WO Larsen Birds Eyes Grade F Smooth Cobra Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Description

WO Larsen was a tobacconist in Copenhagen Denmark. In the 1960s, when Danish-style pipes were becoming highly sought after, thanks to revolutionary pipe-makers such as Sixten Ivarsson, a workshop was set up on the Larsen premises to produce enough high-grade Danish pipes to meet demand. This workshop was staffed by the emerging masters of Danish pipe-making, such as Sven and Teddy Knudsen, Hans ‘Former’ Nielsen, Jess Chonowitsch, Poul Ilsted, and Benni Jorgensen.

As with the workshop’s venerated Straight Grain pipes, WO Larsen’s “Birds Eyes” pipes were made, from start to finish, by its most seasoned, master carvers. This distinguished Birds Eyes pipes from WO Larsen’s standard output, as well as its premium Select grades, but so did the quality of a Birds Eyes pipe—again, just like the Straight Grains. The difference between Birds Eyes and Straight Grains was, as the name implies, to do with how their carvers employed grain patterns in the briar they used. As one might expect, the designs of Birds Eyes and Straight Grains were also usually different, as a consequence of how the briar was oriented during carving so as to maximize the beauty of its natural forms. The cobra, a mainstay of Danish pipe making, has long been a vehicle for expressing the most captivating bird’s-eye patterns, so it’s little surprise that this Birds Eyes grade F is just such a shape. Featuring a broad, unbroken plane that stretches from the bowl’s forward outer lip right down to the underside of its shank end, its its eponymous patterning is immaculately presented, making this WO Larsen well worth the extra accolade.

The condition is near-mint. We were unsure if this pipe has been smoked, but will err on the side of caution and say “possibly smoked, seldom and very gently if so.” The pipe comes with its original leather sleeve and special presentation box.

 

Details:

Length: 6.8″ / 172.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.75″ / 44.45mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g