Bjarne Handmade Hillerod Pipen Brandy Estate Briar Pipe

Description

Bjarne Nielsen was one of the towering figures of Danish pipe-making until his passing in 2008. As the founder of Bjarne, Nielsen employed talented pipe-makers from Denmark to produce distinctly Danish pipes and sold them to a devoted international audience. Among those in his employ were figures such as Mogens Johansen (also known as Johs), Ph. Vigen, Ole Bandholm and Tonni Nielsen. Though Bjarne pipes are no longer manufactured, they are still in good demand by those who enjoy well-made pipes in the tradition of Danish design.

This isn’t your average Bjarne. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – Bjarne pipes are great – but this one doesn’t look as ‘Danish’ as might be expected, at least on first glance. It is, after all, essentially a brandy billiard in the English-French mold. Upon closer inspection, you realize it it isn’t entirely classical. For one thing, it looks like it’s been hand-shaped, rather than having been turned from more traditional pipe-making machinery. It is rare that straight grain this good comes from pipe-making the old ways. It also has a distinct, “pinched” stem that is kind of reminiscent of the Sasieni fantail, but is closer to the Jobey Pinch series, or early Stanwell designs. Judging by the silver plaque, which references Hillerød (a town in Denmark), the pipe will have been made for a special occasion of some sort, whether for a slow-smoking competition there, or for an event at a Hillerød tobacconist.

The condition is great. There’s a little rim darkening, but I wouldn’t call it an issue.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.58″ / 40.13mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g