Former: Smooth Acorn 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. Former's portfolio comprises countless Apple and Billiard designs, among other classics, and this Acorn rendition expands that impressive œuvre.

Most arresting about this piece is Former's approach to the rim. It's not the first time we've seen him employ such a stylistic cue, but in the over two decades we've carried Former pipes, this piece is one in only a handful to feature this distinctive rim. It's a similar application to Wolfgang Becker's Stetson design and sees the rim rise upward with concave sides for a crisp almost hat-like demeanor. Former has rendered this feature in a variety of ways over the decades, and this particular example is among the most dramatic, and it combines beautifully with the Acorn design as a whole: An inherently organic shape, the Acorn here is contrasted by the rim's clearly human-designed element, juxtaposing the seemingly natural against the obviously manmade. Elsewhere, the design remains rather conservative and straightforward; the bowl sits against a raised transition with a balanced bend to the shank and stem for comfortable smoking, and the smooth, mahogany finish highlights a stunning array of vertical grain that rises in concert with the bowl's flare and follows the shank's upward curl.