American Estates: Jody Davis Smooth Bent Dublin (Pipes & Tobaccos Magazine Pipe of the Year) (Cardinal) (A) (12.50) (2009) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

Crafted for Pipes and tobaccos magazine as their Pipe of the Year release for 2009, this bent Dublin from Jody Davis boats a tall, thick-walled bowl that rises from its lifted heel to its broad, ridgeline-wrapped rim. Said bowl is situated at the fore of a lean oval shank and a demurely curved saddle stem, the later of which promotes a comfortable smoking posture. The shank's trimness and the stem's litheness foster an almost Italian neoclassic sense of proportions, with the bowl taking on most of the visual weight within the composition, though a sense of balance is maintained thanks to the stem's downturn terminating at approximately the same height at the bowl's rim. Undeniably charming in its execution, this piece is further distinguished by its striking smooth finish, which highlights gorgeous grain across the length of the stummel.