Stanwell Silver Mount 191 Smooth Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

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.

All things considered, Stanwell was quite late into silver-adorned pipes. Despite its first, founding influenced being English-inspired pipes (which was the reason the “Stanwell” name and branding were originally chosen), it appears that the company did not follow England’s lead in offering silver-mounted pipes until the 1970s, with the arrival of its Sterling line. The Sterling line featured, as one might expect, pipes with sterling silver collars, but it would be later still before army mounts (both silver and brass) and spigot-style mounts arrived on the scene. The Silver Mount line featured the latter; an assortment of Stanwell’s catalog shapes fitted with sterling silver faux-spigot mounts, resulting in a beautiful, novel synthesis of traditional and modern pipe design. This one, for example, is a shape “191,” one of many designs made for Stanwell by the legendary Tom Eltang. Even without the Silver Mount’s titular finery, it’s a beautiful, quietly Danish rendition of the 20th century staple, but the silverware takes it to a whole other level, as if it was a Scandinavian answer to the pipes of Dunhill, Ashton, or Ferndown (it also brings the pipe closer to Eltang’s own, though uncommon, silver mounted designs). I’m not sure whether the 191 is still in production (I was able to find recent listings at other shops, but none with the pipe in stock), but the Silver Mount is certainly not, making this one a nice, rare catch.

The condition is good. Some rim darkening, slight scratches on the silver, and minor tooth chatter.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.51″ / 38.35mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g