Lorenzo Alto 6015/1 Smooth Full Bent Sitter Oom Paul, Unsmoked New Old Stock

The shank is stamped lorenzo, ALTO and 6015/1. This is a Lorenzo full bent sitter Oom Paul in a smooth finish, on an acrylic saddle stem with a fishtail bit, made to take a 9 mm filter. It stands on its own flat bottom.

Condition: brand new old stock, unsmoked. The bowl is 50 mm high, and the chamber has never held tobacco.

The Lorenzo story begins in 1900 in Gallarate, in the province of Varese, where the Fratelli Lana workshop opened as the third pipe maker of the area, after Rossi (1886) and Ceresa (1897). From 1922 the firm worked with the Tagliabue merchants of Milan, its exports grew, and by 1939 it had 120 workers. In 1946 Tagliabue took the business over as the Manufattura di Pipe Tagliabue.

Around 1950 Lorenzo Tagliabue took charge. He studied the work of Castello and Brebbia, brought in models of his own and moved the pipes upmarket. In 1969 the brand was renamed Lorenzo Pipes, because another firm already carried the Tagliabue name. Under that name Lorenzo became known for thick-walled pipes with flat bottoms that sit on the table, and for big Oom Pauls. Lorenzo Tagliabue retired in 1983 and the brand was licensed for a short time to Comoy's of London (Cadogan / Oppenheimer). In 1988 Riccardo and Gabriella Aliverti bought all rights from the family and production started again; the Aliverti link to the firm went back to 1920, when Romolo Aliverti joined Lana. Today the better Lorenzo lines are made in Italy, while some cheaper current lines are made in Albania by Tomori.

THE MARKS
- lorenzo, in lower-case letters with a small flourish, on the shank
- ALTO on the shank
- 6015/1 on the shank
- a small mark on top of the stem

The meaning of ALTO and of the number 6015/1 is not known.

The Oom Paul is a full bent shape. The shape takes its name from Paul Kruger, the South African president known as Oom Paul, Uncle Paul. A sitter is a pipe with a flat base that lets it stand on its own, and this one has both the full bend and the flat bottom.

The finish is smooth. Please see the photographs for the grain.

The lorenzo name on the shank dates the pipe to 1969 or later, when the brand took that name; the stamps do not give a closer date.

THE MEASUREMENTS
- Length: 135 mm (5.31 in)
- Bowl height: 50 mm (1.97 in)
- Bowl width: 36 mm (1.42 in)
- Chamber diameter: 20 mm (0.79 in)
- Chamber depth: 41 mm (1.61 in)
- Weight: 55 g (1.94 oz)

Ships from the Faridunhill archive. Worldwide shipping and professional sanitation on every estate pipe. SKU: 594