Ben Wade (Preben Holm) Danish Hand Model 700 Magnum Smooth Freehand (Estate)

Though he would tragically pass away at the age of 42, Preben Holm was one of the pioneering figures in the “Danish design” movement in 20th century pipe-making – a movement that still dominates the high-grade pipe scene. By hand-shaping his pipes on a belt sander, Holm was able to make the most of the patterns of grain hidden within briar, creating spectacular works of pipe art that looked just as good as they smoked. Even Herman Lane, owner of Lane Ltd. and Charatan during the 1960s and 1970s, was so impressed by Holm that he contracted the Danish artisan to carve pipes under his newly-acquired Ben Wade make, despite simultaneously stewarding the meteoric rise of English-made freehand pipes through Charatan). Today, Holm’s pipes remain highly sought-after, perhaps even more so than when he was still alive, to the extent that even the historic—and, originally, very English—Ben Wade name is difficult to separate from Holm’s work.

If I remember right, the Hand Model was originally a Ben Wade line made by Charatan, after Herman Lane had purchased the latter to serve as a Charatan sub-brand. The Danish Hand Model, on the other hand, was something else entirely. It was one of the many lines made for Lane by Preben Holm, with each representing Holm’s distinctly Danish approach to pipe design.

This particular pipe is a magisterial example of the Danish Hand Model line, though I must confess that its appearance is the cause of a little embarrassment on my part. Based on what I had read, and on the countless pipes that I had handled, prior to this one’s arrival, I had always thought that the highest grades within the Danish Hand Model series were the “600” and the “800.” Pipes are bittersweet in that way; just when you think you’ve seen it all, you stumble across something new from the vast, as-yet undocumented space of pipe making history. I must apologize for my misplaced certainty in that regard. The “600” was not the penultimate rung on the ladder for the Danish Hand Model—that was the “700,” seen here in all of its glory.

The condition is good. Some inner rim darkening and minor scratches on the bowl. This pipe comes with its original presentation case.

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 1.08 / 27.43mm

Bowl Depth: 1.83″ / 46.48mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g