In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mike Butera emerged as a pioneer in American pipe making. He was, perhaps, the first American carver whose pipes were as celebrated and sought after as those produced in Europe. In many respects, Butera helped to found the American school of artisanal pipe making. Unlike the more recent generation of American pipe makers who've primarily been guided by Danish and Japanese aesthetics, Butera found inspiration in the neo-classicism of the Italian pipe making tradition. Prized for their simplicity, smoking qualities, and excellence of grain, Butera pipes are often a rarity on the estate market.