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Kevin Godbee - Dec 22, 2010
- 4 min read
By Chuck Wright
We all know the story of the Kapp brothers and Charles Peterson so I won’t bore you with it. Most are also familiar with the Peterson system pipes, so the same will hold true there. I intend to focus on the classic Peterson pipes beginning with the entry level pipes like the Aran, Irish-Made Army, and then working up to the higher grades.
I wish to thank Mike Leverette and James Lilley from whom I will liberally borrow information. As a confirmed Peterson nut, I have always been surprised at the lack of accurate historical information and Peterson’s lack of record keeping. It seems they just wonder along, changing series names, dropping a series, starting a new series and not keeping track of when they did it. When I first started collecting Peterson pipes, I wanted to know all I could about them.
I received a lot of contradictory information from various sources and was left in a quandary as to who and what to believe. Then I discovered “The Peterson Pipe Project” and many things became clearer. Unfortunately, that resource never reached it’s full potential and has just about died on the vine with Mr. Leverette’s passing. We now have the ongoing work of Jim Lilley to use as a reference. Peterson pipes have been around for more than 145 years now. That’s impressive compared to some other brands that began in the mid 19th century. Many of the shapes they have today can be traced back to those origins.
Entry level Peterson’s, such as the Aran, Donagal Rocky, Kildare, Killarney and Sterling Silver series, can all be bought at retail for less than $100, and make a decent introduction to the brand. Some people dislike the long break-in period that these pipes seem to take, sometimes 20 bowls or more, but once they are broken in, they are a fine smoking pipe.
One needs to try to see and handle these pipes before purchasing because there have been fit and finish issues, especially with pipes made in the 1980’s and on into the1990’s. I’ve noticed a marked improvement in quality control in the newer made pipes I’ve bought. You can expect to find fills and/or pits in these lower grade pipes. Peterson is one of the best at hiding fills. You may think you have an unusually fill free Aran, but somewhere down the road a pink or black fill will make itself known. Again, these are entry level pipes and one cannot expect a perfect straight grained pipe for $100.
Moving up to Premier quality – again, one can expect fills and pits but only minor ones in these pipes. Usually there are very few, maybe only one or two pinpoint sized flaws. The briar is of a higher grade and you can expect a pipe that will break in somewhat more quickly the the lesser grades. The shapes are the same as the lesser quality pipes but the smoking experience is enhanced. One can expect to pay in the neighborhood of $125 to $175 for these pipes, depending on the shape and size.
Now we get into the “good” stuff, the Deluxe series and above. Don’t bother looking for fills or pits in these pipes. There aren’t any. This includes the Deluxe System, Deluxe Classic, Army Spigot, Celtic Natural, Rosslare Natural, Grafton, Hinged Cap Natural and Silver Caps. You may find small root marks in these pipes but no putty. These are about as good as it gets from Peterson as far as pipes that can be found on a somewhat regular basis. Retail prices on these pipes can range from about $150 to $250.
Moving on to the top of the line pipes, we have the Straight Grains that may or may not be mounted with sterling silver or 9ct. gold. Also, there are the Supreme pipes that may have sterling silver or gold mounts or may be plain. There are also the gold and silver spigots. These pipes are flawless both in fit and finish and, except for the straight grains, possess beautiful birds-eye grain. They are usually furnished with a light contrasting stain that darkens with use. Depending on the size and precious metals used, these pipes will run as high as $900.
Peterson also produces what they refer to as Series pipes. The Great Explorer series is a set of four pipes dedicated to Admunson, Shakleton, Scott and Crean. They are rather large pipes with acrylic stems. The Writer series pipes are dedicated to the likes of Yeats, Wilde, Joyce and Shaw.
The new Mark Twain set consists of a new Mark Twain pipe and a poker. The poker, although not a cob, is meant to honor Huck Finn. The Castle series pays homage to some of the historic castles in Ireland. The River series for it’s rivers. The list goes on and on.
All in all, Peterson makes pipes for every budget, from the beginner to the experienced pipe smoker and collector.
You can visit The Peterson Pipe Project at http://thepetersonpipeproject.blogspot.com and Jim Lilley’s The Peterson Pipe Collector at http://thepetersoncollector.blogspot.com/
Peterson’s home page is http://www.peterson.ie/pipes/index.html
Sit back, select your favorite Pete, load it up and enjoy. That’s what I’m about to do. Let’s see, I think some FVF in the silver mounted 999 Classic will do just fine.
