Pawn Tomato Sitter (2026) Tobacco Pipe

Tonino Jacono entered the pipe business in 1981, finishing and selling pipes that were shaped by his brother-in-law from briar acquired and drilled by his father-in-law. After two years, Jacono left Calabria — the region comprising the Italian peninsula's southwestern "toe" — and moved north to Jesi, a municipality near Italy's Adriatic coast. Jacono began making pipes under his own name in Jesi, and still does today, with a philosophy of making high-quality pipes at a fair price point.

Jacono uses a grading system that follows the value of chess pieces: in ascending order, it goes Pawn (sandblasted), Knight (rusticated), Bishop (previously called "Jack"), Rook, Queen, and King. Handsome growth rings decorate the bowl of this Pawn-graded Tomato Sitter, the dark sandblast contrasting well with the lightly-stained briar that peaks through to the surface. The sandblast also offers a rich texture to both bowl and shank, reaching all the way back to a slender ring of smooth briar at the junction. The saddle stem of swirling brown acrylic resembles wood or even horn in its arrow-straight stretch to the bit, a great complement to the stummel beyond.