No reserve price - Pipe - Briar

BRIAR PIPE LES WOOD. STERLING SILVER 925.

A superb and highly sought-after collectible piece is up for auction for briar pipe enthusiasts. It is a pipe from the Ferndown brand, fully handmade in England by master craftsman Les Wood.

Les Wood. He is a legendary English craftsman who originally worked for the prestigious house of Dunhill (as a silversmith and finishing expert) before founding his own brand, Ferndown, together with his wife Dolly.

Breath Markings: On the bottom of the shank it clearly reads:

FERNDOWN
BARK
HAND MADE IN ENGLAND
LES WOOD

Finish "Bark" (Bark): This is the rustic finish that Les Wood gives to the piece. It is characterized by a deep, dark, highly textured relief that emulates tree bark. It offers excellent grip and dissipates heat very well when smoking.

Smooth/Rusticated Contrast: The beauty of this piece lies in the combination of the dark rustic lower part with a smooth, faceted (paneled) upper bowl and stem. This allows the natural grain and the contrasting color of high-quality briar to be appreciated.

Shape: It features a faceted or panelled shape (Panel Bulldog or Rhodesian panelled style) with a subtle bend (bent).

Quality Details and Materials (The Les Wood Seal)
The Silver Band: It features a sterling silver ring (ring). Les Wood is famous precisely for the perfect fit of his silverwork. In the ring you can see the contrasts:

925: Certifies the purity of the sterling silver.

L&JS: The official silversmith’s mark of Les Wood (Les & Joanna Storrie / Les Wood).

The Mouthpiece: It is made of Cumberland (a type of ebonite with brown-reddish veins) which perfectly complements the tones of the briar.

Mouthpiece Logo: The classic L.J.S logo by Les Wood is engraved in gold letters.

Grade and Rarity
Two Stars (**): Under the word "Bark" there are two stars engraved. In Ferndown’s grading system, stars indicate the pipe size (one star being the smallest and three or more for extra-large pieces). A two-star size is very balanced, ideal for a standard smoke and very comfortable in hand.

It is a high-end pipe, from a craftsman highly respected for attention to detail, airflow engineering, and silverwork mastery. Les Wood's pipes are highly coveted by pipe smokers. They are no longer made, since the craftsman has retired. It is almost impossible to find a Les pipe in this impeccable condition. It was used only once and has been stored until now.
It is in an immaculate aesthetic state.

The pipe measures 16 cm long and weighs 73 grams. Internal bowl diameter 19.5 mm. Maximum bowl diameter 47.4 mm. Bowl height 40.1 mm. Internal chamber height 35 mm.

The pipe has been cleaned and sterilized. The interior of the shank with isopropyl alcohol. The bowl interior has been cleaned with nikosolv, although there was no soot at all, it had been used for only a few minutes. The exterior of the bowl has been polished with odorless white carnauba wax. In short, the pipe is like new and ready to wear.