Welcome to 2025's Global Pipe-Making Exposition: In Memoriam. With this year's Global Pipe-Making Exposition, we've invited carvers from all around the world to pick one figure, whether it's an artisanal pipe maker, a brand owner, or a designer who's no longer with us that they would like to pay tribute to; someone who is influential not only to the broader pipe world, but to their work in particular. Like many other years in the past, the body of work that this Exposition has fostered is incredible, and we're very excited to share that with you today. Thank you to all of our pipe makers for participating.

Chris Asteriou: Smooth Bo Nordh, Dunhill, Sixten Ivarsson, and Jørn Micke Tribute Cherrywood with Corian (Narcissus)

Chris Asteriou's entry this year honors not one, not two, not three, but four different historic pipe makers. The first one is Bo Nordh's Ballerina shape, known for sitting upright, as this pipe does, and with this curling bowl that emulates the look of a Ballerina en pointe. Then the second maker is Dunhill. We all know and love Dunhill and specifically Dunhill's Don shape, which is a Poker variant with a little short, stubby shank and a longer, slightly bent stem. So Chris Asteriou then added that element to this pipe.

Thirdly, we have Sixten Ivarsson's Nefertiti shape. This one's a little bit more of a subtle design cue, but in some of Sixten's Nefertiti designs, the rim was slanted at an asymmetrical angle against the rest of the pipe. Chris has done that here to this pipe. The Nefertiti also slightly resembles a Poker, in some ways, so you get that element as well. Lastly, we have Jørn Micke and his Erotic shape, which features a seam along the bowl, and in this piece, Chris canted it at an angle as well to sort of add to that asymmetrical motif. Chris has jokingly referred to this as a B.D.S.M. pipe, taking the initials of all four of those pipe makers and bonding them together, so to speak, in this one singular pipe.

The grain is absolutely stunning, it fits the shape perfectly, and he's accented it with Corian, which is a material Chris has been using quite frequently the past couple of years. To top it all off, it earned his highest Narcissus grade.

J. Alan: Smooth Fugu Tokutomi Tribute with Ivorite and Black Palm (2283) (HT)

Jeff Gracik of J. Alan pipes has submitted an incredible tribute to Hiroyuki Tokutomi, who passed away earlier this year in 2025. The influence is clear. The sense of movement, the lines, everything about it really screams Japanese and we really credit Tokutomi with so much of that influence globally.

The interesting thing about this pipe is that when Jeff was visiting Japan about 15 years ago, he and Toku shaped a handful of pipes together in Tokutomi's workshop, one of which was the block here that was recently finished out, the other of which is this actual Tokutomi pipe that ended up being a part of Jeff's personal collection.

This pipe is a really dynamic take on the Blowfish shape and a personal pipe of Jeff's that he treasures. He wanted to take that block that had been shaped initially in Tokutomi's workshop all those years ago and finish it. Here, he's taken a cue from this particular pipe that Toku finished himself for Jeff as a personal pipe and has this really interesting white and black palm Ivorite and ivory kind of a stem inlay.

It definitely has everything that one would expect from a tribute to Toku, especially in the hands of Jeff, and the play on the tribute of the really complex shank accent is great.

marTelo: Smooth Nguni Tribute Oom Paul with Boxwood and 18K Gold Tobacco Pipe

Gustavo Cunha of marTelo pipes hasn't honored a specific person in his pipe per se, or a specific brand, but rather a specific group of people that one could argue are the originators of pipe making: indigenous peoples. Specifically, marTelo is honoring a people group known as the Nguni people in Southern Africa. Gustavo has Afro-Brazilian roots, so a lot of this is a personal homage to his ancestry, but also the pipes that they made.

He has this really cool book that has a number of photographs of old 18th century stone pipes made by these Southern African peoples, and they don't look anything like pipes that we smoke nowadays. However, they have this sort of flat-panel aspect fixed into the bowl. It's hard to describe. If you're able to find photos, you can see the similarities with this pipe. It also resembles an Oom Paul, so that's what Gustavo referred to it as.

