Ben Wade Royal Danish Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates [SOLD OUT]

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 is an excellent example of the kinds of pipes put out by the Holm workshop. The briar has been shaped in a way that not only brings out the best of its natural grain patterns, but has also been contoured with beautiful furls and folds that one would not ordinarily expect to be possible with wood. The bowl has been left as partially bare plateau and the stem is typical of the Danish fancy approach. It is an especially large piece that still somehow manages to pull off everything mentioned. Given how fickle briar can be, this pipe may well be considered a paragon of the freehand movement – and of pipe-making in general.

As for its condition, it is generally excellent, however we must note that the bottom of the pipe has some scuffs, as well as what appears to have been a repair where one of the edges of the design was previously chipped (highlighted in red). This would not impair the pipe’s smoking properties at all and, being at its very underside, it is not especially noticeable. But we would be remiss if we did not mention these things. The pipe has been priced accordingly.

 

Details:

Length: 7.6″

Bowl Width: 23.9mm

Bowl Depth: 1.8″

Weight: 3.9oz / 113g