Hilson Unicorn Sandblasted Egg w/ Acrylic Estate Briar Pipe, Dutch Estates

Description

Hilson is something of an outlier in the pipe world, in that it is a successful company not from England, Denmark, France, the USA, or indeed any of the countries typically associated with pipe-making. Instead, Hilson is a pipe company that began in Belgium. Hilson was founded by the Hillen family in Bree in the late 19th century and went on to achieve considerable success during the mid-20th, before being bought out by Dutch company Gubbels. Given its geographical location, it should be no surprise that Hilson’s designs bear a mixture of French, German, and Danish influence. Before his passing, legendary artisan Rainer Barbi also designed pipes for the Belgian make. 

Given its use in Hilson’s Fantasia meerschaum pipes, I would expect that the amber-like mount on this Hilson Unicorn is Pipenite, one of the company’s most well known inventions. It adds a nice splash of color to an otherwise reserved color palette, along with a slightly early post-war Danish style quarter-bent egg shaping. Despite its length, it’s very lightweight, which should make it a comfortable clencher.

The condition is fair. Some darkening and slight charring on the rim, and some finish fading.

 

Details:

Length: 6.3″ / 160.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ / 39.37mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g