The block of briar that he used is absolutely stunning. The birdseye is immaculate. If you're a fan of birdseye and crossgrain, you can't do it better than this pipe. He's topped it off with a boxwood adornment ring along the shank and he's dotted it in certain places with 18 karat gold pins that, in Gustavo's words, are a reference to these indigenous peoples using the stars as guides and also in spiritual aspects. Beautiful work and a really cool inspiration from Gustavo.

Todd Johnson: Smooth Lars Ivarsson and Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Blowfish with Boxwood and Ebonite (Phalanx) (Q)

Todd Johnson's submission is a really incredible take on the Fugu Blowfish shape. This one is interesting, not only in the quality of its grain, design, and execution, but the fact that this is a two-part tribute. He explained that this is the evolution of the Blowfish shape in reverse. You have someone like Hiroyuki Tokutomi, vastly and widely influential for modern pipe making, who had visited Sixten Ivarsson in Denmark in the '70s, got all of that influence from what Sixten and his disciples had been doing, including his son Lars, and took it back and made it his own and continued to push it forward.

Todd's submission here is what if the evolution of the super crazy, dynamic, really fluid, and organic Blowfish shape happened in reverse? And what if Lars had stripped away some of the flourishes and come up with something that is a little closer to the crossgrain shape that originally influenced this shape way back in the Danish pipe making scene during its birth in the '60s?

The result is an incredible shape. It's understated. There's a ton of little detail work here. The execution is amazing. It also earned Todd's highest grade of Phalanx Q, and as a further tribute to Lars, he has serialized the pipe and added his signature by hand. You can see it noted here on the bag, which is in the Ivarsson style, so it's really an appropriate tribute to Lars, and a little bit of a nod to Toku as well.

Silver Gray: Sandblasted Sixten Ivarsson Tribute Potato Sack with Zebrawood

Up next we have a submission from Silver Gray. In the past, Silver has done a lot of things related to the Peterson catalog, which we've really enjoyed, like the NAP stem. For this year's submission into the Expo, Silver actually pulled from the godfather, the grandfather, the most prominent figure in modern artisanal pipe making, Sixten Ivarsson.

This is an interpretation of Sixten's iconic Potato Sack shape. So you see that signature very prominent chin and some nice tapering and flaring to the bowl. It's a very organic shape. It's reminiscent of the Peewit in line, but with a little bit more of a bulbus heel. I think in execution, Silver has sandblasted this pipe and she's kept the sandblast really light, which does give it this really nice Danish texture to it.

To contrast that, there's a really nice piece of Zebrawood that she's using to accent the piece, which plays into some more cooler tones to contrast the more reddish stain of the bowl, as well as a more traditional, walnut stain on the rim itself.

It's a wonderful piece. It's very organic and very asymmetrical, but it still feels great in the hand. It would be very comfortable to clench and hold in the jaw. It's just a stellar piece all around.

Wandi Riyadi: Smooth Bo Nordh Tribute Horn with Ivorite

Next up is Wandi Riyadi's pipe inspired by Bo Nordh, the paneled Horn, which is one of the most recognizable shapes in artisan pipe making. It seems like such a simple shape to pull off, but it takes a lot of technical ability to make these dimensions make sense and to get this grain oriented perfectly.

Wandi just absolutely knocked this out of the park. The grain is phenomenal, to say the least. Paired with this Ivorite accent and a vulcanite stem, it's just a wonderfully executed piece to honor such a legend of Bo Nordh in our craft. Very well done.

Abe Herbaugh: Smooth Natural Barling Tribute The 'Corinthian' with Silver Spigot and Wind Cap (Crane) (with Case)

Abe Herbaugh took us back to the early years of pipe making, honoring the old Barling factory with his piece. It is entirely handmade. Not just the pipe, but the case also, from the hinges to the clasp to the actual box itself. Abe hand-chiseled the recesses, hand-covered it with leather, handmade the velvet inside, and then obviously the pipe itself is handmade. It is a beautiful natural bent Billiard with some of the most impressive silverwork I have ever seen on a pipe or just in general.

