The issue was such a great success and prompted further production of more pipes in 1981 to satisfy demand, with the Mark Twain second numbered silver banded edition, numbered 1 through to 1000, each in special presentation chacom tobacco pipes boxes. Some were also issued with limited edition pewter statues of the famous author. Peterson Standard System tobacco pipes have been wildly popular with both enthusiasts and new smokers for decades.
As a long time smoker of Peterson pipes I have found them totally dependable as basic smoking instruments. I am willing to concede that we are all different in our tastes and choices, mine possibly being an extreme viewpoint of the Peterson brand. However in defence, my knowledge is based on years of ownership and experience of the myriad selection of pipes that Peterson have produced and are still producing. I have had an extensive collection of other brands, including artisan pipes, in my collections over the years, with which to draw these comparisons. However for me Peterson pipes have a special place and attraction.
Black vulcanite mouthpiece, also amber coloured (2010-), P-Lip mouthpiece , hot foil stamped P. Flying in the face of the condemnation of smoking on health grounds, the pipe appears to be going through a gradual upturn in popularity. No longer considered the province of older middle aged males, it appears to be gaining in popularity, particularly with significant numbers of younger people. Rising pipe tobacco sales suggest that pipe-smoking is making an unlikely comeback. Many old things eventually become trendy again and the latest yesteryear fashion making a comeback, appears to be pipe smoking.
Burnouts happen in artisan-grade, super-high grade, high grade, mid-grade and entry grade pipes. I’ve often suspected burnouts are more frequent in more expensive pipes, but that’s probably just a poor boy bias. I do think, again from my own experience, that ebauchon briar breaks in differently than plateau. I remember one artisan pipe I thought was burning out when in fact it had just developed a remarkable cake in short order. I have taken good care of it and it has built up a fine and nice cake.
They usually retail at around $300 – $400, and similar in quality to the Royal Irish series, they are comparatively rare and scarce, with few retailers currently offering them for sale. The following lists and groupings are hopefully an easier and more practical method, making it much simpler to come to terms with the huge array of Peterson’s modern pipes. This can be rather complex for the novice, as Peterson continue to annually introduce new issues and remove older ones. Over the years I have found this to be a recurring problem for new entrants to the world of Peterson pipes.
However, later around 1916, they began stamping their pipes “Made in Ireland” in a block format. There was also a miniature version of Sherlock Holmes pipes issued around the same time. These were smaller bowled pipes at around two thirds the size of the originals and replicated those shapes. The Peterson System is still the most popular line Peterson produce, along with the P-Lip mouthpiece.
Each pipe that comes in is sold and the entirety of the price and shipping cost goes to the Foundation. A second kind of burnout, probably just as frequent, occurs at the air hole in the bottom of the chamber, often expanding to the area above it or to one side. The pipe did not get hot at all during the smoke, just a little in the beginning which is common peterson pipes when l smoke but nothing serious or extraordinary. I stick to the rule, that if you can’t hold the bowl against your cheek then it is too hot and it didn’t get that hot. Before smoking it, I gently took a pipe tool and went through it, sort of checking it—nothing wrong. Then l folded a bit of flake that had been dried up a bit and packed the bowl.
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 fourth type is not technically a burnout since it doesn’t usually destroy the pipe, but a type of scorch around the outer rim that’s caused by a sand bit under the surface. It’s not a burn from a lighter or match, but caused by heat dispersion in the sand pit under the surface shortly after lighting. It has gotten a little larger over the years but don’t seem to be seriously endangering the pipe. At the time, I didn’t know what to do about such problems and thought that if I just smoked it a few times, the burnout would stop.