Stanwell SSM 97 Sandblasted Hex Shank Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Stanwell is one of Denmark’s most celebrated and enduring pipe companies, having been founded by Poul Nielsen shortly after the second world war. Over the last six decades, Stanwell has established itself as both a leader in innovative Danish design and for producing well-priced pipes with precision construction and engineering. Many of its designs were created for the company by iconic pipe-makers in the Scandinavian scene, such as Sixten Ivarsson, Anne Julie, Jess Chonowitsch, and Tom Eltang.

It has been a tradition for many years now for Stanwell to provide pipes for the many slow-smoking competitions that take place across Denmark. This is why some Stanwells can be found with initials such as “SM,” “DM,” or, as with this one, “SSM.” The “M” stands for “mesterskab,” which is Danish for “championship”; the “SS,” on the other hand, should (and Danes, please correct me if I’m wrong), refer to South Zealand, known natively as Syd Sjælland, or simply Sydsjælland. The shape of this one is quite interesting. Long time visitors to MBSD Pipes will know that Stanwell frequently omits shape codes from its competition pipes, leading to a guessing game as to which exactly it is. There are a couple of candidates for this one, those being the 190 and the 208, both hexagonal shank models designed by Tom Eltang. However, as the 208 was released as part of the Sixtus series, and as I’m fairly certain that did not debut until the early 2000s, this particular pipe, from 1997, is almost guaranteed to be a 190.

The condition is fair. Rim charring, finish fading, and general handling marks, but the pipe will nonetheless make for a great looking workhorse—especially given that it weighs under an ounce!

 

Details:

Length: 5″ / 127.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.32″ / 33.52mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 26g