To talk a little bit about Barling and specifically how Abe is honoring them, in old Barling pieces, you'll regularly see these case sets with a shank extension that was military mounted that was often made of albatross bone. Now, Abe didn't go to the extent of procuring albatross bone; he used more practical vulcanite. However, a really cool detail is, if you ever get the chance to look at these old albatross bone pipes or shank extensions for the pipes, you'll notice that they're not perfectly straight. They have some flex to them, and because they're bone, they're curved slightly. Abe did that with this vulcanite to resemble the actual albatross bone as much as possible from vulcanite.

Then, to top it all off, he handmade this sterling silver windcap that is pressure fitted or spring fitted so you don't have to worry about a hinge. You can take it off of the pipe and leave it in the case if you don't want to use it. Again, every single part of this pipe was made by hand from the mounts, the pipe itself, the stem, the shank extension, the cap, the case; everything was made entirely by hand by Abe. He also did the tulip work around the rim and the mount.

This piece is super detailed, clean, and crisp. It's an absolute work of art, and the name itself even honors Barling and their old catalogs. They would name their pipes in fancy ways, and one of the names that was actually from the catalog was The Corinthian, and it was a really ornately adorned bent pipe. Fittingly, Abe dubbed this piece The Corinthian.

Tsuge Ikebana: Smooth Billiard Peterson Tribute with Bamboo (Kikuchi) (K) (043) (2025) (9mm)

Kikuchi has chosen Charles Peterson as a fitting pipe maker to pay tribute to. It's a perfect fusion of the classic, muscular Peterson proportions and the Deluxe System weir-gap stem configuration with just a hint of something that is Japanese and that is very Ikebana with a single knuckle of bamboo rather than the traditional silver Army mount or silver Deluxe System flat mount. The juxtaposition of these two styles is very well done. One that is more classic and muscular, and one that is a little more organic, naturalistic, and maybe even a little more elegant.

The execution here is gorgeous. It has a gorgeous stain. The color palette and the combination here is beautiful, and this weir-style gap that is a signature of Peterson's Deluxe System range works really well with the bamboo accent. It's a fitting homage to Charles Peterson and one that he would've appreciated.

Jared Coles: Partially Sandblasted Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Bent Dublin Sitter

Jared Coles honored Hiroyuki Tokutomi in this bent Dublin Sitter. While it's not inspired by a specific Toku piece, to our knowledge, Jared utilized a number of design cues that Toku is renowned for.

One of those is, simply, that Toku made a number of different Sitting designs. He had a Sitting Blowfish and a Vase; just a number of designs that were signature to him that sat upright, so Jared took that motif and rolled with it.

Another aspect is there's a lot of asymmetry in this pipe. In fact, almost all of it is based in some sort of asymmetry. Most notably, you have this smooth panel right here that showcases some really nice flame grain that really punctuates against the sandblast, but even the shank has a teardrop line and it's twisted on its axis. There is a hint of symmetry in the sense that the stem base has been canted to align with the angle of the shank, so there's some parallel design. That was a very notable design cue that Toku used, and as a pipe itself, it's a beautiful piece.

It's super practical in the sense that it stands, but also artistically. There's so many details to see. It changes composition, depending on what vantage point you look at it from. The blast itself is really nice. Jared got a really nice block of briar, and it's the perfect way to honor Master Toku.

Davide Iafisco: Smooth Natural Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Blowfish Sitter

Davide Iafisco created a very true-to-form interpretation of Hiroyuki Tokutomi's signature Blowfish Sitter shape. In both line and proportion, all the components that make up the actual form are very true to Toku's most iconic renditions.

There's some really beautiful sculptural lines and a slight bit of asymmetry, but it's still very much optimized for a really comfortable feel in the hand. The finish work on this is very beautiful as well. It's a natural finish, with a very light-blonde treatment that really allows the grain of the pipe to showcase all of its natural beauty, especially along all the various curves and planes of this specific shape.

Davide has also incorporated some little kisses of plateau, which is a really nice touch just to add a little bit more of that nod to that Japanese organicism, and then he's also complemented that with a beautiful piece of brandled vulcanite for the stem. It's a really beautiful color and it's very evenly striated. It adds a nice bit of warmth to the overall palette. It's a killer piece overall and a great tribute to one of the greats, Tokutomi.

