Winslow: 2019 Smooth Pipe of the Year with Silver (018) Tobacco Pipe

With his 2019 Pipe of the Year, Poul Winslow simultaneously celebrates 50 years of pipemaking. He became Preben Holm's most trusted assistant during the hectic days of popular Danish Freehands before moving on to run his own workshop, from which emerges this pipe, stamped No. 18 within the limited edition series. It's an octagonally-paneled, Cherrywood-style sitter with dramatic contrast stain to illuminate the fine strands of angel-hair grain rising up the bowl on all sides. That grain terminates with birdseye grain at the rim, which is gently domed in contrast to the perimeter of crisp, geometric, paneled ridgelines. The heel contrasts that rim with a perfectly flat disposition, appropriate for a sitter, and additional contrast is provided with the rounded, softly curved shank, gently diminishing in diameter before reaching the wide, sterling silver band, which separates the round shank from the flat, saddle mouthpiece. A practical and artistic piece, Winslow's 2019 Pipe of the Year is the culmination of a long career that continues to delight pipesmokers worldwide.