As well as the traditional Walnut finish,there are also additional colour choices with Red and Ebony. When collecting pipes, it is almost impossible, and it would be a pity, to steer clear of Peterson pipes. Found something you love but want to make it even more uniquely you? You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.
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 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.
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.
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 chacom tobacco 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.
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.
The business was then inherited by their 10 and 12 year old sons and was renamed Kapp Brothers after executors were appointed. Charles Peterson by then was the lead craftsman and managed the business on behalf of Fredrick and his wife’s executors until the boys came of age. When the Kapp brothers did eventually come of age, Alfred Kapp chacom tobacco pipes and Charles Peterson bought out Christian’s shareholding and renamed the business Kapp & Peterson. Another feature of the Peterson System pipe that helps in removing moisture is the stem itself. Itwill have a relatively small draft hole entrance at the extension which will open out rapidly and thencloses back down near the bit.
Peterson’s opinion is that people would get a pipe for two reasons. The first is the enjoyment you get from smoking quality pipe tobacco. The second is you get a specific pipe because of the “inherent beauty that is in the pipe.” As the oldest continuously operating briar pipe factory in the world, we at Peterson have a certain tradition to uphold, a legacy of craftsmanship dating back over 150 years.
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 peterson pipes 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.
Each year since then, Peterson has continued to issue through it’s many global retailers, a Christmas pipe, now known as a “Holiday Season” issue. Throughout the early eighties they made several batches of so-called numbered limited editions.Culminating in 1985 with their Mark Twain 150th Gold anniversary. My recent enquiry to Peterson’s Dublin factory, has born fruit, those magicians have just returned the pipe with it’s newly restored, made to measure, black acrylic saddle stem. I am very pleased with the new replacement stem, as I consider this to be a very significant pipe from Petersons wonderful past. 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.