Holger Frickert

Holger Frickert is a pipe designer and maker who came up around Dan Pipe, based in the northern German town of Lauenburg. Born in 1949, Frickert signs the pipes made by his own hand with the "Handcut by Holger" stamp; these pipes are known as interpretations of classic English shapes softened through the Danish workshop tradition.

From Dentistry to the Pipe Bench

Frickert's introduction to pipes goes back to holiday trips he took to Denmark in his youth. He is said to have begun reshaping pipes he bought, to his own taste, during those years. He finished school in 1968 and enrolled to study dentistry, but meeting Dan Pipe's owner, Behrens, while still a student changed his path. Records show that he left his studies in 1978 to join the company full time. His work there was not limited to running the retail shop and the mail-order division; the text, layout, and photo placement of the firm's annual pipe and tobacco catalog were also left to him. In later years he became one of the company's partners.

His work at the bench began around the same time, with repair jobs; once he had acquired the necessary tools, he set about carving his own shapes. What accelerated this transition were short stints spent working in the workshops of Danish makers. Sources mention in this context Hans Jonny Nielsen, known by the name Former, along with Poul Hansen and Emil Chonowitsch; the style of Poul Ilsted Bech is also said to have left its mark on Frickert.

Handcut By Holger

Frickert's pipes were initially available only in Dan Pipe's own shop. Due to customer interest they were added to the 1984 catalog, after which the brand became known beyond Germany as well. The pipes are stamped with the phrase "Handcut by Holger," and sources also mention an accompanying HP emblem.

His approach to form sits between two traditions: the measured silhouettes of English classics form the basis, while the flowing lines of the Danish school are used to bring those silhouettes up to date. It is said that a balance is maintained between the beauty of the briar grain and the dimensions that make the pipe work — in other words, the wall thickness of bowl and shank, the openness of the airway, and how the mouthpiece sits in the mouth are considered elements that should not be sacrificed to appearance. Both vulcanite and acrylic are used for mouthpieces.

Designs That Went to Other Brands

A number of the shapes Frickert designed also made their way into other manufacturers' catalogs. Based on a single source, models prepared for Lorenzetti, Bartoli, Ser Jacopo, and the Danish Stanwell are mentioned in this context. The same record also states that in 2002 he designed a shape for Brebbia's "Grandi Designers Della Pipa" series.

Because the brand never moved to a mass-production scale at any point, "Handcut by Holger" pipes have remained limited in number. These pipes are counted among the examples that most clearly carry the Danish influence within the German artisan-pipe tradition.