Mike Sebastian Bay Rusticated Hobo Poker Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

It is a happy irony that Mike Sebastian Bay was introduced to pipe-making by breaking one. After dropping his father’s old Peterson and searching for someone to repair it, he visited the workshop of Tom Eltang, whom Bay had briefly met as a child on a family vacation. The Peterson—sadly—could not be saved but, during the long and friendly conversation between the two during the visit, Bay wondered whether he should simply replace the pipe with a new one, and whether he could be the one to make it. Eltang was happy to supply Bay with briar and ebonite and, quickly realizing his potential, invited Bay to take a job in the Eltang workshop. Here, Bay had the opportunity to apprentice directly under Eltang, learning to craft high-grade, handmade pipes, and helping to manufacture the serially produced pipes from the Eltang make. It should be no surprise that these events have led to Bay becoming one of the most acclaimed of the latest generation of Danish artisan pipe-makers.

If the rustication on this pipe from Denmark’s Mike Sebastian Bay looks familiar, that’s because a similar finish is used by Tom Eltang on his own pipes. As a protege of Eltang, Bay was given his teacher’s blessing to borrow that signature finish. Rather than simply adopting Eltang’s rustication style outright, Bay made a few modifications of his own, opting for a lighter, but more aleatory, re-interpretation. The result is something that might be considered halfway between the carvings found on an Eltang pipe (including the Basic pokers, which Bay works with Tom on) and those of the old Sasieni “Rustic” line. As for form, this one is rendered in one of Bay’s own signatures, dubbed the “Hobo Poker.” Like Eltang, Bay has shown a fondness for the functionalist, Anglo-French staples, such as the cutty, the Dublin, and indeed the poker, with Bay’s rendition incorporating something of a tipsy figure, while nevertheless remaining a sturdy sitter.

The condition is great. Some very minor inner rim darkening.

 

Details:

Length: 4.8″ / 121.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.69″ / 42.92mm

Weight: 1.0oz / 30g