Hans Former Nielsen Extra Large Army Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, 9mm, Danish Estates

Description

A pioneer and undisputed master of Danish artisan pipe-making, Hans ‘Former’ Nielsen began his career, aged 15, repairing pipes for Poul Rasmussen at Suhr’s Pibemageri. Later, Former was referred to the W.O. Larsen workshop by Rasmussen, where – after an examination by Sven Knudsen, who had designed many early Larsen models – he was recruited as a fully-fledged pipe-maker. Within his 10 years at Larsen, Former rose to the rank of workshop supervisor, having his own apprentices of the likes of Teddy Knudsen and Tonni Nielsen. In the years since, Former’s primary output has been high-grade handmade pipes – with 2019 marking his 60th anniversary in the craft.

While Danish master carvers are often associated with novel, or even outlandish, pipe shapes, it’s important to remember that the reason these people are masters is not simply because they can pull off one design or another. Rather, they are masters in large part because they are versatile. If we look at Sixten Ivarsson, Jess Chonowitsch, Erik Nording, or the S. Bang workshop, we find a great variety of shapes, from traditional pots to the modern cobra. The same goes for Hans “Former” Nielsen. You’ll find Former swans, eggs, brandies, and Arnes that are distinctly Danish, but you’ll also find apples, Lovats, and – as seen here – army mount billiards – with the single defining property being near-unmatched quality in their construction. This particular pipe is one of the largest Formers I’ve encountered up close and is, as mentioned, essentially an army mount billiard in the traditional mold. It does break from tradition in some ways, though. One is the grain quality, with straight grain patterns that are very rare within the bounds of traditional, factory pipe-making methods; another is the more rounded constitution of the bowl, giving it an almost stretched-egg appearance; and another is the size of the bowl, which is already large, but slightly taller in respect to the rest of the pipe, leading the overall design into stack, or chimney, territory.

The condition is great. There’s some inner rim darkening and a small patch of char on the very lip of the rim, but nothing major. This pipe is chambered for 9mm filters as standard, coming to us from a consignor in Europe, but will fit an adapter if the next owner prefers their pipes without filters. If you’re interested and prefer that option, please get in touch. We should be able to provide a complimentary one, stock permitting.

 

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 2.12″ / 53.84mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g