Preben Holm Fancy 200 Extra Large Smooth Freehand Volcano with Ebonite Ferrule (Estate)

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 also happened to be exceptional smokers. Holm’s work was so popular, in fact, that he not only put out pipes under numerous makes (such as Wengholt, Monte Verdi, Rungsted), but was also contracted by pipe shops and companies around the world to make pipes for them. Dunhill had Holm produce pipes for the Harcourt make, and Lane Ltd.’s Charatan had him make Ben Wade pipes, at a time when Charatan itself was already at the pinnacle of its freehand output. All of this was achieved in the span of around 25 years, before Holm’s untimely passing, and his pipes remain firm favorites among casual pipe smokers and die-hard collectors to this day.

One of the names originally associated with the Scandinavian freehand movement was the “fancy,” or the “Danish fancy.” This term was largely used to denote pipes that we today would simply call “freehands,” not unlike the Nording Freehand lines that dominate the genre today, though not exclusively. Additionally, the word “fancy” did not first arise from the Danish language but was a borrowing from English, particularly as a descriptor of something “modern.” Early catalogs from contemporaneous Danish workshops, for example, separated their most unconventional shapes from their regular (though still very “Danish”) shapes by referring to the former as “Fancy.” The notion of the Danish Fancy evolved over time, becoming more synonymous with the contemporary “freehand,” likely in part to the sheer force Preben Holm’s name carried in Danish pipe making.

This particular Fancy is most certainly a freehand, though perhaps most striking is just how much it prefigures currents in more contemporary pipe making. Essentially it’s a somewhat freeform volcano rendition, wherein the block used was “inverted” from its typical positioning so as to allow the grain to flow down and out, rather than up and out. But, those familiar with late 20th century Danish and Danish-American pipe making might note its similarity to distinct shaping trends as far as volcanoes go. One might even say it has something of the “samurai” to it.

The condition is good. Some rim darkening and finish fading, and chamber slightly over-reamed.

Details:

Length: 8.5″ / 215.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.98 / 24.89mm

Bowl Depth: 2.17″ / 55.11mm

Weight: 3.3oz / 94g