2015 Vermont Freehand Norse Dog Sandblasted Rhodesian Estate Briar Pipe, American Estates

Description

America’s Vermont Freehand is well-known to pipe-makers, by virtue of it being a trusted supplier of the largest range of pipe-making materials currently available at any one place. Vermont Freehand’s owner, Steve Norse, is also a respected artisan pipe-maker, though due to his busy schedule running VF’s supply operations, his own pipes are produced very infrequently.

Though I think this pipe was manufactured in a limited run by Todd Johnson and Pete Prevost’s BriarWorks, it is nonetheless very fitting that it was designed by Steve Norse, of all people. To understand this, some backstory is required, which I will liberally copy from a previous Tristan Lefebvre listing.

One of the godfathers of the Scandinavian pipe-making tradition was a man named Bo Nordh. It has long been established consensus that Nordh was among the greatest pioneers in modern pipe-making history, and his innovative designs, such as the Ramses, the Elephant’s Foot, and the Nautilus, soon became the staples of artisan pipe-making that they are today. One design that took far longer to catch on, however, was Nordh’s distinct interpretation of traditional bulldog shapes. Thanks to the efforts of Swedish masters Sara and Love Geiger, Nordh’s design was rescued from time, finding new life among the contemporary handmade scene under the name “BoDog.” Steve Norse followed the Geigers in producing his own interpretation, which is the “Norse Dog” we see here. Personally, I love a good play on words, and the fact that an American named Norse (“Norse” being a shorthand for Scandinavian) created a pipe design honoring a legendary Swede, and that this Swede’s own name, Nordh, is the etymological root of the English “Norse” is just perfect. It’s also a fantastic pipe, and a real shame that so few of them were made.

-J.M.

 

The condition is great. Some rim darkening, but nothing major. More of the darkening may come off with a thorough scrubbing, but as I always say, I myself prefer to apply a light touch when cleaning sandblast and rusticated finishes, leaving any further work to the buyer’s preference.

 

Details:

Length: 4.8″ / 121.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.70 / 17.78mm

Bowl Depth: 1.26″ / 32.00mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g