Stanwell Hand Made 12, Straight Billiard with Original Fantail Stem, Danish Estates [SOLD OUT]

Description

Here is something you don’t see every day: a Stanwell billiard from the 1960s with its original – though rarely and very briefly used – fantail-style stem. From the 1950s to the 1960s, Stanwell tested out a number of different stem styles that were never again used for Stanwell pipes in the decades that followed. One of these stem styles was reminiscent of Sasieni’s fantail stems – a stem that pinched inwards after the tenon before opening back out, like a fan, towards the end of the mouthpiece. Some pipes, such as the 04 and the 17, had very short fantails, and some, such as the 03 and this shape 12, had longer, billiard-length fantail stems. But not every 03 or 04 produced during this period had a fantail – some were simply given typical saddle or tapered stems.

This shape 12 is a real rarity: not only is it from Stanwell’s top-end Hand Made line, it has its original, and very rare, ebonite fantail stem. Furthermore, the pipe is in an extraordinary condition for its age, with the bowl especially still bearing its luster, and the stamping remaining crisp. The superior, bird’s-eye grain around the bowl shows off just why this pipe ended up on the Hand Made line, making it a treasure for collectors and for those who want to explore some of the unique ways that early Danish pipe design tinkered with timeless, classic shapes.

Details:

Length: 5.75″

Bowl Width: 21.4mm

Bowl Depth: 1.75″

Weight: 45g

Stamping:

12

Stanwell

REGD. No. 969-48

HAND MADE

MADE IN DENMARK