Bjarne Nielsen Signature Grade AX Smooth Apple w/ Bamboo Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Bjarne Nielsen was one of the towering figures of Danish pipe-making until his passing in 2008. As the founder of Bjarne, Nielsen employed talented pipe-makers from Denmark to produce distinctly Danish pipes and sold them to a devoted international audience. Among those in his employ were figures such as Mogens Johansen (also known as Johs), Ph. Vigen, Ole Bandholm and Tonni Nielsen. Though Bjarne pipes are no longer manufactured, they are still in good demand by those who enjoy well-made pipes in the tradition of Danish design.

While the company was still operational, Bjarne pipes were divided into two main categories: the workshop’s standard output, stamped “BJARNE,” and the workshop’s higher-end output, stamped “Bjarne Nielsen.” All of them were Bjarne pipes; all of them were made under the direction of Bjarne Nielsen himself; and all of them were excellent Danish pipes. But Bjarne Nielsen pipes were a little more special. Somewhat like W.O. Larsen and its Straight Grain and Birds Eyes grades, Bjarne’s “Signature” grades were made in their entirety by individual artisans from among the highest echelons of Danish pipe making. These included Tonni Nielsen and Jes Phillip Vigen Gertsen, also known as Ph. Vigen. Again, much like W.O. Larsen, Signature grade pipes were also often subdivided into additional grades. Where this was the case, an alphabetical system was used, purportedly beginning with a Signature grade “J” and increasing in grain quality and craftsmanship (and, of course, price), as one moved up the alphabet. Hence an “I” grade was higher than a “J,” an “H” higher than an “I,” and so on, until one got to “A.” One might presume that “A” was the highest grade, being the first letter of the alphabet, but there was, as it happens, one more: the “AX.” The “AX” could be considered analogous to the W.O. Larsen Pearl, being the pinnacle of Bjarne’s already ultra-high-end Signature grade pipes. This one is a beautifully grained, tall, full bent apple, with much of that height lent to it by a shank extension cut from vulcanite and bamboo. As a nice touch, the bowl, extension, and mouthpiece can be disassembled into three parts, making this Danish treasure much easier to keep pristine.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Some slight handling marks, and a slightly flaked bowl coating, though nothing major by any stretch.

Details:

Length: 7.3″ / 185.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.33″ / 33.78mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 66g