Kurt Balleby B Smooth Bent Apple Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Along with figures such as Hans ‘Former’ Nielsen, Anne Julie, and Tom Eltang, Kurt Balleby Hansen is one of the living legends of Danish pipe-making. Balleby celebrated his 40th year in the craft in 2023, having first started as an apprentice to Kai Nielsen and Preben Holm. Owing to a highly selective approach to the briar he uses, and to the over 150 steps involved in making a Balleby pipe, production is limited, and their availability is scarce.

In our recent interview with R. Bear Graves, Bear talked about a particular aspect of Balleby pipes that he liked. That aspect was Balleby’s use of shank under-travel. In other words, where Balleby carves the bowl and shank so that the latter is positioned a little lower in relation to the former than usual, giving the bowl a fuller, rounder form as a result. That’s what’s going on here, and it’s why this distinctly Danish apple looks so organic and – to use Bear’s term – voluptuous. Aside from this, the pipe has unsurprisingly excellent briar, with its plump apple bowl covered in flame grain patterns. As an extra touch, there’s an original, silver dot that Balleby has inlaid on the north-west face of the bowl, presumably fashioned from the same material used for his signature triangular stem logo.

The condition is excellent. There’s a little finish fading on the rim, likely from buffing, but nothing major. The pipe is chambered for 9mm filters as standard, but would also likely accommodate an adapter if its next owner would prefer to use it without a filter.

 

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.4″ / 35.56mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g