Ben Wade (Preben Holm) Danish Hand Model 100 Sandblasted Freehand Sitter Estate Briar Pipe, Danish Estates

Though he would tragically pass away at the age of 42, Preben Holm was one of the pioneering figures in the “Danish design” movement in 20th century pipe-making – a movement that still dominates the high-grade pipe scene. By hand-shaping his pipes on a belt sander, Holm was able to make the most of the patterns of grain hidden within briar, creating spectacular works of pipe art that looked just as good as they smoked. Even Herman Lane, owner of Lane Ltd. and Charatan during the 1960s and 1970s, was so impressed by Holm that he contracted the Danish artisan to carve pipes under his newly-acquired Ben Wade make, despite simultaneously stewarding the meteoric rise of English-made freehand pipes through Charatan). Today, Holm’s pipes remain highly sought-after, perhaps even more so than when he was still alive, to the extent that even the historic—and, originally, very English—Ben Wade name is difficult to separate from Holm’s work. If I remember right, the Hand Model was originally a Ben Wade line made by Charatan, after Herman Lane had purchased the latter to serve as a Charatan sub-brand. The Danish Hand Model, on the other hand, was something else entirely. It was, rather, one of the many lines made for Lane by Preben Holm, with each representing Holm’s distinctly Danish approach to pipe design. The Danish Hand Model 100 series was certainly Danish in form, but it was also often used to showcase a somewhat underappreciated skillset in Holm’s workshop—sandblast finishing. In a manner more akin to English midcentury briars, pipes like this one featured rather extraordinary, deep ring grain blasts, adding a further ruggedness to Holm’s already very bold aesthetic. The condition is fair. Some inner rim charring, chamber slightly over-reamed, and some finish fading.   Details: Length: 5.9″ / 149.8mm Bowl Width: 1.08 / 27.43mm Bowl Depth: 1.86″ / 47.24mm Weight: 1.4oz / 42g

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