Ben Wade Golden Walnut Smooth Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

While Ben Wade was a historic British pipe brand, for a time during the 1970s, production of Ben Wade pipes was contracted out to one of Danish pipe-making’s superstars: Preben Holm. Though he would tragically pass away at the age of 42, Holm was one of the pioneering figures in the ‘Danish design’ movement in 20th century pipe-making, a movement that still dominates the high-grade pipe scene. By hand-shaping his pipes on a belt sander, Holm was able to make the most of the patterns of grain hidden within briar, creating spectacular works of pipe art that looked just as well as they smoked. Owing to Holm’s untimely passing, his pipes are even more highly sought after than they were during his lifetime.

This particular Ben Wade is a large and beautifully grained offering from Preben Holm’s workshop. The Golden Walnut contrast stain works especially well at bringing out the pipe’s straight grain and bird’s-eye patterns – the latter, I suspect, being the reason that this pipe’s plateau is oriented at the shank end and not at the rim. It is also distinctly broad chambered. I expect it will smoke ribbon and mixture cuts like a dream.

The condition is very good. Some inner rim darkening.

 

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 167.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.99 / 25.14mm

Bowl Depth: 1.7″ / 43.18mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g