– Chuck Wright
Written by Kevin Godbee
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Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 636. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Barry Kane. Barry started smoking a pipe in 1961 when he was 14-years old. Back then it seemed like everybody smoked, and you could buy pipes and tobacco just about anywhere. Barry is a true old-school pipe smoker, sticking to just one blend. See if you can guess which one before listening. At the top of the show Brian will give his take on Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s purchase of Mac Baren and Sutliff Tobacco and their announcement that they will be shut down.
There’s a pipe in my collection that I cannot bring myself to smoke, though I’ve had it for more years than I care to recall. It’s old, or shall I say, well experienced; that experience, that oldness came to it long before it was in my possession. The pipe is an old Comoy’s Grand Slam from the 1940s. The shape (#93), a slightly canted, stack billiard (sometimes referred to as a Belgian) is right up my alley, and it’s a beautiful example of it. It came to me with some wear and tear; nothing unusual for an old pipe, but more the signs of one that has been well loved, smoked a lot, treated as a favorite tool, cherished, in a sense, by frequent use. It’s the pipe equivalent of a vintage car that’s been driven a lot, enjoyed fully and maintained adequately, rather than one kept in a spotless garage, dusted and detailed weekly, brought out only for leisurely Sunday drives, or to be ogled behind the ropes at the next Concours d’Elegance. When it arrived, those uncounted years ago, it wanted a little restoration. Nothing dramatic needed to be done to it, but the stem was oxidized, the finish a little dingy. The cake was even and fairly thin, and the airway was relatively clean, both signs that its previous owner cared for it, but the bowl’s surface was a little drab and dull. It took little effort to reveal its beauty, to show the lovely contrasted stain and interesting grain beneath the old wax. I often think I should do before and after photos of pipes that I work on, but those thoughts always come after the work’s been done. This one would have been a great illustration of how years of handling that can sometimes make a pipe more beautiful, can other times make it just look grungy. Once I’d cleaned up the externals, it was time to address the inside bits. I approach this a little bassackwards, I realize. It would be more sensible to take care of the inside before addressing the outside, but it’s how I roll. If an old pipe isn’t pretty to look at, it’s unlikely that I’ll care much about it, and cleaning is usually the hardest part, or at least the most boring part of any restoration for me. Alcohol and pipe cleaners. Lots of pipe cleaners. That’s why I leave it for last. Sometimes, I’ll even give a pipe a test smoke before a deep cleaning, just for a point of reference. I gave it a sniff to get an idea of what I was up against, and it stopped me cold. There in that bowl was an aroma that I had not smelled in decades. My head was instantly filled with memories of being in the back room of a fabled Berkeley tobacconist’s shop where I stumbled upon a few jars of long discontinued blends. One of them, a blend called Forty and Eight, had the most engaging and unusual scent of any tobacco I’d stuck my schnoz into. It was sweet, but not in a candy store way. There were none of the usual vanilla, cherry, berry or anise notes of typical aromatics, nothing that could be compared to aftershave or deodorant soap, but something almost musky, a little earthy, something exotic. The shop’s owner couldn’t tell me what was in it, how, or where it had been produced. The old blend had been retired before he’d bought the place. The printed catalogue gave no clues, either, other than being overprinted with the word “DISCONTINUED” in bold, rubber-stamp type. (And, I don’t recall it as being “highly aromatic” as the description indicates.) There was still quite a bit in the jar. Being, at that point, an intrepid explorer of all kinds of tobaccos, whether I thought I’d like them or not, I had to give it a try. It was burly based, but also comprised a good measure of virginia leaf, and maybe some other varieties; I didn’t have enough experience at the time to really pick it apart. But, that aroma was unlike anything I’d experienced before or since. It was something now completely lost to time. Until it wasn’t. Memories are powerful things, and there is no sense more tightly bound to memory than our sense of smell. One whiff was all it took to carry me back in time, conjuring a vivid recollection of something long submerged in the inky depths of a subconscious mind. Look, I know as well as anyone that pipes are meant to be smoked, and that many feel it almost sacrilegious to have a pipe and not set it to its intended task. In this case, I simply can’t. I won’t. Ever. Rationally, I am fairly certain this pipe would probably