Loading... Please wait...
Aldo Velani pipes are made in Livorno, Italy by Cesare Barontini. The name "Aldo Velani" is fictional, created for marketing only. The pipes used to be distributed by Lane Limited, although they sold off all their inventory at rock bottom prices in the late 1990s. The Barontini family has been making pipes since 1890; it was in 1955 that Cesare took over the reins from his father Bruno. Today the company is still run by Cesare's daughters, Silvia and Barbara. Today, Aldo Velanis are carried by a number of shops and range in price from $60 for inexpensive rustics up to $250 for straightgrains.
This particular piece is a near-mint smooth natural half-bent poker. The pipe has a very light stain with no fills (albeit a few sandspots) and fantastic crosscut birdseye grain. Although this one was made back in the 1990s, a pipe like this today would probably list out somewhere around $150 or so, which is a great price for a pipe with this quality of wood. This pipe is lightly smoked and in overall excellent condition.
Markings read: Aldo Velani, 100, ITALY. The original stem has the AV logo. Measurements: 5 1/2" long, bowl is just about 1 1/2" wide and 1 7/8" tall. The pipe weighs 49 grams. About a Dunhill group 5 in capacity.
Condition:
9.5 out of 10. Really fantastic condition overall. Issues are minor: A smattering of small handling marks, a couple tiny dings on the outer rim at the 10 o'clock position, and some slight rounding around the inner rim edge. That’s it. All cleaned up and ready to go.
SORRY, THIS PIPE DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR OUR 15 DAY "SMOKE AND RETURN" GUARANTEE FOR SELECT ESTATE PIPES, but CAN be returned, unused, within seven days. For more information, please see our "Return Policy" page.
