Peterson XL 307

[craig61a]

I recently picked up this Peterson XL 307 for a relatively low price.

The stummel had grime and stains; the stem was a brilliant pea green; the rim was hammered and worn on the edges; the mortise was filled with dried goo.

The stem did not fit well because of all the dried crud. There were several rings of dried goo on the tenon, and dried goo on the top of the nickel ring where tobacco juice had leaked out…

So late this afternoon I started cleaning it up. I topped about 1/16” of the bowl to remove the knock marks and worn over edges. Removed the thick cake in the bowl, and cleaned out the well. Apparently it rarely occurred to the previous owner to swab the well after smoking whatever sickeningly sweet aromatic was smoked in it.

Over the years I’ve gotten my refurbishment gig down to a routine that allows me to clean these up with a minimal amount of time and effort.

There’s still work to do, but this is coming along nicely.

 

[seanv]

Looks great

 

[bootlegpipes]

Looking good but where's the gold stamp?!

 

[craig61a]

This one’s done…

 

[craig61a]

A few pre refurbishment pics…

 

[Sobrbiker]

Nice job, what’s the COM stamping?

 

[Sig]

Nice job!
That one picture reminds me of the ebay listings where the pipe stems are upside-down.
I want to ask them, "have you ever even seen how a human head is shaped?"
Im not sure if its low effort or just ignorance, but it is silly.

 

[craig61a]

Nice job, what’s the COM stamping?

Made in the Republic of Ireland… it’s barely readable though. Probably spent a lot of time being held by the shank.

I would say it’s from the time period between 1963 - 1989. No faux hallmarks on the band.

 

[craig61a]

Nice job!
That one picture reminds me of the ebay listings where the pipe stems are upside-down.
I want to ask them, "have you ever even seen how a human head is shaped?"
Im not sure if its low effort or just ignorance, but it is silly.

I used to see that a lot more often, when sellers were just regular non pipe smoking people who picked up random items at garage and estate sales to peddle on eBay…

Now, everybody’s a pipe restorer or refurbisher… doing more damage in many cases, and asking idiotic prices for “rare collector quality” pipes.

 

[craig61a]

Me, I do it just to pass the time and keep my hands busy in retirement.

 

[Sig]

I used to see that a lot more often, when sellers were just regular non pipe smoking people who picked up random items at garage and estate sales to peddle on eBay…

Now, everybody’s a pipe restorer or refurbisher… doing more damage in many cases, and asking idiotic prices for “rare collector quality” pipes.

Yep,
Rare and vintage are highly misused on ebay. In fact, vintage has lost all its meaning over the last 20 years or so.
The word "vintage" without a date is meaningless.
The word began with the wine industry obviously. It was ALWAYS followed by a date....vintage 1923, vintage 1965. Now people believe vintage just means old.
Vintage ONLY means the year of production. Not using a date is like saying, "this car was made in the year" then just stopping. Vintage means nothing on its own.
But, like many words, definitions change over time by long time misuse.