be a great smoke. It was too well loved by its previous caretaker to be anything less than that. My choice not to smoke it is an emotional one, not something rational. Of the thousands of pipes that have passed through my hands over the years, this is the only one to create such a singular and vivid, almost Proustian recollection of temps perdu, of lost time. It revivified a long dormant memory that is mine, and mine alone, and that’s enough. I keep it in a drawer with other old English pipes. In some ways, it’s nothing special, just a nice old pipe. I don’t lavish it with any particular care that arguably befits the hidden treasure that it holds. It’s not in a special box, or displayed preciously in a glass cabinet. Every once in a while, I take it out, point my nose bowlwards, and every time, those memories return just as powerfully as they did the first time. I have no idea how long it’s been since its last owner smoked it, but in the years I’ve had it, there seems to have been very little degradation of the aroma, and that’s […]
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 635. Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with James Ravenwood. James is the boutique tobacco blender of Ravenwood Blends. His blending started out as a fun hobby, and he now has professionally packaged commercially available products with some great tin art. Part of his interest in pipe smoking goes back to fond memories of a retired Navy Veteran that lived on his street while he was growing up that would sit in his driveway smoking a pipe all day. Later, in 2011 he began smoking pipes and soon after started experimenting with mixing different tobaccos. His other hobby, that he has been doing for 30 years, is photography. He takes wonderful photos of outdoor spaces, and still life pictures of pipes and tobacco. You can see them on his Instagram @thebriarfellowship. At the top of the show we’ll have an Ask the Pipemaker segment with renowned pipe artisan Jeff Gracik.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 634! Our featured interview on tonight’s show is with Warren Ertle. Warren is an extremely accomplished musician with a PhD in music. He started early as a percussionist in sixth grade. Later his grandmother got him a cheap Casio keyboard which he taught himself to play. He started playing in blues bands in high school, and has been a pianist with jazz big bands for years. Even though he was already a professional musician, he took his first real piano lesson when he enrolled in college with his studies in classical music. He is of course a pipe smoker. At the top of the show we will have an Ask the Tobacco Blender segment with Jeremy Reeves. Jeremy is the Head Blender at Cornell & Diehl, which is one of the most popular boutique pipe tobacco companies in the USA.
Soon now, supposedly, our neighborhoods will shift from grinning pumpkins, skeletons in various assortments, and zombies dashing about to pretty reindeer, angels, and flashing lights illuminating homes with sparkling stars and laughing, scurrying Santas. But, lest we forget, there is the turkey season, fancy pie aromas wafting from kitchens, and a national pardon of a big Tom Turkey. Remember, now, that only one of these holiday personalities is a pipe smoker. And that is the hefty, bearded fellow in a bright red suit sitting in a sleigh with a herd of deer hitched up and ready to streak across the globe, bringing tidings of joy and many presents. Ok, the scene is set for the next couple of months, right? So, before we get too far off the beaten path, let’s just take a deep breath of fresh autumn air, shall we? Ahh. That’s better, isn’t it? What’s got the Pundit in a snit is not all the Halloween spooks who came a-jostling for candy. Or the wild turkeys gobbling in the backwoods or all the fuss and feathers over the big one—Christmas. No, it is that we might need to take note of all the little things that mean so much to us. Like a good sunrise (seriously, Pundit has not gone all Pollyanna.) Mayhaps we need to appreciate more of what we have than what we have not. Or something like that. Like, a good pipe in the morning with coffee as the dawn brings us coolish weather now that we have flipped the calendar to autumn. But it also brings beautiful leaves that have become a spectacle of technicolor in the wind. It is the little things. The rereading of an enjoyable book and finding something you did not see or learn in the first go-round. Or a stunning phrase you commit to memory with the re-read, while smoking that favorite pipe. And you notice a superior puff that just seems to be different. It’s in the air and the seasons of meaningful little things. It’s aromatic! Or perhaps it is that sense of satisfaction knowing and appreciating you made it to another day. With the world in a kind of rinse-and-repeat history, reminiscent of a Shakespearean play, it is perhaps a good moment to remember some of Pipedom’s philosophers whose cogent thoughts brought light to clear a path in the mists of confusion and