Ben Wade (Preben Holm) Matt Original XL Smooth Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

While Ben Wade was a historic British pipe brand, for a time during the 1970s, production of Ben Wade pipes was contracted out to one of Danish pipe-making’s superstars: Preben Holm. Though he would tragically pass away at the age of 42, 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. Owing to Holm’s untimely passing, his pipes are even more highly sought after than they were during his lifetime.

The Matt Original was one of a series of individual lines made for Ben Wade by Preben Holm, each of which wore a matte finish. The Matt Original was the closest to a matte finish one might find outside of the pipe world, with a subdued, yet still quite prominent, contrast finish blending hues of brown, black, and smoky grey. The result is a distinctly mottled appearance, one which rewards closer inspection with a veritable forest of tightly-knit root fibers.

The condition is very good. Some darkening of the inner rim and slight handling marks.

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 1.09 / 27.68mm

Bowl Depth: 2.19″ / 55.62mm

Weight: 3.1oz / 90g