| Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? |    |
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free_byrd15
Joined : 19 Aug 2008
Posts : 244
 |  Subject: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after?  Tue Oct 28, 2008 4:12 pm | |
| | My local B and M has a guy selling off all his pipes and there are about 10 Ben Wades and I was wondering if any of his work is more sought after than others? |
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mark
Joined : 02 Jul 2008
Posts : 375
Location : APPLE COUNTRY
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 5:08 pm | |
| | Can't comment on the freehands, but the Golden Walnut and Royal Grain are a couple of the better lines. Punch in and search the Ben Wade history, they changed hands at some point, I think Charatan bought them out, then the Ben Wade name was used by Preben Holm. You'd have to know the markings to date them,,,,sounds like a great opportunity to pick up a great pipe or two. |
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Rad Davis
Age : 59
Joined : 16 Dec 2007
Posts : 38
Location : Foley, Alabama, USA
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 5:49 pm | |
| The Ben Wade freehands marked "Made in Denmark" were all made by Preben Holm, as far as I know.
They had several designations, such as "Danish Hand Model" 100, 200, ??? and a bunch of others including Golden Walnut, Fancy, and Crown, I think.
5-6 years ago they were all selling at premium prices ($200-300)on Ebay to about 8 people. The ones stamped "Preben Holm" went for much more. Rob Cooper had sort of cornered the market on anything Preben Holm and did a grand job of romancing the brand.
I remember one estate Preben Holm going for over $900, and it had a hole in the front wall of the tobacco chamber where the maker had overshot just a little when he drilled the smoke hole!
The bloom is off that rose now.
Rad |
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Justpipes
The Duke
Age : 50
Joined : 17 Dec 2007
Posts : 3716
Location : American by birth, Southern by the grace of God!
Tobacco : John Middleton Walnut, Prince Albert, GLP Cumberland, Recently Exhausted Rooster.
Pipe : Brissetts, Kaywoodies in variations of the billiard and dublin shape.
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 7:27 pm | |
| I have several Preben Holm Ben Wades and I have one Preben Holm mark. I have sold several as well. They are great smoking pipes! I had most of mine restored by Mike Brissett whose moniker on here is Pipemaker.
Rad was right in saying the bloom is off the rose. They don't well quite as well as they did say 5-10 years ago but still a good acquisition if you can get a hold of them. The better ones that I have are the Matiniques, Golden Walnuts, Danish Hand Models and ones marked Preben Holm. I have a Preben Holm Crown that is in near unsmoked condition.
Preben Holm was the precurser to today's Danish Carvers and I believe that he would be the man so to speak had he not met an untimely death at 42 years old in the 80's. Poul Winslow is one of Preben Holm's contemporaries and a lot of his work reflects it. If I am not mistaken Winslow has a line out now that is sort of a tribute to Holm's early work.
_________________
"Man is the only religious animal. In the holy task of smoothing his brother's path to the happiness of Heaven, he has turned the globe into a graveyard."
Mark Twain |
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Yak
Resident Philosopher
Joined : 10 Dec 2007
Posts : 825
Location : Yaksylvania
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:48 pm | |
| The original Ben Wade had a workshop making pipes in Leeds, England. A German bomb took that out during WWII ; their lathe and trademark were bought by Charatan (which had considered them their only real competition while they were in business).
Their pipes tend to be on the small side (as many of not most were back then). Marty Pulvers was coming up with an occasional handful of them a while ago, which he was getting from a birddog in Leeds who was picking them up in antiques stores.
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All the old cliches are true.
That's why they're cliches. |
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Bulldog Bruce
Age : 55
Joined : 23 Mar 2008
Posts : 223
Location : Pocatello, Idaho
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:54 pm | |
| I have one Ben Wade Freehand. Ben Wade stamped in cursive with AUTUMN
stamped under that in large block, HAND MADE IN DENMARK under that in small block. Has stellar grain and great plateu rim, but it gurgles as soon as I put the charring light on it. Keep in mind I am still a novice pipe smoker, and there is a good chance that gurgle is due to operator error. |
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Justpipes
The Duke
Age : 50
Joined : 17 Dec 2007
Posts : 3716
Location : American by birth, Southern by the grace of God!
Tobacco : John Middleton Walnut, Prince Albert, GLP Cumberland, Recently Exhausted Rooster.
Pipe : Brissetts, Kaywoodies in variations of the billiard and dublin shape.
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 9:13 pm | |
| | Bulldog Bruce wrote: | I have one Ben Wade Freehand. Ben Wade stamped in cursive with AUTUMN
stamped under that in large block, HAND MADE IN DENMARK under that in small block. Has stellar grain and great plateu rim, but it gurgles as soon as I put the charring light on it. Keep in mind I am still a novice pipe smoker, and there is a good chance that gurgle is due to operator error. |
As Rad said Bruce, the ones marked made in Denmark were made in the Preben Holm shop. I have heard that the original Ben Wade company from England was part of the venture with Preben Holm in Denmark and that is how Holm's pipes came to have the Ben Wade name on them. I have never owned an English Ben Wade but I understand them to be outstanding pipes.
