Stanwell Apache Smooth Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates, 9mm

Description

Stanwell is one of Denmark’s most celebrated and enduring pipe companies, having been founded by Poul Nielsen shortly after the second world war. Over the last six decades, Stanwell has established itself as both a leader in innovative Danish design and for producing well-priced pipes with precision construction and engineering. Many of its designs were created for the company by iconic pipe-makers in the Scandinavian scene, such as Sixten Ivarsson, Anne Julie, Jess Chonowitsch, and Tom Eltang.

Contrary to some accounts I’ve seen, Stanwell’s Apache was not a unique shape, but rather a line of higher-end Stanwells that incorporated some of the most notable shapes of the time (approximately 1995 to the early 2000s). This confusion is largely explained by the lack of a shape number on the pipes, as well as the fact that many of the shapes used for the Apache line have long since been discontinued, despite being some of Stanwell’s best (in my opinion, at least). This one, for example, is actually one of the “Rhodesian” shapes designed for Stanwell by Per Hansen and Ulf Noltensmeier of S. Bang, debuting first as part of the 1980s/early 1990s “Specialty” series under that name (despite being a bulldog) and eventually receiving the shape number 173. If you’ve seen our Stanwell piped dating guide on the main MBSD Pipes hub, you’ll note that this Apache will have been made around 1995-1998, as it has a golden Stanwell “S” stem logo with an extra gold dot next to it. This indicates the pipe has an acrylic stem, which was an exception, rather than the rule, during the mid-1990s, with such pipes largely being targeted toward the German market (hence why this Apache is also drilled to accommodate 9mm filters if preferred, as the majority of Germans do). Being from this time, the pipe is also Danish-made, having been produced in the Borup factory that closed in 2009. Provenance aside, it is simply a beautiful pipe. As the saying goes, they don’t make them like this anymore.

The condition is very good. Some wear to the rim and a few handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.93 / 23.62mm

Bowl Depth: 1.52″ / 38.60mm

Weight: 2.2oz / 64g