Ben Wade Royal Grain Smooth Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

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.

Preben Holm’s various series are often pretty difficult to distinguish. At this point I’ve seen what seems like dozens of them. But, what I have noticed is that, if the series name references grain, it’s going to be a pretty impressive pipe. This one doesn’t disappoint, and the series name “Royal Grain,” doesn’t lie. The bowl is covered in straight grain and flame grain from base to rim, while the rim itself is a ring of bird’s-eye patterns. The addition of a hexagonal, paneled shank is an interesting and welcome addition to the overall design, too.

The condition is very good. Some rim darkening, concentrated mostly at the rear lip.

 

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.89 / 22.60mm

Bowl Depth: 1.54″ / 39.11mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g