Fredrick Henry Kapp, son of Alfred and known as Harry, joined his father’s business in 1914 at the outbreak of the first World War. Peterson pipes are beautiful and carved for both aesthetics and immense smoking pleasure for both the experienced pipe smoker and the beginner. Heritage and tradition are essential for the Peterson brand and their commitment to their origins results in world-class pipe making.
chacom tobacco pipesAs far as value and cost is concerned, for the excellent quality finish, these are competitively priced at around $135 to $250 depending on size and briar grade. Peterson pipes, made in Ireland, provide the pipe smoker with a wide selection of briars. Charles Peterson, who was born in Latvia, worked as a pipe maker in the meerschaum factory of Friedrich Kapp, who emigrated from Nuremberg and ran a renowned tobacco boutique on Grafton Street in Dublin.
This modest increase is credited by many to retro-loving students. Facebook and MySpace have thousands of members signed up to various pipe smoking enthusiast groups. Let us hope that Peterson continue to flourish in this new groundswell of optimism and the hope for the increased demand for quality classic pipes.
Those who malign the brand because they’re made by the hundreds using machines, are very wrong, in my opinion. I like them a lot and the bang for the buck is the best I’ve ever seen for new pipes of this quality. I have adapted this section concentrating on the period following 1950, the made in the Irish Republic era and the different near modern Peterson grades and series, which should bring us up to the time period from the 1990s onward. 1895 Kapp & Peterson moved to bigger premises at 111 Grafton Street Dublin and also opened a new depot in Broad Street London. 1900 K & P exhibited with great success at the Paris International exhibition winning several gold medals and accolades for the quality of their pipes.
The ‘Original’ series was introduced piece meal, every 6 months a new shape until the 7 day set was complete. The same procedure was later adopted for the next series, Return of Sherlock Holmes. In 1899, Peterson opened the first in a series of several successive shops in London, England, that lasted until the late 1960s/70s. From 1950 to the present time, the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated.
The new shop, formerly the John Morton Jewellers and Silversmiths, first opened its doors in 1875. This firm featured in the news when a Celtic salver with the special commemorative hallmark of ‘An Claidheamh Soluis’ (Sword of Light) to mark the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising of 1916, went for sale on Ebay. The shop has seen a lot of history, it was located just around the corner from the end of Grafton St. on Nassau St.one side of which is the campus of Trinity College. The Darwin, of course, is a truly outstanding pipe, its only “flaw” being that it’s not a clencher. One particular aspect of this pipe that appeals to me most is its physical beauty and presence.
captain black tobaccoThis led to the creation of the military mount, which we will deal with later. An 1896 catalogue reflects a well-established firm, proud of its innovations and able to provide a good range of pipe models. Another catalogue, from 1905, displays a remarkable increase in the various models on offer. Pipes were the in-thing at that time, brought back into fashion after the decline of snuff and boosted by the introduction of briar, and there was no serious competition from cigars and cigarettes yet. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century K&P went steadily on, apart from the obvious difficulties in obtaining briar during the war. Compared to pipes it offered a smoke that seemed more “modern” and suitable for increasingly frenetic lifestyles.
Peterson suggested that the brothers go into partnership with him to turn his smoking pipe into the world’s best briar pipe. Kapp and Peterson went on to become Dublin’s most fashionable and respected manufacturer and purveyor of fine tobacco smoking products. Pipe and cigar smokers would stroll down to the elegant premises for professional advice on the subtle nuances that determine a good handmade cigar or briar pipe. The Peterson brand was embraced by politicians, business leaders, sportsmen, artists and writers.
It was first issued to honour Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous fictitious detective character, Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is perhaps the most famous pipe smoking character in fiction. He considers that at the end of the day, a pipe is a consumer product, loosely defined and the consumer wants something new every so often. There was also a miniature version of Sherlock Holmes pipes issued around the same time.