Stanwell Aarhus 2005 Smooth Bent Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

Stanwell is one of Denmark’s most celebrated and enduring pipe companies, having been founded by Poul Nielsen shortly after the second world war. Over the last six decades, Stanwell has established itself as both a leader in innovative Danish design and for producing well-priced pipes with precision construction and engineering. Many of its designs were created for the company by iconic pipe-makers in the Scandinavian scene, such as Sixten Ivarsson, Anne Julie, Jess Chonowitsch, and Tom Eltang.

I knew there was something different about this Stanwell when I first saw it. And it’s probably not you think. Yes, it has impressive flame grain; yes, it has a brass plaque engraved with the name of the Danish city of Aarhus (Danish: Århus) and the year 2005; it also has a brass trim and a brass Stanwell “S” logo, which was, at the time this one was made, reserved for Stanwell’s high end offerings. All of these quirks can be explained by knowing that it is a “city pipe,” made for an event in Aarhus, one of Denmark’s pipe smoking and pipe-making capitals. The truly interesting part about the pipe, however, is in a very subtle detail: the shape of the stem. The pipe is ostensibly Stanwell’s shape 139, which is stamped on the right side of the shank. It is a bent billiard, or bent egg (depending on how you look at it) designed for Stanwell by Jess Chonowitsch. But the 139, which is still produced, has a tapered stem, whereas this one has a saddle. In the past (decades ago), Stanwell did sometimes alternate their stem types on certain shapes, but never for this one—at least not that I’m aware of. I see no indication that the stem is a replacement, which leads to the fascinating conclusion that, just for this event, Stanwell gave the 139 a new stem design.

The condition is fair. Some darkening and charring on the rim, but nonetheless it remains a great looking, and very curious, pipe. As the pipe is from 2005, it’s a Danish production Stanwell, from the Borup factory.

 

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.70 / 17.78mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 40g