After years of carving nothing but armchair freehands for Nording, in 1969 Jens "Tao" Nielsen and Poul Ilsted wanted more and to produce a line that would offer more classy pipes, Danish style but not necessarily plateau freehands which they had clearly grown tired of! In 1970 working with Henrik Jorgensen who was the banker they opened a shop and started Svendborg Piber. Ultimately things down the road did not go the way they planned and the Svendborg make became not much more than fraized factory made pipes, but along the way both Ilsted and Tao made some pipes completely by hand that are considered as good as any they ever made whilst carving under their own names years after Svendborg. This squat Danish style Bulldog is a great example of that and is quintessentially Tao. In my experience it is very rare to find a Svendborg actually stamped with Tao or Ilsted's name but this one does carry Tao's signature stamp and is graded "E". It's a handsome pipe and shows his style well, muscular and stout like the sailor himself! The bowl is wide and double beaded and shows nice forward cant with thick walls and a generous chamber for its size. Transition is crisp to a hearty diamond shank that meets the original ebonite saddle stem with just a touch of fishtail. Finish is a rich golden contrast while the grain is superb showing extraordinary birdseye covering the lower half of the right side and explodes into flame above while the left shows the opposite with dazzling flame below and tons of birdseye above, wow! This to me is Tao at his best and a fantastic Danish style Bulldog that is sure to please! 

Nomenclature: SVENDBORG, DANISH HAND CARVED, E, TAO

Dimensions (approximate): 4 1/2" Long, 1 1/2" Tall, 13/16" Chamber Width, 1" Chamber Depth

Condition: Excellent. Chamber is clean and sound. Rim shows a touch of wear and residual darkening to the inner edge. Stem has a hint of buffing wear. Overall superb!

Weight: 34g

Filter: None

**I buy individual pipes or entire collections, please reach out for details!

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I aim to offer the best selection of pipes covering all makes and grades, truly something for every smoker and collector! All of my pipes I personally restore, sanitize, and ready them to smoke upon arrival at your doorstep! I take the utmost care in my restoration methods to ensure the pipe is as close to its original state as possible and never compromise. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy bringing them back to life! 

Shipping: 

Domestic is $10 via USPS Priority. 

International: GREAT NEWS!!! eBay has FINALLY changed their international shipping to be friendly across the board. No more Global Shipping Program with outrageous fees! Pipes valued up to $500, International is $10 for me to ship to the eBay hub and then allows for YOU the buyer to make decisions on paying customs fees! I'm very pleased about this and hope it helps to cut down on costs for international customers. Pipes valued over $500 are shipped via USPS Express for $60 to Asia and Europe. Canada is $30 for Priority and all others please request a quote. 

Restoration Methods: I have been restoring pipes for 16 years and have taken bits and pieces from many guys whom I consider the best there ever was in the business and built upon it with my own experience and tricks of the trade. Each pipe is first cleaned by removing all cake, making the chamber smooth and round again if necessary, removing all gunk in the shank and stem with alcohol, then exterior cleaning and polishing of the stummel and stem with no oxidation left but at the same time leaving the vulcanite or acrylic and any logos intact. My restorations end with the pipe looking like new and being completely free from previous signs of use. I do not use salt/alcohol treatments in my bowls but rather if the pipe smells of prior tobacco I will put it in my ozone chamber to make neutral. Lastly, many guys ask me "how are your pipes so shiny!!??" I lightly use the fluffy edge of my white diamond buffing wheel to clean and restore stummels which removes all grime and oils while restoring the original factory luster. I then hand buff and finish with a flannel wheel with high quality carnauba applying multiple coats as they do at the factory as well. This results in the pipe looking as new and will keep it's finish with a simple terry cloth hand buffing at home. Enjoy!

-Deadmanspipes