Castello: Old Antiquari Dublin with Boxwood Stem (with Extra Stem) (20.30) Tobacco Pipe

In 2021, Smokingpipes' Sykes Wilford and Castello collaborated on an exclusive, limited-edition release of the Italian firm's classic "15" Billiard. The series consisted of the singular Billiard shape dressed in a variety of the marque's most iconic finishes and fitted with hand-cut stems of boxwood. For 2022, the pair re-teamed and presents a limited run of Castello's "25" Dublin in a variety of smooth, sandblasted, and rusticated finishes and with the same stylish boxwood stem. Castello"s artisans prefer to accent their pipes with silver, and rarely utilize boxwood in their compositions, making this release unique and highly collectible.

Shape-wise, the "25" Dublin features a tall bowl that flares from its firm yet narrow heel to its broad rim and rises proudly at the fore of an arrow-straight shank-and-stem arrangement. The slender nature of the shank and stem works in concert with the low-set transition to keep most of the composition's visual weight anchored with the bowl, a shaping cue that belies the design's Italian origins. The shank is adored with a military mount that receives the tapered boxwood mouthpiece, but to not alienate collectors who prefer more traditional stems, the design also comes with a standard acrylic mouthpiece as well. This particular rendition of the shape is numbered 20 out of 30 and is seen here wearing an earthy rendition of the Italian marque's Old Antiquari sandblast, providing ample texture for the fingers to explore and bringing vivid definition to the natural grain orientation of the briar.