Peter Brakner Magnum Long Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Peter Brakner (né Micklson) was one of the godfathers of the Danish pipe-making movement that emerged in the mid-20th century. He began his career at Suhr’s Pibemageri, a pipe workshop whose foreman at the time was Sixten Ivarsson. There he also met Poul Rasmussen, who took over as foreman after Ivarsson departed. Along with Ivarsson and Rasmussen, Brakner was one of the first pipe-makers to sell their pipes through W.Ø. Larsen. It is thanks to pipe-makers like Brakner that the ‘Danish style’ achieved the fame and commercial success that would ultimately make it what it is today, though sadly Brakner’s sudden, early death meant that he would not live to see this legacy in full bloom.

Believe me when I say that this is one of the most interesting pipes to have ever landed on my desk. Brakner pipes are far from common, and even less so in good shape. This pipe is both. But that’s not the only interesting thing about it; it is also extraordinarily large, in addition to being a very early, 1950s offering from one of the godfathers of the Danish movement. If you’ve seen the first WO Larsen catalogs, in which the first Danish pipes sold were those of Brakner, Ivarsson, and Rasmussen, you’ll note that Brakner’s inclusions are among the longest, with this length to a great extent being the result of the size of their stems. The pipe features Brakner’s signature micro-rustication, being stained in the lesser-seen tan hue he used alongside his near-black finishes.

The condition is great, there is some finish fading, but overall it has been remarkably preserved, even holding onto its stem inlay (which, in my experience, tend to disappear from many Brakner estates).

 

Details:

Length: 10.2″ / 259.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 2.16″ / 54.86mm

Weight: 3.6oz / 104g