Pibe-Dan

Pibe-Dan is a shop that opened in wartime Copenhagen and stayed in business for nearly half a century, both having pipes made under its own name and bringing the work of independent Danish makers to its storefront. Its name comes from its founder: H. Dan-Christensen was known in the community by the nickname "Pibe-Dan," so the business settled under this same name. Its founding date is May 1943, and its closing date 1991. In the intervening period, it was one of the city's main addresses for collectors seeking handmade Danish pipes.

The Shape-Reformed Series

Pibe-Dan was not merely a store selling others' pipes; it also had pipes made under its own name. The best known of these is a series called Dan Shape-Reformed. The name signals that a traditional shape was reworked: the bowl on these pipes is far longer and more upright than usual, that is, close to the high-chambered arrangement called "stack." Corsican-sourced briar (briar) is said to have been used in the bodies. The business marketed this high chamber as a technical advantage, claiming it cooled the smoke and reduced moisture; this claim belongs to the catalog language of the period and does not rest on independent measurement. Under Shape-Reformed came sub-lines such as Danois, Standard, Champion, and Half Chimney.

The business's first catalog came out at the end of the 1950s and, since most of its customer base was abroad, was prepared in English; W.Ø. Larsen had followed the same path. The catalogs also offered pipes from series manufacturers such as Stanwell and Kriswill for sale.

A Showcase for Makers

What set Pibe-Dan apart from a mere retailer was the relationship it built with independent makers. Shapes bearing Sixten Ivarsson's signature, such as Peewit, Oliphant, and Ukulele, are said to have first appeared in this shop's catalog. Names such as Gert Holbek, Sven Knudsen, Hans Hartmann, Arne Nygaard, Poul Hansen, and Tom Eltang, who passed through here at a young age, either began their careers via Pibe-Dan or sold through it for a long time. Records indicate the shop had pipes made under its own name by some of these makers as well, allowing the maker's name to be struck alongside the shop's stamp.

The most often told of these relationships is the one built with Preben Holm. Holm began selling pipes to Pibe-Dan in 1963, before he had even turned sixteen; within a short time he was delivering twenty to thirty pipes a week, with the shop setting the prices. The connection lasted until 1968.

Its Legacy

Pibe-Dan, together with W.Ø. Larsen, is counted among the businesses that opened the way for the postwar shape sensibility known as the Danish School. Even after the shop closed, its catalogs from 1961-62, 1965-66, 1969, and 1972-73 remained in circulation among collectors, becoming a reference document for dating the period's Danish production.