Hello all! I’m fairly new to this forum and thought I’d share one of my recent acquisitions.
Back in the early 70’s I remember how intrigued I was the first time I saw a Danish freehand listed in one of my dad’s Tinderbox catalogs. Ever since that day I’ve had a love for them and continue to acquire better examples on eBay. So when I stumbled upon this four-pipe Ben Wade Danish Hand Model Special Collection the other day my heart skipped a beat or two!
After contacting the seller who luckily lived in my area, she asked if I would like to see the collection. I was there in a heartbeat and awestruck with what I saw! Even though they had been smoked (albeit very lightly), these pipes were in mint condition without a single scratch or ding to be found. Even the vulcanite stems were pristine! Best of all they weren’t haunted by the dreaded aromatic ghost that can render the finest pipe all but unsmokable.
The grain on these were stunning! 360 degrees of very tight straight grain around each bowl and along the stems. If these were Italian, I wouldn’t be surprised if they would be graded as fiammata or very nearly so. Even though large, they were amazingly light for their size, attesting to the quality of briar used. Needless to say I was hooked! I had to have these and seeing that there were no bids registered on eBay I made her an offer. She accepted and added a Buy it now option to the listing which I promptly jumped on.
The pipes were nearly pristine and required very little cleanup. They hadn’t been smoked in over 15 years as they had belonged to her father who had passed 7 years ago. He was also an avid collector and obviously took very good care of his pipes. They smoke wonderfully! Cool and dry and amazingly neutral. I have a good-sized collection of freehands but these are without a doubt a few of the finest I’ve ever had the privilege to smoke.
Back in the early 70’s I remember how intrigued I was the first time I saw a Danish freehand listed in one of my dad’s Tinderbox catalogs. Ever since that day I’ve had a love for them and continue to acquire better examples on eBay. So when I stumbled upon this four-pipe Ben Wade Danish Hand Model Special Collection the other day my heart skipped a beat or two!
After contacting the seller who luckily lived in my area, she asked if I would like to see the collection. I was there in a heartbeat and awestruck with what I saw! Even though they had been smoked (albeit very lightly), these pipes were in mint condition without a single scratch or ding to be found. Even the vulcanite stems were pristine! Best of all they weren’t haunted by the dreaded aromatic ghost that can render the finest pipe all but unsmokable.
The grain on these were stunning! 360 degrees of very tight straight grain around each bowl and along the stems. If these were Italian, I wouldn’t be surprised if they would be graded as fiammata or very nearly so. Even though large, they were amazingly light for their size, attesting to the quality of briar used. Needless to say I was hooked! I had to have these and seeing that there were no bids registered on eBay I made her an offer. She accepted and added a Buy it now option to the listing which I promptly jumped on.
The pipes were nearly pristine and required very little cleanup. They hadn’t been smoked in over 15 years as they had belonged to her father who had passed 7 years ago. He was also an avid collector and obviously took very good care of his pipes. They smoke wonderfully! Cool and dry and amazingly neutral. I have a good-sized collection of freehands but these are without a doubt a few of the finest I’ve ever had the privilege to smoke.
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