Preben Holm Rodate

Preben Holm has left his mark on the history of the pipe. He was one of the first Danish craftsmen to bring ‘Danish pipe design’ to prominence in the United States in the 1960s. He was also one of the very first pipe carvers to move beyond the Danish design based on classical forms. His ‘Chasing the Grain’ pipes proved to be imaginative, as they successfully combined smooth surfaces with sandblasted ones, showcasing large areas of fine wood grain at the top of the bowl and at the end of the stem. These pipes came as quite a shock to many older, more conservative smokers, and when he began selling his pipes to Lane Ltd. under the Ben Wade label, it caused an unprecedented stir, particularly in the United States.