Sabina Santos: Sandblasted Natural Sven Knudsen Tribute Square with Durat

Sabina Santos submitted a pipe that is an amalgamation of two styles. It's very recognizably Sabina from the color palette, from the choice of accent, the durat that she uses pretty frequently, and the stem color choice, but it is also extremely recognizably her inspiration, Sven Knudsen, seen through this square Dublin shape. The shaping is phenomenal. Getting these panels to make sense, be straight, and look good is fairly difficult.

It's a natural sandblast that has lots of crags and crevices, so there's very good texture on that. It really blends well with Sabina's color palette choices. It's a perfect blend of new-school pipe making mixed with the Danish pipe school of old. It's a very cool piece that someone will be lucky to have.

David Huber: Smooth Lars Ivarsson Tribute Mushroom (825)

David Huber made this pipe in honor of Lars Ivarsson. It's a unique piece that's specifically inspired by a Lars Ivarsson pipe from the An Ivarsson Product: Three Generations of Ivarsson book. If you don't know, this book is arguably one of the most important publications in all of pipe history. It is a compilation of pipe photographs from Sixten Ivarsson, Lars Ivarsson, and Nanna Ivarsson, so three generations of Ivarsson pipe makers. It's not in publication anymore, so if you're able to get your hands on one, hold onto it. It's an amazing piece.

There's a specific pipe in there by Lars that David Huber modeled this Mushroom shape after. He didn't quite copy it exactly, he put his own interpretation on it, but it's a pretty spot-on rendition and you can see the similarities if you compare it with the one in the book. It's a rare shape from Lars and it's not something that you would immediately recognize as Lars's style. That's part of the reason why David loves this piece so much. It's his favorite piece that Lars ever made.

It also combines with his relationship with the Ivarsson family. While David didn't have a relationship with Lars or Sixten, he does have a relationship with Nanna. He has spent time in her workshop and she's been very influential in his pipe-making career, both stylistically as well as just in mentoring and craftsmanship. David wanted to honor the Ivarsson family in general, but specifically Lars with his favorite Lars Ivarsson pipe.

Adam Davidson: Sandblasted Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Freehand

Adam Davidson has chosen Hiroyuki Tokutomi, another fitting influence. Adam's work has been known in the American pipe-making scene and globally as well as being one of the most innovative and creative voices that we have seen in the last couple decades. Adam credits a lot of that to not only Tokutomi's work, but also the time that he has spent with Tokutomi, both here when Toku has been visiting the US and when Adam had a chance to visit him in Japan.

We've seen so much of that influence in Adam's work over the years and his tribute this year for the Exposition is really appropriate, in many ways. First of all, and maybe most interestingly, this pipe was crafted from a block of wood that Adam was gifted by Yuki Tokutomi, the daughter of Hiroyuki Tokutomi. For him, it was a very special project. He was able to use a block of wood that came from Toku's workshop and included with this pipe you can see here that this is a cast version of the exact block of briar that came from Tokutomi that ended up becoming this pipe. It's a really cool touch, according to Adam and the rest of us. Nobody but Tokutomi could see through a block of briar the way that he did and envision the shapes within it. So it's a beautiful metaphorical tribute to one of the most influential masters of the last several decades.

Another interesting thing about this Freehand here is that it's basically a sideways Fugu Blowfish. Adam said that when he was with Tokutomi, he was watching him shape a Blowfish, turned it on its side, and drilled it this way, and it's something that stuck with him over the years. It speaks to the innovation and the daring nature of Tokutomi's work, making this a really fitting tribute.

G. Penzo: Smooth Paolo Becker Tribute Maple Seed with Horn (with Tamper)

As an Italian artisan pipe maker, Giacomo Penzo wanted to honor one of his fellow Italian artisans, Paolo Becker. Becker is one of the most influential artisans, in general, but specifically Italian artisans, and his design aesthetic is something that's immediately recognizable and one that Giacomo did a really good job of encapsulating in this piece.

Giacomo calls this The Maple Seed. You can see half of the maple seed from the included tamper; It has the signature sort of helicopter falling seeds that we probably all knew and loved as kids, and he modeled the shape of the pipe off of that as well.

