I have noticed that there are quite a few lovers of Peterson pipes, me being one. So I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread that is specifically for Peterson's and information relating to them.
When I first joined the forum, it was suggested that I offer information, that I have gained from various pipes/pipemakers that I research, to outside agencies or websites. Now, whilst I agree with the freedom of information and sharing what I have learned, why not have that information accumulated here on Smokingpipes.com?
I recently wrote to Peterson's a request for information on a pipe that had no Country Of Manufacture (COM). After having narrowed it down, by reading all the articles on dating Peterson's I was hoping for some kind of confirmation. To my surprise it confirmed my suspicions that the pipe was at the very least 100 years old.
In addition, I was given told that these early pipes had a numbering system for the different grades of quality, which was not mentioned in any of the articles I had read so far.
These were:
“0” Grade – A grade slightly under first quality, finished in a light Walnut colour and Hallmarked Silver Mount with space for wear of the Vulcanite mouthpiece.
“2” Grade – A very substantial quality Briar with Hallmarked Silver Mounts and fine quality Vulcanite mouthpiece.
“3” Grade – Finished in a medium Walnut colour with a Nickel Mount and a good quality Vulcanite mouthpiece.
These grades can come either on their own or within a circle.
Peterson don’t have any archives at all so they rely largely on old catalogues and the input from their senior craftsmen.
I am in the process of renovating a 308 that can be dated to between 1945 and 1947 and it is marked with a 0 on its own, whereas the older pipe is a 3 within a circle.
Dating a Peterson's to a particular year (without a silver mount) can be very difficult, if not impossible. At best it seems that all that can be found is an age range e.g. between 1945 and 1947 by the identification of the COM (and if there is one) and also, what type of script is used in the 'P' in Peterson. A good article on Dating Peterson's is HERE
The unusual thing that I did notice about the 1945-47 pipe is that the mortise is the same diameter as the bowl i.e. 18mm.
By the way, I don't have a stem for the 1945-47 Peterson's and seeing as the mortise is way bigger than the 'normal' system standards we see today, it probably means I am going to get smacked really hard for a replacement.
