Cellini

Cellini, or better, the Cellini Pipe Shop was located in the heart of downtown Chicago, Illinois. Ideally for those who liked short ways, Cellini was next door to Zimmerman's Liquor Store. The company got it's start in the early 1930's aided by a friendship between Elliott Silber and Tracy Mincer who went for Custom-Bilt fame in 1934.

Elliot Silber made Cellini a full service Pipe and Tobacco Shop offering tobacco blends and a complete line of accessories as well as an extensive and varied line of pipes ranging from Indian Peace Pipes to porcelain, cherrywoods, meerschaums and hefty sculptured freehands. The Catalogues were nearly 100 pages long - NO cigars! NO cigarettes! - just pipes and pipe-related products! Cellini Pipes have Good Collectible value of their own commanding good prices on auctions today, developing somewhat of a Cult Following among Collectors.

Although Cellini offered a variety of brands by other makers, their primary business was selling their own pipes made in their Chicago factory! Silber, who is said to have made pipes himself once upon a time, employed his own pipemakers (with "Pimo" being the most recognizable name). They were collectively known as the "Victory Pipe Craftsmen". (Victory Pipe Craftsmen Inc. was the actual corporate name for "Cellini of Chicago") The most important pipemaker there was Primo Polidori.

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Many early pipes made by the Victory Pipe Craftsmen bear Tracy Mincer’s Influence - the widely known peculiar Custom-Bilt carvings. The Craftsmen also made unbelievably beautiful freehands in superior quality in virtually every shape and finish. If you can find an Old Cellini Freehand, you've discovered something special. These Pipes are One-of-a-Kind Pipes and were typically made-to-order for Chicago's High-Profile Clients. The usual stamping read "Cellini" (in script) + "ORIGINAL" (in capital block letters). Though many pipes were stamped only with the name "Cellini." The name was also coined on metal shank ferrules.

The Cellini Pipe Shop survived the death of it's founder not for long closing in the early 1980's. This ended a significant chapter in American pipemaking history. Elliot Silber's son Stuart is still liquidating the residue of the shop's inventory. All those interested should be aware that some of the Cellini Pipes seen on today's online auctions are flawed or rejected pipes that were not offered for sale while the company was in operation. Be sure to Ask the seller to distinguish their pipe from the Latter.

Cellini is used by Brebbia mainly for one of a kind freehands. Calling Cellini a Brebbia second, as frequently heard, seems fairly inadequate.

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