Ropp: Vintage Superior Smooth (29P) Tobacco Pipe

Out of all the classic Billiard variants, the Liverpool boasts one of the sleekest profiles — the round shank keeps the proportions well-balanced and the use of a tapered stem compared to, say, the Lovat's saddle version accentuates the crisp, arrow-straight lines of the shank. This Ropp "29P" rendition is a paneled version of the French marque's standard "29C" Liverpool. It showcases the design's streamlined nature handsomely, the paneled bowl poised upright at the end of a svelte shank-and-stem combination. The classic French marque is known for its conservatively sized iterations of shape-chart standards, and this piece testifies to that timeless aesthetic but with the creative addition of structure facets along the bowl.

Sourced from old stummels found at the Chapuis-Comoy factory, Ropp's Vintage line presents old-school, classic designs that were turned decades ago but never finished. This Superior piece is commended further, having been fashioned from select-quality, fill-free briar and is here dressed in a smooth, auburn stain. It's fitted with a stem of genuine horn, hearkening back to the style of mouthpieces from the early 1900s and accentuating the vintage motif to make for a thoroughly retro aesthetic.