As rare as some pipes go, this has to behigh on the scale. An ULTRA RARE and superb Sasieni Double One Dot Specially Selected Patent 1920's billiard. When we deconsruct the elements of this pipe it confirms its rarity both in availability and condition. Firstly, Sasieni made the One Dot pipes from the inception of the company in 1919 through to 1923, a period of 5 years. These are assumed to be the rarest of all Sasieni pipes due to their short production time. Joel Sasieni was forced to settle out of court with Dunhill over impending court action against their patent for using a single white dot. Unable to use a single dot any further, Sasieni started experimenting with different numbers of dots on the stem. This led to the introduction of the Four Dot and 8 Dot pipes (four on each side) lauded by collectors. The history of the Double One Dot is not widely documented, and what I have read on Sasieni history is contradictory. There is a catalogue which shows the Four Dot pipe appearing in 1924. I have also seen the exsitance of a One Dot pipe bearing an English town name, reported in pipedia.org as not starting until 1935! This pipe bears neither a shape number nor a town name and is simply stamped LG on the reverse of the shank, so this would suggest that the pipe dates to around 1923 and was probably one of the first experiments in numbers of dots used on the run up to the setlement with Dunhill, the scrapping of the One Dot range and the introduction of the Four Dot range. It is therefore likely that these Double One Dots were produced for an extremely short period making them even rarer than the fabled One Dot pipes. It is also written that the Specially Selected range were made from stummels that were personally chosen by Joel Sasieni himself due to the superb grain patterns. This pipe is no exception to the stunning grain that these pipes possessed. Furthermore the pipe is in superb museum quality having been very lightly smoked. The original screw in stinger (the reason for the patent) is still in place and the pipe hardly shows any signs of being used. The rim is still fresh and crisp, as is the nomenclature. There is no wear on the stem which still has a sharp button as the day it was made. The pipe comes in a Sasieni box and pipe sock although these are not original to the pipe. So if you are a collector of old English pipes, you will go a long way to find a better example of an ultra rare early 20th century example in such superb museum quality. I am proud to be offering this pipe on behalf of its seller.
