Strange Pipe with No Name.

[Sig]

Years ago I got this pipe in an ebay lot. It was not in the pictures of usual ebay lots....Medico Kaywoodie, Algerian Briar, Dr Grabow.....that kind of stuff.
I remember there were about 20 pipes of various quality and condition. I paid $25 for the lot because there was a Savenelli Alligator and a basic Stanwell of some sort.
All the pipes I recieved were accounted for in the pictures.....except this oddball.
It is very lightly smoked and is in the exact condition I recieved it in. It is briar, and is absolutely, positively the lightest weight briar pipe I've ever held...for it's size. Today I noticed it is lighter than my MM Great Dane cob. It's also extremely smooth. It feels like glass.
There is no makers name, just ITALY stamped into the briar.
It is obviously old....you know when you see/feel an old pipe.
It is not made from a great looking piece of wood and the stem is very fat, not thick but fat.
I'm just wondering if this looks familiar to anyone?
Ive seen a lot of pipes, but not like this one. I guess I could have cropped the pictures.

 

[anotherbob]

basket pipe

 

[xrundog]

Y

basket pipe

Yeah, that briar is pretty bland. Could be from any Italian shop that made that shape. I feel a 70s-80s vibe. It is in really lovely condition.

 

[Alejo R.]

The color makes it look like a pipe made by Lorenzo Tagliabue.

 

[Sigmund]

"I went to the desert with a pipe with no name cuz its good to be out of the rain..."

 

[burleybreath]

I was going to say a house pipe, the kind that B&Ms might have displayed in the open on pegboards, but they usually had the house stamp on the shank, not just country of origin. I, too, will say it came from a literal basket of pipes sitting on a counter next to a cash register. I can't get more specific than that.

 

[Sig]

I was going to say a house pipe, the kind that B&Ms might have displayed in the open on pegboards, but they usually had the house stamp on the shank, not just country of origin. I, too, will say it came from a literal basket of pipes sitting on a counter next to a cash register. I can't get more specific than that.

My thought too but basket pipes are usually pretty standard shapes. This thing is anything but standard.
In decades of piping and searching ebay, Etsy, Marty Pulver's, Briar Blues...and many more sites, I've never seen this style.
I have pretty big hands, this stem is over 1 inch wide.
The machines that make the basket pipes would need a special setup for this thing.
But you are probably correct I'm just mumbling.

 

[Sig]

Y

Yeah, that briar is pretty bland. Could be from any Italian shop that made that shape. I feel a 70s-80s vibe. It is in really lovely condition.

I believe it is from that era.
It is very plain briar, but very light weight....shockingly lightweight.
I'm not even sure it's been smoked. The black inside might have been a bowl coating that someone tried to sand out. It's does have minor tooth chatter, but this would not be the first time I saw unsmoked pipes with tooth marks.

 

[Sig]

"I went to the desert with a pipe with no name cuz its good to be out of the rain..."

Funny you mention that song.
We have a yearling Belgian colt with no name.
I've tried calling him Burley, briar, and Ruger....but the wife doesn't like those.

 

[Hillcrest]

I disagree; I think that is a gorgeous pipe. It has grain but subtle. Saddle stem Dublin ? I would buy it from you. If it were filtered it would be perfect and I don't particularly like straight stem pipes. My brother likes pipes like that too.

 

[xrundog]

My first thought before seeing the stamp was that it was French. I had a Butz Choquin once that was a very similar shape. I think they called it a Capitan.

 

[camaguey]

The color makes it look like a pipe made by Lorenzo Tagliabue.

Yes , i agree. Not only the color but the shape and style. But , most Lorenzos smooth have plenty of fills. This one looks rather clear. Why would Lorenzo would not stamp his name on this one? , wich looks more clear that the ones stamped with his name. Maybe from the Tagliabue era?.

 

[Sig]

My first thought before seeing the stamp was that it was French. I had a Butz Choquin once that was a very similar shape. I think they called it a Capitan.

I thought the same thing when I first saw it. I was surprised yo see Italy and not St Claude.
The French made all kinds of crazy shapes over the years.

 

[Alejo R.]

I see similarities.

 

[captainsousie]

It could be a BC but so many others like Savinelli, Lorenzo, Hilson, etc. had a very similar shape. In my mind, if you didn't pay too much and like it, it doesn't matter who made it. I've got several no-name pipes I like and have bought and sold dozens of others. I get wanting to know where it's from but don't get too hung up on it.