Mauro Cateni
- Hypothesis 1: Mauro Cateni is a natural person!
According to some unconfirmed reports of "eyewitnesses" a shy manikin stood around on some European pipe shows and fairs (where?) at the end of the 1980's / early 1990's humbly offering his pipes. This person, so they claim, was a new Italian pipemaker named Mauro Cateni.
Now, these sighting messages are contradicted by the fact that obviously no person, who is somehow involved in the Italian pipe scene, ever saw a Mauro Cateni pipe in Italy. Let alone personally knows this Mauro Cateni. More than strange! Especially, if one considers the circumstances at that time: yet there was no internet, no pipe forum or newsgroup, no eBbay... Shouldn't a new and aspiring Italian pipemaker have tried to sell his first pipes locally in his own country? Consequently: large doubts about the actual existence of a living pipemaker Mauro Cateni.
- Hypothesis 2: Some major pipe manufacturer permitted himself a joke!
Perhaps in order to test the acceptance of a second brand, that comes along disguised as "emerging Italian pipe maker"?
This hypothesis seems to be more favorable because the bulk of the MC pipes predominantly shows classical forms that point at the usage of mechanically pre-turned bowls. Furthermore, many pieces are sand blasted... Hardly a handful of all the Italian pipe artisans working solo at that time possessed a blasting facility!
- Conclusion:
Many Mauro Cateni pipes display quite shameless putty fillings. So it is hard to believe that someone might have thought he might carve himself a good reputation with such pipes. Even harder to believe that an acknowledged pipemaker would have taken the risk to ruin his reputation offering such putty monsters! (Even though these pipes received many friendly critics on their overall workmanship and smoking abilities.)
Generally speaking, the Italian pipe making scene offers such a wealth of good to very good to excellent pipes that there is really no need to spend money on a more or less obscure "Mauro Cateni".
I am not of the opinion of these comments. over a long period as a pipe collector at least 50 pipes of this brand went through my hands. Not a single one was "shameless putty filled". Most of these pipes with a good grain, sometimes very fine straight grain, stem mostly hand-cut. No exceptional pipes but worth to look for. Mostly not expensive. I can´t understand the comments written above.