bowl. The very earliest CAR carvings were more akin to the early Castello Sea Rock style, which had the look of smoother, wave-weathered rock. But eventually the CAR carving style became craggier, like rock freshly broken. I appreciate both styles, but the craggier style does seem to smoke somewhat cooler.
I have one of those early Caminetto bent eggs—the classic shape 147 stamped on the left side of the stummel. It is one of the best pipes I have ever smoked. I bought it so long ago I don't remember what I paid for it, but it was a fraction of the $676 the one on eBay sold for. It is a genuine work of pipecrafting art. Originally a natural color like the one in the auction, it's a pipe whose extraordinary carving has colored handsomely through the years. It smokes cool and dry, never getting more than warm to the touch, and it gurgleth not. :mrgreen:
The fact that such pipes are considered fugly by some folks is a blessing for those who appreciate the virtues of their cool, dry smoke and masterful carving. It means there are fewer pipers chasing such rare treasures, which makes it less costly to acquire one. But that won't last long. As the virtues of such gems become more widely known, the prices have crept ever upward over the years.
Besides, there is no accounting for personal preferences, and preferences change. In the folly of my youth, I wouldn't even consider a rusticated or sandblasted pipe. Silly boy.
But with greater experience comes wisdom...well, sometimes.
Anyhow, finding one of those early masterpieces unsmoked is almost unheard of. For the right buyer, it was an extraordinary find.
:joker:
I have one of those early Caminetto bent eggs—the classic shape 147 stamped on the left side of the stummel. It is one of the best pipes I have ever smoked. I bought it so long ago I don't remember what I paid for it, but it was a fraction of the $676 the one on eBay sold for. It is a genuine work of pipecrafting art. Originally a natural color like the one in the auction, it's a pipe whose extraordinary carving has colored handsomely through the years. It smokes cool and dry, never getting more than warm to the touch, and it gurgleth not. :mrgreen:
The fact that such pipes are considered fugly by some folks is a blessing for those who appreciate the virtues of their cool, dry smoke and masterful carving. It means there are fewer pipers chasing such rare treasures, which makes it less costly to acquire one. But that won't last long. As the virtues of such gems become more widely known, the prices have crept ever upward over the years.
Besides, there is no accounting for personal preferences, and preferences change. In the folly of my youth, I wouldn't even consider a rusticated or sandblasted pipe. Silly boy.
But with greater experience comes wisdom...well, sometimes. Anyhow, finding one of those early masterpieces unsmoked is almost unheard of. For the right buyer, it was an extraordinary find.
:joker: