Lorenzo TUGBOAT 8547/1 Smooth Briar Horn-Shape Sitter Estate Pipe - Acrylic Saddle Stem, Fishtail, 9mm Filter

The shank reads Lorenzo TUGBOAT 8547/1 - a model word that does not turn up among Lorenzo's documented catalogue lines, stamped alongside a numeric code straight into the briar.

This is a smooth-finished briar sitter, straight in profile with a flared, horn-like bowl wall, fitted with an acrylic saddle stem cut to a fishtail slot and bored for a 9mm filter. The brand stamp reads Lorenzo; the model word TUGBOAT and the code 8547/1 are read exactly as they appear on the shank, and neither is interpreted here beyond what is stamped.

Lorenzo traces back to Fratelli Lana, founded in 1900 in Gallarate - the third pipe-making concern to set up in the Varese district, after Rossi in 1886 and Ceresa in 1897. From 1922 the Milan merchant house Tagliabue took on the firm's export trade, and by 1939 Lana employed 120 workers turning out budget briar, much of it marked with nothing more than the generic wordmark Genuine Bruyere. In 1946 Tagliabue took the company over outright, renaming it Manufattura di Pipe Tagliabue. Around 1950 Lorenzo Tagliabue took over management, studied the work of Castello and Brebbia, and pushed the line upmarket with new house shapes. In 1969 the firm was renamed Lorenzo Pipes - the name that appears on this shank - and the brand entered the era collectors associate with thick-walled bowls, flat sitting bottoms, and silk-matte red and orange staining, marketed on the strength of a grip built for a hard-smoking hand. Lorenzo Tagliabue retired in 1983 after his daughter's death; the name was briefly licensed to Comoy's of London, and Tagliabue died in 1987. Riccardo and Gabriella Aliverti bought the rights in 1988 and resumed production. Romolo Aliverti had joined Lana back in 1920 as technical director; Riccardo held that post from 1973, and Massimo Aliverti took over as sales director from 1991. Pre-1969 Tagliabue-era pipes rarely carry the Lorenzo name by itself - a shank stamped simply Lorenzo, as this one is, belongs to the branded era that began in 1969.

THE MARKS
- Lorenzo - brand stamp, adopted in 1969 when the firm was renamed Lorenzo Pipes
- TUGBOAT - model word, stamped as read; not found among Lorenzo's documented catalogue lines
- 8547/1 - numeric code, stamped as read; no catalogue meaning is established for it

The bowl is straight and flares outward toward the rim in a horn-like taper, and it sits flat-bottomed as a sitter - it stands on a table or shelf without needing a rack. A saddle stem steps down from the shank in one plane before narrowing to the bit, unlike a tapered stem, which narrows evenly along its whole length. The bit is cut to a fishtail slot, which spreads the airway into a wide, flat opening rather than a single round hole. The shank is bored to take a 9mm filter, which sits in the draw path between chamber and bit.

Finish and grain: the bowl is finished smooth, per the seller's note; grain pattern and stain color are best judged from the photographs.

Condition: this is a pre-smoked pipe graded fair. The rim shows darkening and faint spot staining. Faint scratches and small dents are scattered across the briar. The stem carries dents and bite marks at the bit. No crack, chip, or repair is noted.

THE MEASUREMENTS
- Length: 144.0mm (5.7in)
- Bowl height: 47.0mm (1.9in)
- Bowl width: 42.0mm (1.7in)
- Chamber diameter: 20.0mm (0.8in)
- Chamber depth: 37.0mm (1.5in)
- Weight: 62.0g (2.2oz)

Ships from the Faridunhill / Pipe Collectors Encyclopedia archive. Worldwide shipping and professional sanitation on every estate pipe.
SKU: 437