Castello's SPC 20th Anniversary Pipes

June 19, 2020 by Truett Smith in Pipe Line

This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of Smokingpipes, and to commemorate such a milestone, we've partnered with numerous members of the pipe-smoking community to develop and release several projects throughout 2020, such as Peterson's 20th-Anniversary pipe with stunning silver-adorned sandblasts, and most recently, Tom Eltang's distinct 20th-Anniversary Billiard shape. Today, we enthusiastically welcome Castello's contribution to the project.

"In early 2000, I began considering the prospect of selling pipes on the internet. I incorporated Laudisi Enterprises that May, registered Smokingpipes.com that June, and we sold our first pipe that November. Twenty years and lots and lots of pipes and pipe tobacco later, Smokingpipes occupies a special place in the hobby. To celebrate, we've asked our friends at Castello to craft a special batch of 40 limited-edition pipes, all in a singular shape: a compact straight Apple. The design showcases Castello's celebrated style and finishes in a practical size, and each piece comes with a matching tamper also designed specifically for the 20th-Anniversary project."
- Sykes Wilford

Castello's influence and reputation within the pipe making community is well established. The Italian workshop's iconic shaping style has made an indelible impact on Italian pipe design as a whole, and their use of aged briar and distinct finishes has amassed a dedicated following of discerning collectors. For our special 20th-Anniversary project, we and the Castello artisans wanted to design a shape that was at once indicative of Castello's style as well as practical for pipe smokers and appealing to collectors.

They settled on a compact, saddle-stemmed Apple accented with a briar inlay, essentially combining the Italian workshop's "10" Brucianaso nosewarmer design with the "23" Apple shape. Castello's artisans fashioned a total of 40 pipes for the project, and all are serialized and stamped with the 20th Anniversary's logo. Furthermore, each pipe comes paired with a unique tamper — essentially a tamper version of Castello's famous proprietary acrylic stems, complete with the iconic bar logo and a sterling silver foot.