Max Schulte Smooth Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, American Estates [SOLD OUT]

Description

Schulte’s was an American pipe tobacconist, located in New Jersey in the second half of the 20th century. Like many pipe stores, Schulte’s sold house brand pipes, but unlike most pipe stores, many of these house brand pipes were made by the store’s owner, Max Schulte. Similarly to a few other American pipe tobacconists, like Boswell’s, Schulte himself would divide his time between sales and both restoring and making pipes, during which time he served as a teacher in the craft to a young Jack H. Weinberger.

While Denmark may have given the world the ‘freehand’ as we know it, it wasn’t long before Americans were giving the Danes a run for their money. Max Schulte belonged to a great tradition of American freehand carvers, which still continues today in the work of notable figures such as Tim West and Randy Wiley. This one is a rugged, but still very beautiful, freehand, one that has carefully been shaped to follow the tight, angel-hair straight grain of the briar used. As per tradition, it has a natural, plateau rim – as well as a plateau shank end, and it also has a nice, spot-carved patch at the bowl’s fore in the shape of what appears to be a tobacco plant.

The condition is near-mint. There are a couple of what appear to be minor handling marks on the pipe’s underside, but I don’t see anything that needs highlighting from where I’m standing You’ll be able to judge for yourself from the pictures.

 

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.98 / 24.89mm

Bowl Depth: 1.84″ / 46.73mm

Weight: 2.2oz / 64g