That's not a Paolo shape; Paolo didn't make anything called The Maple Seed or anything that really looked exactly like this, which is what's cool about this piece. Giacomo used his own creativity to shape it, but incorporated Becker elements, specifically this pinched wasp-waisted transition as well as these slender rings around the shank face and the Cumberland stem. Paolo used Cumberland quite frequently, so while the shape itself is Giacomo, the design cues specifically were definitely and clearly inspired by Paolo Becker.

J. Mouton: Partially Sandblasted Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Mushroom with Horn (with Tamper)

We have a great piece from J. Mouton. This is an inspiration that pulls from Tokutomi's signature Mushroom shape. We have this really beautiful flared bowl and this domed rim that puddles over one side. It's very asymmetrical.

He's done some really interesting things here with the paneling as well. There's lots of different facets along the shank that help contrast with some of the more organic, asymmetrical, and fluid lines of the pipe.

When you're looking at this, one of the most impressive aspects is the accent materials of horn that he has incorporated into this piece. There's a really lovely horn ferrule that takes up probably 60-70% of the shank, and that's a really nice contrast with the darker stain of the bowl.

Of course, to throw in something a little bit extra, he's also crafted this wonderful horn tamper. Collectively, as a set, it really ties together nicely, kind of taking his more rustic approach and incorporating it with the flow that we often associate with Tokutomi. There's beautiful grain on this piece, with nice touches of plateau along the rim. It's a really excellent submission from J. Mouton.

Emiliano: Smooth Bo Nordh Tribute Elf Sphinx with Bamboo and Jupati

We have a very intriguing piece from Emiliano pipes out of Brazil. Emiliano is pretty well known for making small, compact versions of some traditional shapes. His submission is a play on his signature Elf shape mixed with a Bo Nordh Sphinx iconic shape.

Emiliano did a fantastic job of merging something as recognizable as the Sphinx with his own Elf shape. The color palette and the grain is gorgeous. Something also worth noting that is beautiful and blends in so well is the jupati accent nodes that he imprinted in the bamboo. It's subtle, but just adds such a pop of character to the pipe once you look at it. It blends together with the stain choice so well. This is greatly executed and it is a brilliant way to combine something of his own with something of the past. It's a job well done.

Brighton James: Smooth Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Disk

Brighton James honored Hiroyuki Tokutomi in his Exposition piece with Toku's Disk shape. It's a really inventive design in the sense that when making it, Toku took a Blowfish and rotated it 90 degrees to be kind of a Volcano sort of design. But it's playing with that idea of crossgrain and birdseye.

Brighton has made a gorgeous tribute here. Upon first glance, it looks pretty symmetrical, which you wouldn't necessarily associate with Toku's pipes. Brighton's no stranger to crazy freehands and super sculptural and detailed designs, and upon closer examination, you see the asymmetry that Brighton's incorporated in a really tasteful and subtle way.

These panels that circumvent the shank face flare out at different degrees and add some imbalance and intrigue to the design. You also see the bowl slope in a different direction. The more you look at this pipe, the more you notice subtle little details that Brighton incorporated as he followed the grain and his own creative process, and you can see Toku's inspiration super clearly through the Disk shape. This piece has beautiful grain and absolutely beautiful craftsmanship. Thanks so much to Brighton.

Manduela: Smooth Poul Ilsted Tribute Bulldog with Whale Tooth and Ebony

Manduela has picked a most fitting tribute: Poul Illsted, her master whom she learned from and her dear late friend. This pipe has a very interesting story. It is rather large, by Manduela's standards. It's an Illsted-style Squat Bulldog. It's multifaceted and was executed excellently.

This stummel was actually started and rough shaped out by Manduela in Poul's workshop before he passed. She actually told us that he participated a little bit in the making of this pipe in as much as in passing. At one point, he decided to shape it a little bit and take it further in the process. She kept it unfinished for years after his passing and decided to finish it out and that it would be an appropriate tribute to him for this year's Exposition.

It's a gorgeous pipe with incredible grain. It's really grand in size, and it's a perfect tribute to Poul that's executed beautifully by his student. This is also ebony wood and antique whale tooth for the stem material, which is another fitting tribute to Poul who used a lot of interesting stem materials over the years and experimented with a lot of different accent colors and color-palette combinations.

