Rungsted Seafarer: Preben Holm’s First Pipe Line?

[rockvillepete]

I came across this lovely freehand on eBay last week and the name/make intrigued me. It was listed as a Ben Wade Rungsted Seafarer. Hmmm. I thought I was familiar with all of the various Ben Wade models but this was one I’d not heard of. Time for a little research…

There’s hardly any info on these aside from a Worthpoint listing of another Seafarer by the one and only Pipestud. According to Steve, the Rungsteds were the first pipe line produced by Preben Holm dating from the early 70’s and are quite rare. Before the Danish iteration of Ben Wade came into being, Preben’s pipes were being distributed by a New York firm named Snug Harbour beginning in 1969. I’m guessing that the Rungsteds were these pipes, sold by Snug Harbour and predate the Ben Wades.

I got lucky with this one. It’s in near mint condition and looks like it was only smoked once or twice in its 40+ years of existence. The stem is acrylic and has the seafarer logo intact. A great pipe in far better condition than I had hoped!
I’m a fan of Preben’s work so if anyone has one of these or knows anything about them say hey!

 

[lonestar]

Very neat pipe. I admire Preben Holm quite a bit, as much for his history in pipemaking as for the actual pipes he produced.

 

[rigmedic1]

My Rungstead Seafarer, purchased from around 1985. This pipe has a cavernous bowl.

 

[jah76]

Pete and Rig, those are some beauties.

 

[rockvillepete]

samcoffeeman wrote:

I scored a Rungsted Norseman a while back. Beautiful freehands. I thought it was a Ben Wade second, but I didn't see any flaws in it. Mine was also lightly smoked. I gifted it to a friend of mine, but he says it smokes wet. Not sure where Pipestud got his info, but he's a pretty reliable source. I figured the logo on the stem is a viking ship.

That was my first thought as well Sam but this appeared to be too nice a pipe to be a second. Pipedia simply says that the Rungsteds were a Sub-brand by Preben Holm. Series: Mariner, Norseman, Seafarer. They usually use the word "second" to identify a line as such so "sub-brand" suggests a separate line of pipes by a particular maker. I also wonder if Mariner, Norseman, and Seafarer are grade designations or simply line extensions. That was my take on the stem's logo as well. When viewed upside-down it somewhat resembles a ram or bighorn sheep's head but I'm going with a Viking ship.
I filled it with a little C&D Billy Budd for my commute to work this morning and enjoyed a very nice smoke; cool and dry with no gurgle. As good or even better than most Ben Wades I've smoked. The draft hole could stand a little widening though.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Beautiful pipe! Love it!

 

[rockvillepete]

rigmedic1 wrote:

My Rungstead Seafarer, purchased from around 1985. This pipe has a cavernous bowl

Nice one rig! Was it new or an estate piece when you bought it? If new it seems less likely that these were only made during the early 70's.