Smooth Dublin Tobacco Pipe

Excuse me, Brother? Could you please pass me the smelling salts? Yes, this is from Hans Nielsen, it even has "Former" on the stamp plate, but it's about as far away from most of the Former shapes as you are likely to see in the modern era. For starters, even stone-cold classic Danish bent dublins fall toward the less frequently seen side of Mr. Nielsen's work. Shifting into a question about a Former straight dublin that features a tall bowl, a canadian length shank of rectangular form and a subtle, amphora like rim? Well, chances are that even seasoned Danish collectors might well answer your question with a question; "What exactly IS in your bowl, right now?". A dazzlingly lovely straight grain grain rises up a compositionally dominant bowl bowl and then shifts to a windswept grain for the travel down a highly architectural shank. There could be no finer finish for this ultra-rare Former shape than one of his perfect, short-throw saddle bits.

--Bear Graves