Italian Estates: Becker Sandblasted Apple (1983-1995) Tobacco Pipe

The Becker workshop is a family-run institution that's been in operation for three generations, starting with Fritz in 1974 before being passed down to Paolo, and then to Federico, its current leader. Becker's shaping style runs the gamut from timeless and subtly stylized pipes to sleekly angular, rakish works that emphasize sharpness, though this Apple falls into the former camp. Though Fritz passed away in 1991 and Paolo in 2014, this pipe was made between 1983 and 1995, making it both a vintage pipe and one potentially made by the Founder of Becker pipes. The transition is wide here, and it gives way to a sleek, low-set shank that extends to meet a slender saddle stem at a junction marked by alternating bands of black acrylic and smooth briar. Up front, the bowl stands on a round heel and boasts impressively thick walls, walls with a rich plumpness present throughout their build resulting from their arcing taper to the rim and forward cant. Dressed in a crisp sandblast and a warm auburn stain, the stummel here showcases plenty of handsome grain, with rippling growth rings flowing down the bowl.