It looks just like a pipe that Poul would've made and you can clearly tell that there's a lot of love behind this one. Also included is a framed picture of Poul. This is very special because it's an exact copy of a picture that has been hanging in Manduela's workshop for many years. It's her personal favorite picture of Poul; He watches over her and everything that she does in her workshop, and she wanted to make sure that we included a copy of that picture with this pipe.

Trey Rice: Smooth Natural Poul Ilsted Tribute Paneled Bent Dublin with Musk Ox Horn

Trey Rice honored Poul Ilsted in this Paneled bent Dublin, and for those who don't know, Poul Ilsted was particularly known for his faceted designs. He is widely considered the master of facets and a lot of his pipes featured really precise paneling that was both beautiful aesthetically, but was incredibly impressive from a craftsmanship perspective.

He would do these facets and they'd be perfectly symmetrical on each side or all the same width all the way through the pipe. Trey really went for it in this pipe and delivered a really beautiful piece. The facets are beautiful and they don't disrupt the grain at all, which is rare as it takes a very specific block of briar to achieve this kind of paneling and not disrupt the grain in any way.

The ring grain underneath the flame grain is stunning, the birdseye is absolutely beautiful, and it's a really impressive piece from Trey. It takes a lot of skill, time, and focus to make something as precise and crisp as this. The natural finish is stunning and it's paired really beautifully with a musk ox horn accent. It's a beautiful tribute to Poul Ilsted.

Jody Davis: Partially Sandblasted Lars Ivarsson Tribute Long Shank Acorn with Ivorite (Abbot) (A25) (23)

We have an incredible piece from Jody Davis. Jody took inspiration from the Ivarsson family, specifically Lars Ivarsson, with this piece. It's very reminiscent of Lars's signature Ball or Acorn shape with the long shank. This one's a little bit more of the Acorn variety, but it has a very spherical bowl and he's also incorporated that signature dual finish that we often saw from Lars's renditions of this specific shape.

The long shank is sandblasted and there's this really nice ridge that wraps around the transition and really sets off the bowl to make it look even more spherical than it actually is. It also really frames the grain really nicely, so you have lots of crossgrain and textured grain along the shank, and then this beautiful, lovely, fiery-grained smooth bowl. There's also a plateau rim to create a juxtaposition of smooth and textured finishes.

It's accented with a slender piece of Ivorite, which is a nice visual contrast. It feels great in the hand and it's a wonderful tribute to one of the most important pipe makers in history, inarguably.

Micah Redmond: Smooth Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Chanterelle Cavalier with Boxwood (with Box)

Micah Redmond honored Hiroyuki Tokutomi in this piece, and for those familiar with Toku's work, they will immediately recognize this shape. It's Toku's iconic Chanterelle, named after the eponymous mushroom, and it's known for this crazy-curling style, broad base, and then this blooming mushroom-looking bowl. It's one of Toku's most iconic designs and Micah has delivered an absolutely gorgeous rendition here. It's not a shape or a design that Micah would typically go for, which is why it's so cool to see him flex his muscles and remind everyone that just because he typically creates freehand pipes, that doesn't mean he doesn't have the skills and the chops to deliver a fantastic piece like this.

Fitting to Toku's design, it sits firmly and is a beautiful centerpiece, showcase desk pipe. The bowl is full of organic charm in asymmetry. It looks like it's growing out of the shank as opposed to having been crafted by an artisan. Big chunks of boxwood adorn the ends, which give it a really nice tri-tone color palette, and to present it all, Micah made this beautiful presentation box. It's padded on the inside. The pipe sits in there beautifully and he's even done a little tribute to Toku here with Chanterelle in Japanese Kanji characters. It's a beautiful piece by Micah.

Peter Heding: Smooth Bo Nordh Tribute Nautilus (Diamond)

We have a stunning piece from Danish carver Peter Heding that is a remarkable tribute to Bo Nordh's Nautilus. Nordh was central to the Danish artisan movement of the 1970s, working alongside famed makers such as Sixten Ivarsson. His dedication to shaping pipes in a way that showcased the natural grain of the briar revolutionized the craft, and his philosophy that pipe making is an art form perfectly culminates in his signature Nautilus design.

