Spitfire by Lorenzo Smooth Straight Billiard Estate Pipe, Diamond Shank, Rustic Bowl Bottom, Vulcanite Saddle Stem, 9mm

Spitfire in script, and under it BY LORENZO: the stamp names both the line and the house. This is a Spitfire by Lorenzo straight billiard with a diamond shank, smooth all over except the bottom of the bowl, which has a rustic finish. The vulcanite saddle stem is fitted for a 9mm filter and ends in a fishtail mouthpiece.

Pre-smoked, it is in very good condition.

The house began in 1900 as Fratelli Lana in Gallarate, in the province of Varese. From 1922 the firm worked with the Tagliabue family, merchants from Milan, and its exports grew; by 1939 it had 120 workers. In 1946 Tagliabue took the company over, and from about 1950 Lorenzo Tagliabue ran it and brought in new models of his own. In 1969 the pipes were renamed Lorenzo, because another Tagliabue firm already existed. Lorenzo Tagliabue retired in 1983, and the brand was licensed for a short time to Comoy's of London; he died in 1987. In 1988 Riccardo Aliverti and Gabriella bought all rights from the family, and production started again.

Spitfire was Lorenzo's budget sister brand. Pipedia describes it as using the same models as Lorenzo, one for one, mostly with 9mm filters.

THE MARKS
- Spitfire in script stamped on the shank
- BY LORENZO stamped on the shank

A billiard bowl is a plain cylinder with straight sides and a flat rim, and on a straight billiard the shank and the stem run out level from it. Here the shank is cut as a diamond, with flat faces and edges. The bowl is 53 mm high and 42 mm wide, with a chamber 20 mm across and 43 mm deep, and the pipe weighs 65 g.

Spitfire is dated roughly to the years 1969 to 1990; the exact start and end are not documented. No closer date is given.

THE MEASUREMENTS
- Length: 159 mm (6.26 in)
- Bowl height: 53 mm (2.09 in)
- Bowl width: 42 mm (1.65 in)
- Chamber diameter: 20 mm (0.79 in)
- Chamber depth: 43 mm (1.69 in)
- Weight: 65 g (2.29 oz)

Ships from the Faridunhill archive. Worldwide shipping and professional sanitation on every estate pipe. SKU: 592