Welcome to the site. That is a great looking pipe, glad you didn't get rid of it.
My first pipe I still own. I was sitting at my local cigar hangout that was like a second home when I finally broke down and decided to buy a pipe. A cigar buddy of mine had been on me for a couple of months telling me how great pipe smoking was. I was a huge cigar guy, and was very skeptical. The shop I was at had a small selection of pipes so I picked out a Savinelli Linea Piu 5 with a nice silver band. It ended up being a great smoker and I still smoke it on a regular basis.