Brian Ruthenberg 2011 Natural Sandblasted Brandy Estate Briar Pipe, American Estates

Description

Though he has—since I last checked—not made pipes for many years, Brian Ruthenberg was, for a long time, one of America’s premier artisans, and his pipes remain firm favorites among smokers and collectors of high-grade pipes to this day. Prior to becoming a pipe maker, Ruthenberg was a machinist and tool maker, a career he credited with teaching him the value of precision as a pipe maker. Aside from his prior experience in engineering and the practical arts, Ruthenberg’s development as a pipe maker was further influenced by advice and time spent with figures such as Lee Von Erck, Robert Vacher, and Michael Lindner. Soon enough, Ruthernberg was well on his way to becoming a big name in pipes. Some of his very first works, for example, were entered in competitions, like the annual Pipes & Tobaccos Magazine Pipe Carving Contest, receiving acclaim and, in some instances, winning top prizes. Owing to health issues, it appears that Ruthenberg stepped away from pipe making in the mid-2010s, with the result being that the 100-150 pipes pipes that were made during each year of his tenure becoming highly sought after.

This one happens to be among Ruthenberg’s signature designs, a slightly Danish, but still very distinctive brandy rendition. Decidedly bulbous in a manner that leans closer to the works of pioneering artisan Ib Loran than many of the Danes that followed, the pipe is dressed in a craggy, natural sandblast, exposing deep valleys of ring grain around its bowl, and is fitted with a cumberland mouthpiece, utilizing one of Ruthenberg’s signature, half-saddle cuts.

The condition is good. Some wear to the rim and slight finish fading. The pipe comes with its original sleeve and presentation case.

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.91 / 23.11mm

Bowl Depth: 1.56″ / 39.62mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 62g