confounding opinions. Ok. No gloom and doom. Just some down-home thoughts. Think of times in the past when history was running off the rails. It took our pipe-smoking thinkers (the mind workers of the world) to speak of better pathways to more light. Think for a moment, with a pipe in hand, these wizards of the world and word: Albert Einstein, J. R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edwin Hubble, Bertrand Russell, C. S. Lewis, and Jean-Paul Sartre. All learned and enlightened. They offered wisdom instead of storms of meaningless roads to nowhere. All while smoking their pipes! Maybe especially with the help of their pipes in the art of thinking and philosophy. Recall the words of Mr. E=MC2 when he said, “I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs.” Amen and amen! Dealing with world-rattling events takes a calm and objective view of things, to the Pundit’s way of summing it up. You just don’t go messing around with quantum physics without a calm and objective approach, methinks. Or as the extraordinary physicist Robert Oppenheimer said after he and a team in the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos Labs developed a way to split atoms into bombs during World War II. “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds,” said Oppenheimer referring to the development of the first nuclear bombs dropped on Japan. It must be pointed out that Oppenheimer was more of a cigarette smoker than a pipe smoker. Nonetheless, pipes were part of his personality. Now, if you have read some of the great authors of the past and present, their pipes were always nearby. Reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle can be a three-pipe problem at times. S. Lewis and Jean-Paul Sartre require time with your pipes to reflect on the existential problems and solutions these authors provide in learned novels and other narratives. Or take Edwin Hubble and Bertrand Russell, philosophers of another world. Pipes are required for reading. The quantum lode of ideas Pundit is attempting to sort out is that our pipes are relaxing and stimulate our thoughts and creativity. Especially in these last months of the year. Many times Pundit has had that light bulb flick on while smoking my beloved pipes. And friends in Pipedom, it ain’t easy to turn on the lights in Pundit’s rock pit head. Now it’s time for a quote from a Pipe Smoker of the Past. Shelby Foote was born Nov. 17, 1916, in Greenville, Miss., and died June 27, 2005, in Memphis, Tenn. A fact is not a truth until you love it—Shelby Foote. A parting thought: It is said that famed Southern author William Faulkner carried a packed pipe in a coat pocket wherever he went. That’s one effective way to deal with workday conflicts and confusion. A calm and objective judgment in our everyday human affairs, as the quantum man said.
Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 633. Our featured guest tonight is Jon David Cole. JD is the Owner/Tobacconist at The Country Squire in Jackson, MS, and the accompanying online store. We’ll have JD and Brian talking about what’s new at the store and in the business in general. At the top of the show, Brian will discuss tobacco growing, what happens to the leaf, and provide updated information on where tobacco is being gown today. Tobacco production originated in the United States and we were once the #1 producer. It’s quite different now.
Nice piece Chuck, interesting and well written.
That was an interesting read, very well thought out and informative.
Good read Chuck and good links.
Thanks Chuck! Great article and good information.
Very good essay, I think they are superb pipes. I didn’t know about the fills and pits on the “lower” priced pipes which causes me to be wary when I go to the pipe store and look at those models. Very good information indeed.
Chuck, thanks for adding a few more pieces to the Peterson Puzzle. Both neophyte and veteran find it daunting to make sense of the vast Peterson offerings; but your fine article brings a much needed bit of organization to the bewildering and expansive line.
Regarding pits and fills, I used to believe that any pipe below $125 would have them. That was when I could but a 307 System Standard for $60. I’ve had to revise that upwards to $250 now because of the natural esclation of costs. When I first started buying Peterson’s, Tony Whelan the shop supervisor, told me that they may get 3 to 5 bowls out of 1000 that would qualify as a Supreme Grade. He told me two weeks ago they don’t see any now and have only about 50 pieces that will qualify as Supremes.
The way to save money and still get the Peterson experience is to buy sandblasted or rustic pipes where the fills and/or pits are hidden.
I have owned four different Peterson pipes over the years. They were all bent system types. They all looked very Irish and old fashioned, which is what attracted me to them to begin with. I don’t remember which models they were now.
They also all eventually showed fills, except for the Sherlock Holmes pipe from that series.
