Danish Estates: Ben Wade Danish Pride Partially Sandblasted Freehand Tobacco Pipe

The Ben Wade name has a long, winding history. Founded in 1860 in Leeds, Yorkshire, the marque manufactured pipes there for over a century, the factory weathering German air raids during World War II. Lane Ltd. purchased Ben Wade in 1962, later partnering with the legendary Preben Holm to release a line of Danish Fancy Freehands, as seen here. This Freehand from Ben Wade exudes a remarkably resilient character through both its rugged shaping and striking partial sandblast, both offering plenty of textural variety. With a Dublin-esque figure, the bowl's walls flare from the heel, forming craggy peaks and smooth valleys as they reach toward a rim peppered with plateau. A sturdy shank flares out of the transition to a plateau-capped face and pairs to a demurely bent push-style stem, which features two stylized expansion rings.