Italian Estates: Castello Trademark Billiard with Boxwood Stem (11) Tobacco Pipe

In the summer of 2021, our own Sykes Wilford traveled to Italy to visit various pipe makers, a usual and regular tradition that involves hand-selecting pipes and fostering long-standing relationships. While visiting Castello on this particular trip, Sykes collaborated with Franco Coppo, who manages the Castello workshop, and the pair conceptualized special, limited-production Castello pipes exclusive to Smokingpipes that all featured hand-cut stems of boxwood. When Castello's artisans opt to accent a pipe, they most often utilize sterling silver, fitting with the workshop's traditional and refined style; they rarely ever use boxwood, let alone as a stem material. Such a feature makes this Billiard a highly collectible and extremely rare piece from the revered Italian marque, and it's an exciting collaboration for us here at Smokingpipes.

This limited-edition rendition of the Cantù workshop's "15" Billiard shape features a proudly poised bowl upon a firm, almost protruding heel in typical Castello style, fitted to a tapering shank that reinforces the bowl's visual weight in profile. The shank end bears an acrylic military mount to which fits this special release's boxwood stem. This particular "15" rendition is among the first 25 pieces made for this exclusive collaboration and is stamped as number 11. It's furthered by low-profile plateau across the rim, offering just a hint of texture to contrast the rest of the stummel's smooth finish, and the mahogany stain of the Trademark series highlights a spectacular array of cross grain and birdseye while also drawing attention to the lighter hues of the boxwood stem.