Tom Eltang: Smooth Eskimo (Snail) Tobacco Pipe

A Snail grade Eltang is a true rarity, but to find one in an iconic signature Eltang shape, such as this Eskimo, is a near impossibility. Birdseye lovers: prepare to retrieve your socks from wherever they land after being knocked off. The top and bottom of the shank, along with the rim above the bead line, are wide canvases for mesmerizing acreage of birdseye. Oceans and galaxies of birdseye. There's also interesting vertical grain below the bead line, and in any other pipe, it would be wonderful, but it's almost insignificant in relationship to the birdseye on this piece. The shape itself is a marvel, especially at the transition from bowl to shank. It's an area that is always difficult to render correctly, but Tom does it beautifully, and in this case it's a long, long line to maintain. The edges are crisp and sharp, and though it's a counter-intuitive leap to believe so, this pipe is extraordinarily comfortable in the hand. This is a once-in-a-lifetime piece for some lucky collector.