Originally founded in 1968 by Svend Bang, a former store manager at Denmark’s legendary W.Ø. Larsen, S. Bang would go on to become a legend in its own right, one that would rival even Larsen in fame and acclaim. While Svend himself was not a pipe-maker, he was able to enlist some of the most talented pipe-makers in Denmark to create the S. Bang pipes. In the early days, this included figures such as Ph. Vigen, but it is two makers in particular who would become synonymous with the S. Bang name: Per Hansen and Ulf Noltensmeier. Per and Ulf joined the S. Bang workshop in the early 1970s, and in 1984, when Svend Bang himself retired, Per and Ulf formally took over S. Bang. Per and Ulf’s creations were as admired and coveted as their Danish contemporaries, such as Jess Chonowitsch, Tom Eltang, and Hans ‘Former’ Nielsen. Per and Ulf retired and dissolved S. Bang in 2019, much to the disappointment of pipe smokers and collectors across the world.

What is there to say, that isn’t already known to discerning pipe smokers? Here we have a pipe that will be a unicorn to many – a rare, S. Bang pipe. One could call it a horn, or a Dublin (as we have here, for the sake of simplicity), but S. Bang pipes are the kind of masterworks that defy categorization, or at the very least, are those works that have defined the categories of pipe designs that have succeeded them. Eminently Danish, whichever of the S. Bang carvers made this one managed to turn the briar used so that its straight grain patterns resemble the stripes of a wildcat. To this has been added a horn ring and an expertly cut, ebonite stem.

The condition is excellent. S. Bang owners tend to know to take good care of their pipes. There is a little bit of darkening on the innermost lip of the rim, but it is superficial, and not at all noticeable.

Details:

Length: 4.6″ / 116.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.8″ / 45.72mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g

Co-listed with MBSD Pipes