J.T. Cooke Sandblasted Bent Billiard (OGF) (2011) (Personal Pipe) Tobacco Pipe

J.T. Cooke's meticulous, labor- and time-intensive approach to pipe making meant he released a very limited number of pipes annually, with his waitlist often spanning several years long. As such, Cooke's pipes remained in high demand during his career and, now that he has retired, they are more sought after than ever. Straight from the artisan's own personal collection, this bent Billiard is an especially thrilling find.

A strapping offering, this pipe boasts a tall, deep-chambered bowl paired to a lengthy, sinuously bent shank-and-stem arrangement. The former has a subtle plumpness to it, its walls ebbing gently outward as they taper softly toward the rim. The full, rounded heel melds seamlessly into the underside of the shank, which takes a swift upturn before joining the long, deeply bent acrylic stem. The curvature of both shank and stem promote a relaxed smoking posture in hand — an especially important feature for longer-smoking offerings such as this one. Dressed in one of Cooke's signature, unmistakable sandblasts, the stummel boasts a wealth of tactile detail and a mesmerizing display of tightly packed ring grain. With such masterful finish work, and being one of Cooke's personal pipes from his own collection, this offering is sure to entice connoisseurs of his work.