A Tribute to a Passionate Pipe Collector

In August 2023, the world, and particularly the pipe community, lost Jørgen Jensen.

If you've frequented pipe clubs, pipe shows, and especially local pipe auctions, you surely know who Jørgen was.

I knew Jørgen quite well, mostly from earlier days and less so from recent years. He was good friends with my father, and I remember him frequently visiting our store during my youth (I'm talking about the 1980s). I also recall him as an intelligent and pleasant man with a warm smile.

Jørgen had a fondness for English pipes. He loved everything about England.

However, when English manufacturers such as Comoy’s, Sasieni, Civic, BBB, Charatan, Loewe, and Orlik closed their doors and disappeared, he redirected his affection toward Peterson pipes from Ireland – it was somewhat over there. He could also turn to Dunhill, but I think he found them a bit expensive. I remember back in the 1980s, my father only had Dunhill left and probably also BBB, but I'm unsure when they stopped being English made.

Jørgen's status as a customer back then was so VIP that he gained access to the basement, usually reserved for staff, where he sat and reviewed the latest deliveries. Through my father, he was introduced to the Peterson agent in Denmark, allowing my father to bring the process closer to the source. This way, Jørgen could have the first pick by sitting with the agent, sorting and selecting pipes. The chosen pipes were then sent to the store, where Jørgen settled the payment with my father. He wasn't the type to try buying through the agent, as it was important to him that my father's (and today our) store survived. My father also ensured that Jørgen got the opportunity to visit Peterson in Ireland, and I imagine that was significant to him.

Foto: Mr. Jensen July 1st 2023, Photo coutesy Christian Dencker

Jensen visiting Peterson in Ireland in 1994

After Jørgen's passing, I had a conversation with his wife about assisting with the pipe collection. I knew he had many pipes, but what I didn't know was that he had 1200 of them. In the collection, unsurprisingly, there were many English and Irish (Peterson) pipes. I would estimate around 30 Danish ones.

An interesting thing about the Danish pipes is that they were primarily from the pipe maker Ove Jensen, who, to my knowledge, was the local pipe maker in the area of Copenhagen where Jørgen lived.

I imagine Jørgen couldn't resist having a good pipe chat with a pipemaker, and although Ove Jensen wasn’t English, Jørgen still supported him. And also, in my opinion, I think Ove Jensen is a very overlooked pipe maker, but also a very good example that, back then, one could live reasonably as a pipemaker in a small corner of Copenhagen, here on Frederiksberg.

It has been tremendously exciting to go through Jørgen's pipes because you can see the traces of time in the collection. It has also been educational for me because we have encountered brands that I had never heard of, which happens quite rarely.

It has been tremendously exciting to go through Jørgen's pipes because you can see the traces of time in the collection. It has also been educational for me because we have encountered brands that I had never heard of, which happens quite rarely. Because – when I must say it myself – I have seen a bit of everything, as I am practically born in the sign of the pipe.

It is also very clear to me that there is a shift in Jørgen's world when the internet truly breaks through in the year 2000. Up until then, I think he only visited pipe shops in Europe and bought good stuff there. But the internet opened up the opportunity for Jørgen to rekindle his love for the old no longer existing English brands by buying them online as estate pipes ('estate pipes' mean 'used pipes from another private person,' and they can be either smoked or unsmoked). He even found English manufacturers via the internet that, I believe, he had never heard of before. I also know that Jørgen became active in various online pipe forums and especially in Peterson pipe forums.

What struck me and my colleagues the most is the quality of his pipes. The cheapest pipes in the collection are still straight grains or perfect cross grains, which Jørgen selected with his keen eye – choosing the right pipe is an art, and it is clear that he mastered it. The quality level is extremely high, and many of his pipes, even though they are factory pipes, have a quality we don't see today.

The quality level is extremely high, and many of his pipes, even though they are factory pipes, have a quality we don't see today.

As a small business, Jørgen's collection has been a big undertaking for us. Just sorting 1200 pipes, many of which were in boxes, has been a colossal task. This also includes considerations of condition, smoked or unsmoked, and whether they should proceed to renovation with a pipemaker.

A rough estimate from me of what the 1200 pipes contained: 600 were unsmoked, 600 were Peterson pipes, 50 were from Dunhill, 100 BBB, 100 Blakemar, 20 Sasieni, 50 Comoys, 30 Charatan, 30 Loewe, and the rest, a large mix, where, to my great surprise, there were about 50 French pipes!

Another curious thing is that usually when we buy Danish pipe collections, it is predominantly Stanwell, Georg Jensen, and a little BBB.

In Jørgen's pipe collection, there were two Stanwell and zero Georg Jensen. I think he received the two Stanwell pipes as a gift.

All in all, I felt the need to write a bit about Jørgen and thank him in my heart, wherever he may be, because this has been so instructive. I would also like to thank his wife, Birgitte, and the family for their trust in me to handle the task with the many pipes.

Jørgen passed away earlier this year at the age of 74, and he was interred on his 75th birthday on August 25th. He left behind his wife Birgitte and two daughters, Katrine and Sofie. Jørgen was a trained accountant, and he practiced in this profession until he retired.

May he rest in peace.

This blog was written in late November 2023

A Tribute to a Passionate Pipe Collector - The Danish Pipe Shop