Pfeifenbox

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A transatlantic New Year

Pfeifenbox's bi-cultural approach to its genre may be the result of chance, rather than foresight. But inter-dependence in the pipe world is becoming a reality, as the traditional distinctions between buyers' and sellers' countries blur. Most notably, 2004 could be the year for North American pipes to impress Europe.

A measure of transatlantic curiosity has arisen among collectors, especially in Germany - always a country of eclectic buyers. The Italian wave appears to have peaked, smokers having stocked up on good-value artisan pipes of the Pesaro variety. By rights, the pendulum might be swinging back to Scandinavia and Germany - but there's nothing new to report here. As rumours of retirement plans among Danish masters circulate, it's gradually dawning on some that the recruitment pool has shrunk since the apprentice days of Ilsted and the Bang duo. There won't be a generational handover in northern Europe, and we're starting to wonder whose pipes we shall be buying in 2015.

Of today's 'Nordic elite', only Tom Eltang, Kent Rasmussen and Cornelius Mänz will be under 60 by that time. In Italy, Paolo Becker will be a little older. Most of the other European high graders will be elderly men. Assuming a degree of idealism, we can expect some to make a pipe or two a week when not otherwise engaged. But overall, there will probably be a shortage of high-grade pipes from continental Europe, just as so many noted English brands had died out by the 1980s.

To put it simply, the carving trade is anything but an obvious and financially viable choice for young Europeans. A couple of youngsters unknown to us today may still emerge in Denmark or Germany. Nanna Ivarsson (daughter of Lars, grandchild of Sixten) could yet decide to exercise her well-developed carving skills - at least she has a personal and family reputation to build upon, but she is also in much demand as a toy and furniture designer. In Sweden, Love Geiger might advance to the upper tier, if his enthusiasm outweighs the sacrifices. But the overwhelming bulk of newcomers since the early 1990s have been North Americans.

For various reasons, they have largely gone unnoticed in Europe - until quite recently. Price has been a paramount factor. When the dollar was strong, a French or Spanish collector might expect to pay as much for a New World novelty as for an established Danish name like Former. But rarely have currency conditions been so right for American carvers wishing to enter the European market. Today, the dollar's low value against the euro constitutes a 20% saving for pipesters buying directly from a US website.

In a parallel (but probably related) development, prominent collectors are increasingly drawing people's attention to the details of American pipery - witness Cooke's blasts or Roush's rustication technique finally generating enthusiasm over here. Trever Talbert's sculptures are also catching glances, and it's not escaping price-conscious aficionados that many are slightly more affordable than Kent's. In German Internet discussion groups, there's been talk - not all of it stand-offish - about Rolando Negoita's innovative shapes. People are asking where to buy Cannoys and whether a Tinsky makes sense. Online vendor Rolf Osterndorff is hoping for a strong American presence at his European Pipe and Tobacco Show in Cuxhaven on the German coast this summer.

Indeed, such events may provide the missing spark. While curiosity abounds, most European collectors are still hesitant to click the buying button for an American pipe - for the simple reason that they have never seen or handled one in 3D. A good US (and Canadian) showing at Rolf's gathering or in Leipzig, where Heiko Jahr is planning a smaller convention, might initialise a spread of American briar on the continent. Smokers who have actually weighed and inspected a Rolando could build up the confidence to buy one when he next restocks his website. Gradually, Tinskys and Bonaquistis may appear at pipesters' get-togethers, and one day, a Rodriguez and an Eltang may sit next to each other in a Munich or Madrid shop window.

Admittedly, much also depends on the attitude of New World carvers. While European collectors have sometimes appeared too arrogant to consider a US pipe, most American makers seem too profit-conscious to risk a serious invasion of the European market. Confronted with the truth that a B&M presence here is essential to establishing a real customer base, they retort that their output is easily absorbed by American demand - and that there is no reason to share revenue with an importer. This attitude may well be short-sighted: As far as we can tell, smoking is not going to boom in the foreseeable future, and while Europeans may soon need products from elsewhere, Americans might find themselves looking for customers. The future - should we decide to grasp it - is global.

At the moment, 'global' chiefly means 'transatlantic'. But the future hasn't quite started yet.

(January 1, 2004)

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