The "Special" grade often leaves me scratching my head. Always hand made, Specials sometimes have random mixed grain and indifferent shpaes. Other times, they could equally well have been graded as an Executive or Selected. That is certainly the case with this pipe. It has a dramaticl V-shaped profile, with a large Dublin bowl and a powerful hexagonal shank. The underside of the bowl is curved and flat, and rises smoothly to form the lower edge of the shank. Although it is a Lane era pipe, it has an especially nice taper bit whose ferrule echoes the shape of the shank. Grain is first rate all around, and the rim is covered with dense birdseye.
An altogether first rate pipe in virtually pristine condition.