Todd Johnson: Smooth Cup and Ball with Antique Bakelite (Phalanx) Tobacco Pipe

One of Todd Johnson's more evocative shapes, this "Cup and Ball" not only presents a beautiful piece of functional pipe design, but does it in a way that calls to mind something very personal from many of our childhoods — evoking that classic game we've all played at one time or another. He's accomplished this by keeping the overall shape clean and reserved, pairing an Acorn/Dublin like bowl to a subtly flaring, beautifully arcing shank. This minimalism works inversely as well, in turn lending more visual weight to the singular complexity in the composition: the channel and line circumnavigating the transition and visually segmenting bowl from shank. All together, it makes for a beautiful synergy in the overall composition — well balanced throughout and still very comfortable in hand. Just a beautiful, very personal piece, one I would have no qualms adding to my collection.

- Andrew Wike