Peter did an amazing job capturing the Nautilus in its shaping and the grain. What a tribute. This pipe earned Peter's high-grade stamp, Diamond, with a small Zirconia diamond embedded on the underside of the shank to signify this superb grade. It's just phenomenal work that someone will very much appreciate.

Werner Mummert: Smooth Alfred Dunhill Stingray Tribute Billiard

Werner Mummert has picked a very fitting and very elaborate tribute to one of the most influential pipe people that has ever lived, Alfred Dunhill. Dunhill is known as a brand for their innovation in finishing methods and design. They set the standard for many of the classic shape-chart shapes that we all look to now and for the last century at least.

This pipe is a real and genuine stingray leather-wrapped classic shape. It pays tribute to Dunhill's stingray-wrapped leather pipes, also known as the Pearl Ray. Back in the day, there were many companies that did leather-wrapped pipes in general, and doing it with genuine stingray skin or hide is a painstaking process, yet the results are absolutely stunning.

The juxtaposition of such an intricate, unique, and crazy finish to such a classic shape is awesome, and it speaks to Dunhill's aesthetic in general, even when they went above and beyond in terms of their silverwork, accentwork, and all of the finishes that we know and love today. Mostly it was still understated and classic designs, and the choice to do such an elaborate, time-consuming, and incredibly difficult finish is such an incredible tribute and fitting to Alfred Dunhill specifically. Thank you so much, Werner. This one's incredible.

Yeti: Smooth Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Volcano with Bakelite (1082)

Micah Cryder of Yeti pipes honored Hiroyuki Tokutomi in this beautiful Volcano rendition. Toku did a number of Volcano renditions and they were unified by this little flicking heel spur at the end. He gave it a little extra added line to break up the bottom curve, which is the main thing that differentiates this Volcano from other Volcanos that are out there.

Micah's done a beautiful job honoring Toku with this piece. The parts that really shine through here are the super intricate paneling work that Micah's incorporated and, specifically, the shank has side panels here. But on the foreside of the lower bowl, there's a little panel that coalesces into a ridge line that follows the grain up to the rim, and he's counterbalanced that by a similar ridge line, but closer to the transition here that then also follows the grain in a ridge line up to the rim as well. It's playing with this sort of twisted, asymmetric aspect, but there's still balance in the sense that it's on both sides.

Yeti's finishing work is top tier and is among the best. The gloss is incredible. The contrast stain is insane. It's like a tiger bengal contrast stain that just pops. That's the only way to describe it. Yeti's known for his use of Bakelite. He's done that here. This specific caramel-swirled Bakelite, if you will, does a really good job of matching the stain of the stummel. It really does keep a consistent color palette that works well. Thanks so much to Micah and it's a great tribute to Toku.

Dirk Heinemann: Smooth Tarock Briar and Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Dora with Olivewood

From Dirk Heinemann this year, we have a really special piece. It's a fusion of a fellow German carver, Christian Wolfsteiner, as well as elements from Tokutomi blended in with Dirk's signature Dora shape. The result is this Sitter with Blowfish-like qualities and disc-like panels that really frame all of the grain super well.

The accent on this piece is really interesting too. It's sandblasted olivewood, so you get the ink-on-water grain patterns with a more rustic texture that really contrasts well with the glossy, smooth finish of the pipe itself.

It's very interesting to hold in the hand. It feels great. Dynamically in profile, it's just wonderfully elegant despite being on the larger end. This is an excellent submission from Dirk fusing all of these different styles into something that is really more than the sum of its parts.

Ryan Alden: Sandblasted Gert Holbek Tribute Ambassador (Queen of Hearts)

We have what is a very cool piece from Ryan Alden out of Texas. This is to honor Gert Holbek who was wildly influential in the Danish pipe-making scene, most notably for contributing to the Pipe-Dan catalog. Gert and Pipe-Dan in general are Danish staples that don't get talked about enough when we're mentioning Danish pipe making and pipes made in years past. It's exciting that Ryan chose kind of a deep cut to do for this In Memoriam Exposition.

This is a play on the Pipe-Dan Ambassador shape, and Ryan just absolutely knocked this out of the park. In Pipe-Dan fashion, it has the old-school Danish medium-brown stain, no accents, and a vulcanite stem. It is recognizably Danish and recognizably Pipe-Dan, and it's quite an awesome tribute to a Danish legend.

