Smooth Billiard with Silver Tobacco Pipe

Once supervisor of the prestigious W.Ø. Larsen workshop and manager of Bentley pipes in Switzerland and Germany, Hans "Former" Nielsen has been crafting pipes for over sixty years, including his own handmade work still available today. His pipes are among the most collected and renowned in the world, and he's as much a capable machinist and craftsman as he is a discerning artist: His pipes are the pinnacle of engineering and quality, and his shaping style adheres to artisan renditions of timeless designs.

For those familiar with Former's work, this specific style of Billiard is a rare outlier. In years past, we've received similar renditions but none with this long and sleek of a stem. Generally, Former's Billiards are proportionally balanced, with a penchant toward slightly more muscular iterations. This piece, however, is slender and elongated — not unlike a previous Billiard by Former, featuring a near identical stummel and silver accent. Unlike that previous piece, this example offers over six inches of length via an elongated tapered stem. It makes for a demi-Churchwarden-like pipe that recalls vintage French and English pieces from the early 20th century. Former's acumen is displayed through arrow-straight lines of the shank and stem and the bowl's perfectly weighted forward cant, keeping the design lively and natural. It's left smooth and dressed in a traditional, amber stain — all elegantly accented by a silver shank cap that emulates the aesthetic of a military mount but features a standard mortise-and-tenon arrangement.