Ben Wade (Preben Holm) Special Collection 1007 XL Smooth Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

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 the name indicates, Ben Wade’s—or rather, Preben Holm’s—Special Collection pipes were a little out of the ordinary, even for Holm. Usually these pipes were part of exclusive presentation sets, for connoisseurs of the finest freehand pipes one could buy. As with the other Special Collection pipes we’ve seen, this one is exemplary of Holm’s skill and style, being a large, fluted, almost floral freehand in the “Danish Fancy” vein, with excellent grain and only a light finish so as to put the briar’s patterns on full display.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original (slightly time-worn) bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 1.78″ / 45.21mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g