_________________
"Man is the only religious animal. In the holy task of smoothing his brother's path to the happiness of Heaven, he has turned the globe into a graveyard."
Mark Twain |
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Bulldog Bruce
Age : 55
Joined : 23 Mar 2008
Posts : 223
Location : Pocatello, Idaho
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 9:31 pm | |
| I wasn't even aware Ben Wades were originaly made in England until reading Yaks above post, which he was sending @ the same time I was trying to send mine. I think I nead more pipe history books than I currently have and this is a perfect example to show SHMBO the reason why.
Bd |
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puros_bran
Nightrider
Joined : 10 Dec 2007
Posts : 1840
Location : Lower 48
Tobacco : half burned out cob
Pipe : yard clippings
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:02 pm | |
| 1. Bruce just pick out two books.. One titled something like 'A womans place is in the kitchen: How women lost their role.' And any one of the pipe books..  I bet she persuades you to study pipes. Don't however try that with Hustler and Pipes & Tobacco subscriptions.. That just gets ya smacked
2. I'm out of my element with this brand but I think Winslows 'Crown' line is the one that Yaks refering to. My second ever pipe was a Crown 100, it was a fine pipe.
_________________
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. - Paul |
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free_byrd15
Joined : 19 Aug 2008
Posts : 244
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:38 pm | |
| | i've seen the golden walnut, autumn, and crown in the mix of estate pipes. I'll have to check back soon to see it there are any others mentioned. He's asking anywhere from 100 to 150 for em. They are smoked, not heavily, but definitely smoked. |
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Rad Davis
Age : 59
Joined : 16 Dec 2007
Posts : 38
Location : Foley, Alabama, USA
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:39 pm | |
| | Justpipes wrote: |
As Rad said Bruce, the ones marked made in Denmark were made in the Preben Holm shop. I have heard that the original Ben Wade company from England was part of the venture with Preben Holm in Denmark and that is how Holm's pipes came to have the Ben Wade name on them. I have never owned an English Ben Wade but I understand them to be outstanding pipes. |
From what I've heard, Preben Holm was not a brilliant businessman, and he somehow lost the right to use his own name through a bankruptcy proceeding or something like that.
He then cut a deal to make freehand pipes under the Ben Wade name.
Rad |
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free_byrd15
Joined : 19 Aug 2008
Posts : 244
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:39 pm | |
| | Also, how can you tell if it is an original Ben Wade as mentioned above, ie in the factory before it was blown up. |
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Justpipes
The Duke
Age : 50
Joined : 17 Dec 2007
Posts : 3716
Location : American by birth, Southern by the grace of God!
Tobacco : John Middleton Walnut, Prince Albert, GLP Cumberland, Recently Exhausted Rooster.
Pipe : Brissetts, Kaywoodies in variations of the billiard and dublin shape.
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Wed Oct 29, 2008 12:45 pm | |
| | Rad Davis wrote: |
From what I've heard, Preben Holm was not a brilliant businessman, and he somehow lost the right to use his own name through a bankruptcy proceeding or something like that.
He then cut a deal to make freehand pipes under the Ben Wade name.
Rad |
I have heard the same thing about Preben Holm's business savy but I didn't know the exact story of how he came to use the Ben Wade mark. I just knew that the English Ben Wade company was involved with Preben Holm for something similar to what you posted.
Actually I have recently looked at the current English Ben Wade line and they are pretty darn nice pipes for the money. Same with the current Hardcastle line.
_________________
"Man is the only religious animal. In the holy task of smoothing his brother's path to the happiness of Heaven, he has turned the globe into a graveyard."
Mark Twain |
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Yak
Resident Philosopher
Joined : 10 Dec 2007
Posts : 825
Location : Yaksylvania
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Wed Oct 29, 2008 8:36 pm | |
| | free_byrd15 wrote: | | how can you tell if it is an original Ben Wade as mentioned above, ie in the factory before it was blown up. |
You're talking about pipes made between maybe the early 1900s and 1944. Group 2-3 size smooth classic shapes. No this series or that series, no freehands --none of that.
If you fool with eBay, make it a long-term project to search for "Leeds." Assuming it's not a fake, any Ben Wade marked "Made in Leeds, England"will be an original. If it's not, it isn't. Their markings varied according to the grade of the pipe.
It's a PITA posting an image here. If you're that interested, send me a PM with your e-mail address, and I'll send you a photo of their top-shelf name stamping.
_________________
All the old cliches are true.
That's why they're cliches. |
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free_byrd15
Joined : 19 Aug 2008
Posts : 244
| | Subject: Re: Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:41 pm | |
| | PM sent |
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| Ben Wade Freehands....what's good or sought after? | |
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