A Peterson pipe isn’t just a utilitarian tool; it’s a piece of history you can carry with you in your travels, a faithful companion to accompany you through all that life offers. The story of Peterson begins in England in the mid-19th century when the two German immigrants Georg and Friedrich Kapp opened a meerschaum pipe shop in London in 1865. There he met the young Lithuanian immigrant Karl Christoph Peterson, who as a craftsman peterson pipes had developed a knack for making pipes. Frederick hired this man, who from then on specialized in making bespoke pipes. Not only was Peterson a man of action, he was also smart.
He continued to develop the pipes he made and applied for numerous patents, which were even awarded industry prizes. After captain black tobacco Peterson died in 1919, the descendants of the Kapps remained company owners for the next several decades. It was not until the 1970s that there were upheavals in the company’s history, when new buyers acquired the traditional company, which had been owned by Tom Palmer, an Irishman, from the 1990s until 2016.
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 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.
We also have a huge selection of Savinelli Pipes, Rattray’s Pipes and pipe tobacco. Peterson pipes, made in Ireland, provide the pipe smoker with a wide selection of briars. Most Peterson pipe models are available with either a standard, traditional stem (called a “fishtail”) or the famous Peterson “p-lip”, which directs the smoke toward the roof of your mouth to reduce the chance of burning your tongue. While crafting quality, innovative tobacco pipes has been central to our brand, we understand the importance of possessing smoking accessories of the same calibre. From pipe pouches to rustic tampers and sleek lighters, our accessories complement our tradition of craftsmanship, each tailored to pair elegantly with our pipes.
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 chacom tobacco pipes 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.