Lithos Lumberman with Silver (1) (YYY) Tobacco Pipe

Sicilian brothers Elio and Guido Rinaldo moved to Pesaro and started working with Mastro de Paja in the mid-1970s, founding their own titular brand in 1987. They produce about 1,500 pipes a year using briar from Liguria in northwestern Italy, and grade them from one to four Y's, or the highest grade, Fiamatta, denoting excellent flame grain.

This YYY-graded Lumberman features an excellent rustication pattern on almost the entire stummel — except for the rim of the bowl and the underside from the junction to the middle of the heel, which allows the piece to sit upright on a flat surface. The rustication gives the piece a rich touch similar to that of small, smooth pebbles gathered in a bunch, all of it stained a hearty reddish brown. The walls of the bowl are straightforward in their Billiard orientation, and the ovoid shank is capped by a thin accent of silver before the piece is finished by the brief acrylic stem, which features a wide bit.