It was hot out and he was with a friend so we did not go into details. The pipe appeared to be rusticated and looked to me like a Donegal Rocky in one of my favourite shapes – a Rhodesian 999. The bowl had a moderate cake and some lava on the rim top that needed attention. The rustication was dirty with dust of time ground in to the finish.
I wanted to know what I was dealing with so I examined the faint stamping on the smooth panel on the underside of the shank. It read Peterson [arched over] OF DUBLIN [arched over] PIPE OF THE YEAR. There was no other stamping on the shank – no shape number and no year! It was stamped on the top and read Peterson [over] Dublin. On the underside it was stamped Peterson over three hallmarks – Hibernia seated (on the left) followed by 925 in an oval followed by an italic upper case “I”. The Hibernia stamp identified it as made in Ireland, the 925 stamp was the quality of the silver and the italic I was the year.
The Fishtail mouthpiece design is the standard design for most pipes. It is often either a small hole or a flat slit at the end of the mouthpiece that is designed to deliver the smoke directly onto the tongue, with the hope that it gives you a little bit stronger of a taste of the flavors in the tobacco. The external shape of a fishtail mouthpiece is primarily cosmetic, but it does assist in retention of the pipe if it is being held solely by the lips or teeth. The opening in fishtail mouthpieces is available in several sizes in order for the smoker to have options as to how much smoke they can get with each draw. It is interesting that most of the info on the Shannon pipe and the Shannon Airport pipe seems to be parallel.
These larger shapes can be found within the many series of finishes that Peterson produce, although the most popular XL shapes are the Sherlock Holmes selections. By purchasing from The Pipe Nook, you affirm that you are of legal age to smoke tobacco products in your locality.
His understanding that a pipe is “a consumer product” ushered in a modern era of new lines, limited edition collections and other special products that consumers love and demand. James Crean Ltd. took the helm at Peterson next and was the first to divide the brand into pieces. Recognizing the loyalty of customers to the original name, the company was returned to the historically significant moniker of Kapp & Peterson. In 1969 the last Peterson pipes to be made in England were produced. The English shop was closed and all Peterson’s were, from that point forward, made in Ireland. From 1915 through the end of World War II was a pretty eventful time for Peterson of Dublin or any other Irish company or citizen for that matter.
Indeed, it is on this groundbreaking design that the worldwide reputation of Peterson rests. During the last hundred years, Peterson has grown tremendously without losing sight of its original dedication to quality, handcrafted products at a reasonable price. Within a year, Frederick employed a young Latvian woodworker named Charles Peterson to help with production and repairs. I’ve chosen these as both are excellent aids in relaxation and contemplation through their effortless smoking qualities. However, the journey towards “Zen” through both has been quite different, and I think highlights how sometimes similar results can come from radically different paths. I’m a photographer, a bit captain black tobacco of a writer, a radio amateur and a big pipe smoking enthusiast.
It has some rich patina developing along the shank and bowl. It is quite delicate so I am quite amazed that it is still undamaged. Next is an older Peterson and one of the briar pipes in the collection. It is hard to read the silver hallmarks peterson pipes on the ferrule but the shape speaks of it being older. Here is the second briar pipe – a Sasieni Four Dot with a gold (coloured?) band that is like a pile of nuggets. Not my favourite pipe but look at the sandblast on the bowl and the condition of the stem.
The sides of the bowl were beat up and the rim top was also beat up. There was a thick cake of lava on the rim top and the bowl was out of round. The cake in the bowl was also out of round and heavier on the left side than the rest. There was a lot of grime on the briar that made it sticky feeling.