Ben Wade Danish Pride Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked [SOLD]

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 good as they smoked. Owing to Holm’s untimely passing, his pipes are even more highly sought after than they were during his lifetime.

It is remarkably uncommon to come across an unsmoked Preben Holm. Something about them just begs to be filled with a bowl of one’s favorite blend. It is also very uncommon to come across a Holm with its original box – though that applies to all pipes, especially ones as old as this one. This is the second that arrived on my desk today, and it’s quite something. To add to the list of rarities it embodies, virgin stains like this one are very much atypical for Preben Holm pipes, and as this one has been kept so carefully over the decades, it might just be the lightest-stained one I’ve yet seen. I suppose you could even call it Holm’s version of a Dunhill Tanshell, albeit with a few smooth sections to show off the briar’s straight grain. As with the Tanshell, I imagine this one will patina a little over time, as its new owner puts it to use. That’ll be something to behold.

As stated, this pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating to help with the break-in process. It also comes with its original box.

 

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.94 / 23.87mm

Bowl Depth: 1.86″ / 47.24mm

Weight: 2.8oz / 80g