Sandblasted Poker (Four Clubs) Tobacco Pipe

The characteristic flattened heel of the Poker shape makes it difficult — impossible, even — for the design to showcase the pointed style of heel that often defines the work of Federico Becker. That said, this rendition features a slight slant at the bowl's fore, angling the rim and calling to mind Federico's Dublin iterations, albeit on a more subtle level. Elsewhere, the Italian artisan's streamlined aesthetic is on display in the sleek, arrow straight nature of the shank and tapered stem, off-shooting from the lower bowl to allow the aft line of the bowl to extended impliedly through the transition and into the heel. We've seen several Pokers from Becker fashioned from strawberry wood and dark-stained. This one, however, is rendered from briar, with a low-profile yet concise pattern of blasted ring and straight grain, all showcasing a virgin finish that will patinate with time and use to better match the warm hues of the cumberland stem.