American Estates: Todd Johnson/Bruce Weaver Smooth Acorn (Pipes & Tobaccos Magazine Pipe of the Year) (21) (2012) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

A collaboration by two of the most skilled American pipe-makers of recent memory, this Acorn by Todd Johnson and Bruce Weaver was created for Pipes and tobaccos magazine's Pipe of the Year in 2012. Johnson and Weaver made a limited number of pieces for the series, with this piece serialized "21". Although this Acorn was crafted by two American artisans, it clearly draws on the Danish tradition. The supple bowl flares from a bulging heel to a forward-urging, inflated rim, while the shank tapers from a broad shank face to a mid-set transition, imbuing this piece with a traditionally Danish sense of gesture. The shank end here has been accented with a broad, pale, organic material that forms a domed ring before giving way to a black saddle stem with a plump base. Additionally, the stummel is dressed in a chestnut smooth finish, highlighting streaks of flame grain and stunningly visible growth rings on the pert bowl.