Preben Holm Hallmark H-2 Smooth Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

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 looked just as good as they smoked. Owing to Holm’s untimely passing, his pipes are even more highly sought after than they were during his lifetime.

As mentioned in a recent newsletter, this is one of the many unsmoked Preben Holm pipes that came through our trade-in program recently. A few of those have already been snapped up by our most devoted newsletter readers (don’t forget to sign up if you haven’t already), though there are plenty more to come.

Though he always made freehands, Preben Holm made many different kinds of freehand pipes. Some were very rugged and rustic, while others, such as his Traditional or Designer series, were a little more subdued, and softer in form. Some pipes from Holm’s workshop were graded, while others were not. Grading seems to have been a practice reserved for the higher-end pipes produced there, such as the Nobel Prize, the Private Collection, and indeed the Hallmark pipe series, seen here. Furthermore, of the Preben Holm pipes that were graded, only the Hallmark shares the same four-tiered grade structure as the former. This, along with the extravagant nature of the designs in the Hallmark series, has led to speculation that the series was solely Holm’s own handiwork, just as the Nobel Prize and Private Collection were.

In the case of this one, the design is a slight departure from many of the Hallmarks I’ve previously encountered. While it is, like those others, a beautifully crafted sitter with the same hallmark plateaux at its base rather than its rim, it’s also decidedly floral, with a rim that seems to unfurl like the petals of a calla lily. As with Holm’s other high-grades, the grain is excellent, with the briar appearing as though it was merely putty in his hands. Then again, with Holm’s high-grades, that’s a given.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original (slightly time-worn) box and sleeve.

Details:

Length: 8.3″ / 210.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.94 / 23.87mm

Bowl Depth: 1.93″ / 49.02mm

Weight: 3.3oz / 94g