That is the only one that I have kept, although I don’t smoke it very often.
The reason that I don’t is that it smokes wet, just as all the others did. What I mean by wet is that they gurgle a lot.
For instance, my other pipes usually take between one and three pipe cleaners per bowl to keep them smoking dry. The Petersons can take six + cleaners. I don’t know why that would be. I smoke them the same way, using the same tobacco. I just find it very bothersome.
The point of this is that I just stay away from the brand now. If I ever do decide to buy another Peterson, it will probably be an older estate pipe with a straight stem.
good article. i’ve been smoking petes (and other brands too)for around 50 years. i’ve never had a complaint about hard to break-in. i suspect the problems of long break-in and wet smokes are exacerbated by aromatic blends. beleive it or not the best smoking pipe i ever bought was an irish second. i still have it and several other irish 2nds that i cherish as old friends- the fills are still tight i’d buy more if i could find ’em- i think pete quit the 2nds around mid 1980’s. if you find one- snap it up, if it’s unsmoked it’ll break-in almost instantly, and will be a source of many great smokes. only drawback i’ve found is that they will have FT bits. if you are happy with a pete but want the PL bit, the folks in dublin will fix you up. i’ve had them replace a number of FT bits with PL bits (which i prefer).
In reply to maxpeters. I agree that petersons tend to gurgle and smoke wet. Heaven forbid you lay a system pipe down while smoking and all the contents of the system trap empty into the draft hole, believe me the first puff is memorable!!! Our savior however comes in the form of “Nording’s” Eric’s keystones. These small clay like stones are great. I fill the system trap with them and they absorb all of the juice and the pipe smokes so dry I never have to use a pipe cleaner, except to clean the pipe after use. I am back to smoking my original Mark Twain and Sherlock Holmes pipes and they smoke wonderfully. I also use the keystones in the rest of my pipes and they really make a difference. Just put a few in the bottom of the bowl and load up.
I’ve read the complaint the Peterson System pipes gurgle on a few occaisions. I have never experienced it myself except with the Premier and Deluxe series that have the screw-in condenser. The gurgling stopped the instant I removed the condenser. Peterson has a new style aluminum condenser now that doesn’t have the three small holes on the side, just one larger hole in the tip and they don’t gurgle.
Thankx for the info Chuck.
Very informative, considering I have no understanding of Peterson Pipes.
I do however appreciate them.
I like the way they look, and I love that Poker in the Mark Twin set.
I have one question…
I think the problem I have had with Peterson’s is the P-lip bits, and ignorance.
Do you think I would enjoy a standard bit over a P-lip?
I chewed both of my Petes almost beyond recognition.
I’m happy to say they have both found a very good home.
I haven’t given up on Peterson’s, contemplating obtaining a poker. (no P-lip)
Lawrence, if you like a regular bit on other brands, I would say the regular bit on a Peterson would satisfy. Peterson told me that only about 20% of their pipes are furnished with the P-lip so finding one without it should be easy.
Does anyone know what the word “vintage” carved under the peterson name on the bowl of a pipe refer to? I have looked every site and no one makes any mention of it. Where does it stand in the quality range of peterson? Help anyone?
Great Article on Petersons. Great pipe at a great price. Simple but highly effective design resulting in a great smoke. I have a question: Does anyone know if they are still making the 80S Donegal Rocky in fishtail? All I see these days on line, is the 80S Donegal Rocky in the P-lip. Try as I might, I simply can not get used to the P-lip. Seems like too much of the bit is in my mouth, if you know what I mean. The few P-lip Petersons that I do own, I have had to file down the bit to bring it to something resembling the fishtail. I love the bowl design on the Peterson 80S Donegal Rocky, but can not live with the bit. Does anyone else have an issue with the P-lip? Thanks.
Kashmir, as far as I know, all Donagal Rocky’s have P-lips. To get away from them, one needs to up-grade to a spigot. They have acrylic fish tail bits. I don’t have a problem with P-lips but I undersatnd those who do. Ovwer the years, I bought altered P-lips that have been filed down to resemble a regular bit. I’ve had to use a rat tailand safe edge files or a Dremal tool to form a proper vee in the bit. It is a little time consuming but I’ve came away with a proper looking product in the end.
Thanks for the info Chuck. Whatta great site!