Austin Quinlan: Smooth Jørn Micke Tribute Bent Apple

Austin Quinlan has honored Jørn Micke in this bent Apple rendition, and it's based on a specific Jørn shape. It's one that other makers have riffed on as well, and it's more or less defined by a rounded Apple bowl, but then a shank that ends in a lens-shaped face that's then tilted on its axis to add some asymmetry.

Austin's taken some creative liberties that are really cool in this piece. He's also made the bowl asymmetric, following the grain and balancing out the twist of the shank, and then lastly, on the stem, he shaped the base to match the face of the shank, but twisted it the opposite way. The result is an X feature when you're looking at it from the smoker's perspective. From stem to shank to bowl, there's asymmetry flowing all the way through this piece. Jørn was known for his asymmetry and for this shape specifically, so it makes Austin's version a really nice tribute to Micke.

Bill Shalosky: Sandblasted Rainer Barbi Tribute Bent Dublin with Box Elder Burl (803)

Bill Shalosky has chosen to honor Rainer Barbi with his submission. Barbi is one of those vastly influential pipe makers, and in many ways, even though he had a cult-like following and produced a ton of amazing work, he was one of those pipe makers that other pipe makers recognized maybe even more than the general public as being a master, both in terms of his craft, his execution of design, and his fresh voice in pipe making.

Bill's homage is a really lithe and elegant bent Dublin that features a paneled shank and a smart accent on the stem. It definitely speaks to Barbi's understated elegance, intricacy, and complexity of shape without being all flourish. You end up with a very elegant in profile and classic shape where there's so much detail for the smoker and the person holding the pipe to appreciate.

Bill mentioned that back when he was an emerging pipe maker going to the shows and Barbi was still with us that Barbi was one of the first legendary pipe makers that really sat with him, coached him, and gave him feedback, and to this day, Bill still holds a very special place for Barbi. It was a fitting tribute and a lovely execution.

Ping Zhan: Smooth Natural Hiroyuki Tokutomi Tribute Fugu

We have an absolutely stunning pipe from Chinese carver Ping Zhan. This is quite obviously a tribute to the late, great Hiroyuki Tokutomi.

It is a play on Tokutomi's Blowfish. It is most notably Tokutomi in the shank-and-stem transition, shown in the way he melded those two together and made them fit very symmetrically. It's just phenomenal. It has a natural stain and the grain is striking.

In Tokutomi fashion, because of the way the lines and everything flows and melds together, you could look at this pipe all day and still not quite know where these lines start and where they finish. Also you have some really cool plateau on the shank as well as the side of the bowl. Ping did a great job, and this will go to a very happy home in honor of Tokutomi.

Pete Prevost: Sandblasted Strawberry Wood Paolo Becker Tribute Bent Billiard with Boxwood (S)

Pete Prevost has honored Paolo Becker in this bent Billiard rendition and while not an exact copy of how Paolo would've made this shape, Pete's incorporated his own creative, artistic design elements into it.

The shape in general is representative of Becker's work. Becker was known for this bent Chimney Stack design and it has an Egg-shaped bowl, which would be how Paolo would do it. Most indicative, though, is this pointed heel. That was a signature Becker design cue that's been followed by Paolo's son Federico and Pete's obviously kept that spur here. The shank is a little bit stouter than Paolo would've done.

Leading into the stem, we have these two rings of boxwood, which is signature Becker. Becker's stem logo was a lowercase b and Pete flipped that upside down to make a p. It's one of those things that if it didn't have that, you wouldn't think anything of it, but the fact that Pete thought of that extra detail just makes this piece even better and elevates it to another level.

Lastly, it's been made out of strawberry wood, which was an oft-used material by Becker, and as Becker would've done, it's stamped with an s to signify that it was made of strawberry wood. So you get that lovely strawberry wood sandblasted texture in a beautiful piece by Pete that maintains his personal design elements, but clearly honors the design elements that Paolo Becker was known for.

We really appreciate the participation of all of our pipe makers around the world. The innovation and the quality of the work, just like with the other Expositions, are the absolute highest caliber of pipe making that you will see today, and we really hope you enjoyed it.