Preben Holm Traditional Private Collection D 808 Smooth Freehand Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

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.

Preben Holm’s workshop made many different series and ranges of pipes, with these pipes being in various styles and finishes. Some of these pipes were made by Holm himself, but many were also made by his highly skilled apprentices, such as Poul Winslow. Identifying pipes made by Holm himself is not an easy task, but there are pipes that can be identified with absolute certainly as being Holm’s own work. For his mature period (1970s-1980s), we know that only Holm made his highest-grade pipes, and we know that the 2% of these pipes qualified to be part of Holm’s special “Private Collection” series.
Within the Private Collection series there were, furthermore, four possible grades that a pipe could attain,* though the markings used to denote these grades varied based on when the pipe was made. For example, a Private Collection could be, in ascending order, an A grade, a B, a C, or a D. These exact same graduations were, at other times, denoted by 101, 202, 404, or 808. And, at other times, both the alphabetical and numerical system was used in tandem, as in the case of this pipe. Perhaps most interestingly, at least in the case of this type, is that there was an additional designation used for Private Collection pipes whose designs were less in the vein of the “Danish Fancy” freehand genre, and closer to “traditional” briars, albeit through a distinctly Danish lens. These pipes were, quite intuitively, grouped under the umbrella of the “Traditional Private Collection.”

Thus, here we have an example of the absolute zenith of Preben Holm’s work (a Private Collection D/808 grade), that is also a rare example of what Holm thought a more “traditional” ultra-high-grade pipe should look like. There are striking parallels between this pipe and some of the Dublin renditions made by notable W.O. Larsen alumni, such as Teddy Knudsen, though perhaps more than anything, it further demonstrates that Holm could make just about anything if he put his mind to it.

The condition is excellent. The draft hole is very clean, to the point where I wondered if the slight darkening of the inner rim was just excess bowl coating. I’ve listed and priced it as lightly smoked just to err on the side of caution This pipe comes with its original (slightly time-worn) box and special, Private Collection sleeve.

*At least one example exists of a Private Collection 606, though as this grade is absent from any of Holm’s own marketing materials I’ve encountered, I’m inclined to think that this was not standard practice, at least not for most of Holm’s mature career.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 1.76″ / 44.70mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 66g