WO Larsen Pearl Grade Partially Sandblasted Cobra Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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.

While even the lowliest W.O. Larsen pipe was high-end by most standards, the finest (and priciest) pipes bearing the W.O. Larsen name were its “Pearl” grades. Most W.O. Larsen pipes were produced at its workshop by a team of master carvers, each working a different role in shaping, assembling, and finishing them. W.O. Larsen’s most high-grade pipes, however, were each made entirely by one of its most senior craftsmen, either at the W.O. Larsen premises or in their home workshops. For example, Hans “Former” Nielsen, Tonni Nielsen, Teddy Knudsen, and Benni Jorgensen are credited with crafting such pipes at one time or another, with some of them working on their Pearls in-house (such as in the case of Former), and some doing so as independent contractors of a sort (such as in the case of Chonowitsch during W.O. Larsen’s later years).

If I had to guess, I would think that this one was made by either Teddy Knudsen or Benni Jorgensen, in part because the nomenclature suggests a late period (circa 1980s) W.O. Larsen, but also on account of its highly distinctive shaping. Both Knudsen and Jorgensen have showed an affinity for such unusual, hybridized designs, blending elements not only from traditional shapes, but also from the staples of Danish pipe making, such as the cobra, the elephant’s foot, the shield, and the sphinx, often resulting in something resistant to easy categorization. There’s a little of each in this one, as well as a prominent vertical fluting and segmentation of the bowl, something also quite common in each of the two’s pipes.

What’s very interesting is that, while this is a Pearl grade, it is neither a “Straight Grain nor a Birds” Eyes Pearl. To give some context: when one looks at Pearl grade pipes (designated by the “smoker in his armchair” stamp beside the W.O. Larsen nomenclature), one finds that they are also either a “Straight Grain” or a “Birds Eyes” grade, and stamped as such. Both the Straight Grain and the Birds Eyes grades were typically graded from “1” to “10” or, if they exceeded even grade 10, they were graded with a “chair” or star stamps, which designated them as Pearls. Being the shape that it is, this Pearl is certainly not at a loss for bird’s-eye patterns, though in this instance that patterning is emphasized by a sandblast relief, rather than a smooth polished finish. Of all of the Pearl grade W.O. Larsens I’ve come across, this is only the second to have been stamped in such a way—though, it must be said, the grade was doubtlessly earned.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.63″ / 41.40mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g