American Estates: Michael Butera Classic Grain Pot (A) (1987) Tobacco Pipe

Crafting pipes since the 1970s, Michael Butera has trained many of today's well-known American artisans, including Larry Roush, Steve Weiner, and Michael Frey. As he produces a limited number of pipes, estate offerings from Butera, like this Pot, are a rare treat for pipe collectors. Produced in 1987, this Pot is a hearty rendition of the classic shape, pairing a sturdy, tall bowl to a softly bent shank and stem, the former taking up the majority of the aft's visual weight. The walls of the aforementioned bowl rise over two inches from a firm heel towards a flat rim that peers into a capacious tobacco chamber, ideal for lengthy smokes. The oval shank extends from the transition as it connects to the tapered acrylic stem that completes the silhouette of the pipe, its inky hue pairing well with the walnut-stained stummel. Said stummel is finished smooth to highlight stunning flicks of flame grain around the bowl's flanks and dense patches of birdseye along the rim.