Picked Up Alexander Ponomarchuk Canadian on eBay

[pitchfork]

I lucked up and got this Alexander Ponomarchuk Canadian on eBay for about 60 bucks. It might be one of his earlier pipes, but I really like his style and thought I'd test the waters with this one before jumping feet first and purchasing a new one. Anyone have any experience with this up-and-coming Russian pipemaker?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5690-Alexander-Ponomarchuk-smoking-pipe-/200902934503?

Some of Ponomarchuk's latest work looks like this:

 

[tbradsim1]

Very nice Canadian Pitch, good lines. The old cajun

 

[papipeguy]

Nice pick. The symetry is perfect. Enjoy it.

 

[pitchfork]

Thanks, guys. The funny thing about it is, I've never smoked a Canadian. Ever. This will be my first Canadian and my first Russian. lol.
Just wondering, do Canadians with their long shanks tend to absorb more moisture than a regular billiard or other shorter-shanked pipe?
(As I write this, it occurs to me that someone will insist this is a Liverpool since the shank is nearly round.)

 

[nsfisher]

Nice pipe mate, looks sort of like my Comoy Strauss Private Stock.

 

[docwatson]

That's a fine looking Canadian shape for sure. Carving a classic shape shows the true talent of a Pipemaker. Congrats on a super pipe.