For the experts, what would you pay for one of these older castellos unsmoked, I’ve heard the stems feel better, not as thick? (not that I mind the new stems) Any info appreciated!
1970s Unsmoked Castello Sea Rock bent Billiard with Military Mount
- Thread starter Ben.R.C
- Start date
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I think it’s very beautiful
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To some people, Carlo Scotti era Castello's are prized. To others, the draw of Scotti era pipes is undesirable. So, depending on which camp a person is in, the price might range between 250 and 400 bucks. I agree with you, it is a nice looking pipe.
It is a beautiful pipe ($250-400 seems correct) and sonorisis is on point about the Carlo era draft versus the Kino era pipes.
I’m thinking unsmoked price is higher, you disagree? Definitely not over 400 if it was smoked.
The Carlos vs Kino thing is interesting and wasn't one I was aware of. I have just heard folks speak of older Castellos having thinner more comfortable stems. I don't think I'm super picky about stems, the new Castellos I own are too big to clench anyway. I do prefer thinner vulcanite stems on small pipes I might clench, but acrylic can work ok on those as well. It all depends on the individual piece really.
Beware of the design itself.
The way Castello executed it, anyway.
The shank extension is made from the same material as the stem, and the two can actually fuse together under the right conditions.
The catch is no one knows exactly what those conditions are. Some combination of surface contact area, pressure, heat, etc., of course, but not knowing precisely means it's a matter of luck that not much can be done to avoid. One day you give the stem a twist and it she no move. Try to force it, and the extension shears from the shank or the stem snaps.
I've lost count of the number of cases I've seen. One sent to me by one of the most well known pipemen in the world, so it's not a lack of experience thing, either.
The way Castello executed it, anyway.
The shank extension is made from the same material as the stem, and the two can actually fuse together under the right conditions.
The catch is no one knows exactly what those conditions are. Some combination of surface contact area, pressure, heat, etc., of course, but not knowing precisely means it's a matter of luck that not much can be done to avoid. One day you give the stem a twist and it she no move. Try to force it, and the extension shears from the shank or the stem snaps.
I've lost count of the number of cases I've seen. One sent to me by one of the most well known pipemen in the world, so it's not a lack of experience thing, either.
Weird, I guess I’ll be careful? Lol, I wonder if keeping the stem waxed would prevent fusing.
That is a beautiful shape! I bet they had it priced at $600-$700.
If you lean towards smaller Castello's, check out the Italian internet sellers. They seem to get premium Castello's and those in smaller sizes. I picked up a beautiful KK Shape 65 from Tabaccheria Corti Lecco
If you lean towards smaller Castello's, check out the Italian internet sellers. They seem to get premium Castello's and those in smaller sizes. I picked up a beautiful KK Shape 65 from Tabaccheria Corti Lecco
It was 500, because it’s unsmoked and from the 1970s. I have 3 kino (new) Castellos, I’m quite happy with, one was bought from TCorti, other two from Pipes2Smoke.
Agreed, they do run high. I’ve been buying more from eBay but occasionally SP has something like this I really want. There are a couple of other old Castellos there now in 200-300 dollar range that I’m having to resist.
Castello's are hard to resist once you try one. I've always felt that Castello always made the finest factory pipes in the world. Many people think otherwise.
I got some 60s Castellos that are made like that and have never had a problem. Often the "sticking" problem is caused by the pipe needing a good cleaning and a little heat or cold can unstick it.
Are the Castello pipes with the gem in the stem the Carlo models? And the newer ones with the stripe style mark the Kino? I wondered why they changed their marque.
Castello's original logo was a white bar. When they started to export to the U.S. they discovered there was already a brand here called "White Bar" with a similar logo. They created the "diamond" logo for their export pipes.
