Bjarne Nielsen Signature Grade (B) Smooth Poker with Bamboo and Briar (Unsmoked Estate)

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. This is because Bjarne’s “Signature” grades were made far less frequently than their non-Signature counterparts, and because they were made by individual artisans from among the highest echelons of Danish pipe making. These included Tonni Nielsen and Jes Phillip Vigen Gertsen, aka Ph. Vigen.

This one is a “B” grade Bjarne Nielsen, the third-highest rank attainable for such pipes, no doubt in part earned by its remarkable bird’s-eye and cross-grain patterns. As for which pipe maker crafted it, that’s difficult to know for certain, though I do notice that the very particular design of the pipe’s bamboo and briar shank extension is exactly the kind Ph. Vigen employed in his independent works.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Some small scratches on the rim, though nothing major,

Details:

Length: 6.9″ / 175.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.52″ / 38.60mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g