Ben Wade (Preben Holm) Royal Grain Magnum Smooth Freehand Sitter (Unsmoked 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.

As mentioned in our recent newsletters, this is one of a significant number of unsmoked Preben Holm pipes that came through our trade-in program recently. A few of those have already been snapped up by our most devoted newsletter readers (don’t forget to sign up if you haven’t already), though there are more to come.

Preben Holm’s pipes were famous for their freeform shaping and exemplary graining—that’s essentially why he achieved the level of renown that he did—though it appears that, when making pipes for Lane Ltd.’s Ben Wade make, certain lines were created for pipes with even finer briar patterns than usual.

As with the Straight Grain seen in a few recent listings, the Royal Grain stands out as an example of such a line. Both were comprised of beautiful pipes, though from what I’ve seen, the Straight Grain wore a deep, golden contrast stain, whereas the Royal Grain was distinguished by a much lighter, more natural finish. As was typical of both, this particular Royal Grain is a genuine magnum of a pipe, with a striking amount of heft. For those who may feel intimidated by such a briar, fear not—it will sit comfortably, in its own distinct way, when the situation requires it.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 8.2″ / 208.2mm

Bowl Width: 1.22 / 30.98mm

Bowl Depth: 2.17″ / 55.11mm

Weight: 4.7oz / 134g