Peterson have created this series of pipes, the main feature of which, is the unique Celtic Knot design on the hallmarked sterling silver band. In 1988 Peterson decided to issue a special Millennium Edition set of two pipes commemorating the City of Dublin’s 1000 year founding ( ). The first pipe was a Dublin shape (what else!) and an Oom Paul. Each pipe was sold individually featuring a special sterling silver hallmarked band and came with a ribbon wrapped parchment scroll in a blue presentation box. The pre-republic Peterson’s are often considered to be rather special by Peterson pipe smokers.They hark back to a time when quality briar was in abundance and craftsmanship was of the highest level. Like all collecting desirables, pre-republic pipes are now relatively hard to come by, with availability declining with each passing year.
The 999 springs to mind as the most obvious example, morphing as it did from a chubby author (“John Bull”) to a leaner rhodesian. The first place to begin, of course, is with the bowl itself. When dealing with a Peterson pipe, this means knowing a little about the bowl’s line, shape number(s), shape changes, and chuck marks. 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. I was told in no uncertain fashion that I had to adopt a more systematic approach!
I am very pleased with the new replacement stem, as I consider this to be a very significant pipe from Petersons wonderful past. For collectors the Patent Era appears to have been from K&P’s formation in 1890, until the expiration of the patent; through to approximately 1915. The late Mike Leverette in his ‘A Peterson Dating Guide’ extended this period to chacom tobacco pipes 1922.I believe this was purely to take cognisance of the P-lip patent which expired at around this time. Whenever I go through the old Peterson catalogues, it is like being a big kid all over again, drooling over illustrations and line drawings of pipes which I long to hold and admire. Owning such pipes is like having access to miniature time capsules.
However it was also one of great creativity, with the introduction of several commemorative series and some new literary character series of pipes that would leave a very lasting impression on the pipe smoking fraternity. During the 1970’s Peterson had a large display of pipes in the Shannon Airport Duty Free Shop for passengers. These were on display in a floor cabinet measuring approximately 6’ x 3’. Shannon airport outlet sold a considerable amount of pipes during its period of existence, covering all qualities, from the basic entry level Aran series up to the De Luxe Systems. They also stamped some mid range pipes with the mark ‘SHANNON’.
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a customer, Ted about some pipe work for him. He had three pipes that he said needed different things and offered to send some photos. He also sent a second email with a description of what each pipe needed. The peterson pipes selection has something for everyone, from the Iconic System Range, the big Sherlock Holmes collection too 9mm filter pipes.
This was a turbulent period for the company with the outbreak of World war 1 and the start of the Easter uprising in 1916. The K&P shop was extensively damaged during the military action at this time (see attached newspaper report). The commencement of the year 2015 will see the Peterson brand celebrating its 150th anniversary.