Nording Hand Made 19 Silver Cap Facet Canadian Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates [SOLD OUT]

Description

Nørding was founded by Erik Nørding in the 1960s, and is one of the oldest remaining companies to come out of the Scandinavian pipe-making renaissance that began in the mid-20th century. Now in his 80s, Erik Nørding is one of the most experienced and skilled pipe-makers in the world, and over the decades he has also been a teacher of other Danish masters, such as Poul Ilsted, Svend Axel Celius, Jens Tao Nielsen, Peder Jeppesen, and Søren Erik Andersen.

This pipe is from Nording’s Hand Made series. A little backstory is required to best understand it. As Erik has been making pipes since the 1950s, being part of the first wave of post-war Danish carvers, and because he has along the way built a sizable company, many contemporary Nording pipes are made by his apprentices. The Hand Made series, on the other hand, are entirely Erik’s work, from stummel to stem. These pipes are also graded from 11 to 20, with 11 being the entry grade, and 20 being the absolute highest. This pipe is a grade 19, so it is the second-highest offered. When I first saw it, it actually reminded me of the Nording pipes that used to be sold in Europe, especially Germany, which tend to be even better than the ones we get in the United States (and, consequently, far more expensive). The gentleman who sold it to us through our trade-in program confirmed as much. I must visit Germany again sometime and see for myself…

The pipe is exquisite. I suppose it could be called a faceted Liverpool, or Canadian, but it is more of a shape unto itself, one quite reminiscent of the stylings of one of Erik’s former apprentices, Poul Ilsted. It has beautiful, straight grain, emphasized by a very natural stain, as well as a black and amber-toned split stem and a silver cap to ensure that its superior briar is not disturbed by a careless flame.

The condition is near-mint. There are one or two very minor handling marks, but that’s it. It’s a very special pipe, and its previous owner treated it as such.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.86″ / 47.24mm

Weight: 2.6oz / 76g