It is an 1896 bent Patent Deluxe.The original saddle stem which was missing, was probably an Amber one. 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 1922.I believe this was purely to take cognisance of the P-lip patent which expired at around this time. The Peterson Manx (Laxey Pipes Ltd.) Isle of Man factory partnership ceased operation about 1981 and the production of all African Meerschaum pipes was moved to Dublin and continued there until 1986. Peterson then went on to produce more non limited versions of the Mark Twain pipes, this time without numbers, from 1983 through to 1989. Charles Peterson died shortly after retiring and moving to Hamburg in Germany in 1919 where he is buried.
In 1890, after 15 years of being employed by Fredrick Knapp and repairing various pipes, Peterson applied for and secured a patent on a new and improved tobacco pipe. He introduced a unique system at that time that wicked moisture away from the smoke to deliver a fuller flavor. What sets Peterson Pipes apart the most is the System Pipe design. The key to ensuring the absolute best smoking experience with these legendary Peterson pipes is ensuring that you maintain and clean your pipe regularly and smoke it properly. The Peterson System pipes are the standard bearers of the Peterson pipe family, famous for the excellent smoking pleasure they provide. Often imitated but never equaled, the Peterson System smokes dry, cool and sweet, thanks to the scientific effectiveness of the original design.
Over the years there have been a few large System pipes Produced by Peterson which could be considered to be included as ‘House’ pipes. In the early Peterson catalogues, circa 1900, they were advertising XXL systems which were similar in size to the modern ‘House’ pipes. Bonds of Oxford St. London, to commission chacom tobacco pipes the making of a special giant classic bent pipe, with dimensions of, length 17cms, bowl height, 6.1cm, bowl chamber depth 5.5cms, internal bowl diameter 2.1cm. This is a classic shaped Peterson with hallmarked silver ferrule in smooth and rustic finishes, plus options of tapered and saddle stems.
In my humble opinion, Peterson have been consistent throughout their production of higher end pipes, in replicating a tradition of Celtic quality, at very reasonable prices. As I have stated previously, the huge World-wide number of contented Peterson pipe smokers is evidence enough and must be considered a great captain black tobacco endorsement of the brand. The Peterson brand of pipes are one of the most recognised in the world. They have been manufacturing pipes as a business in Ireland since the 19th century. Today the business is owned and managed by Tom Palmer from their head office at the Sallynoggin factory in Dublin, Ireland.
Nearly all are bents, except for one straight model, shape reference 31. As well as the traditional Walnut finish, there are also additional colour choices with red and ebony, plus rusticated and sandblast. Prices can vary considerably from around $88 for a basic finish System and up to $250 for a Deluxe. Perhaps the most notable design from the Kapp & Peterson factory was Peterson’s famed ‘DrySystem’ pipes. Before it was Peterson Pipes it was the Kapp Brothers – Friedrich and Heinrich Kapp, German immigrants to Ireland from Nürnberg, Germany, who founded the famed Kapp Brothers store on Grafton Street, Dublin, in 1865. Then one day a Latvian immigrant, Charles Peterson, strolled into the Kapp workshop and declared that he could make better pipes than they.
Basically sticking wisely to what the business had historically been famous for, good quality, value for money, popular, classic shaped pipes. 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. 1987 saw the introduction and Issue of the first Sherlock Holmes ‘Original’ Series of pipes. The Sherlock Holmes series is probably the most successful series of pipes ever introduced by Peterson in terms of numbers.
On Peterson’s bands, it reads “K&P” for Frederic Kapp and Charles Peterson, the company’s founders. On this page, you will find all of the Sherlock Holmes line’s designs, as well as all the other lines (Standard, Aran, St-Patrick’s day pipes…) that have contributed to the brand’s success for more than 150 years. 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. In 1898 another of Peterson’s innovative pipe inventions became available and was also patented.