Danish Estates: Stanwell Sandblasted Billiard (DM) (1987) Tobacco Pipe

During World War 2, when briar was in short supply, Danish pipe smokers were unable to acquire pipes from England. Poul Nielsen began fashioning pipes out of beechwood under the name Kyringe to fill the void in the market. After the war, Nielsen began making briar pipes and changed the company's name from Kyringe to Stanwell. Stanwell became a hugely successful brand that collaborated with some of the most notable names in Danish pipe making, including Sixten Ivarsson, Jess Chonowitsch, Anne Julie, and Tom Eltang. A fetching example of Stanwell's shaping style, this Billiard was made for the 1987 Danish Pipe Smoking Championships, as designated by the "DM" stamping, and boasts a sturdy, upright bowl that's posed at the fore of a sleek, arrow-straight shank-and-stem arrangement. Lean, lightweight, and altogether charming, this piece wears a dark sandblast that highlights striking growth rings across the bowl's flanks.