Best known for their system pipes which have a unique dry system and the special ‘P’lip which helps you grip the pipe in your teeth. A few years ago Peterson of Dublin offered only a small range of pipes. Nowadays they offer a wide aray of designs and finishes. Flying in the face of the condemnation of smoking on health grounds, the pipe appears to be going through a gradual upturn in popularity. No longer considered the province of older middle aged males, it appears to be gaining in popularity, particularly with significant numbers of younger people.
This is probably the most popular group of modern Peterson pipes for collectors, offering good variety and choice at very fair pricing. With Ireland’s joining of the European Community in 1973, a fourth miniature hallmark representation of the Celtic Glenisheen collar was added to the right of the date stamp for that year, hallmark letter F. In 1899, Peterson opened the first in a series of several successive shops in London, England, that lasted until the late 1960s/70s.
For collectors the Patent Era appears to have been from K&P’s formation in 1890, until the expiration of the patent; through to approximately 1915. The late Mike Leverette in his ‘A Peterson Dating Guide’ extended this period to 1922.I believe this was purely to take cognisance of the P-lip patent which expired at around this time. The ‘Original’ series was introduced piece meal, every 6 months a new shape until the 7 day set was complete. The same procedure was later adopted for the next series, Return of Sherlock Holmes. Peterson then went on to produce more non limited versions of the Mark Twain pipes, this time without numbers, from 1983 through to 1989.
In 1979 and 1980 Peterson commenced production of the Mark Twain gold banded numbered limited edition, numbered 1 through to 400. The pipe proved to be so popular that the number was quietly increased to 1000. Some were also issued with limited edition pewter statues of the famous author. There and then, Peterson suggested that the brothers go into partnership with him to turn his pipe dream into the world’s dream pipe. Kapp and Peterson went on to become Dublin’s most fashionable and respected manufacturer and purveyor of fine smoking products. Pipe and cigar smokers would stroll down to the elegant premises for professional advice on the subtle nuances that determine a good handmade cigar or pipe.
A few years later the P-Lip, the unique Peterson mouthpiece, appears. With both the company has achieved many successes and prizes. This characterizes the company, which peterson pipes continues to make the same models. Peterson is also known for the beautiful silver applications. It was only later the next morning that I started working on it.
I think it is an after market band but I do not see any cracks in the shank that would say it was a repair. The stem was lightly oxidized and had tooth chatter on both sides ahead of the P-lip. The gold P stamp on the left side of the stem was faded. I decided that the first thing I would work on was the fit of the stem to the shank. The shank itself was dirty and there was a thick coat of stain on the inside that had tar and oils built up on it that kept the tenon from seating properly in the shank. I took photos of the pipe as it looked when I received it.
A pipe cleaner dipped in alcohol will do a fine job of removing any dried tobacco juices in the mouthpiece or shank. If there is any difficulty with the pipe cleaner accessing the narrow Plip, I would suggest using the finer narrow pipe cleaners made by Falcon, which are still widely available. The sump pit on a system pipe can be cleaned with a QTip swab or piece of rolled up paper towel, likewise preferably dipped in alcohol before use. If you suspect the sump pit contains a significant amount of liquid, remove the mouthpiece, dump the liquid, and reassemble.
Manxpipes and Laxey’s other brands were available through pipe retailers in general, but also were sold (mainly) to tourists through their own shop in Laxey. To summarize, this pipe is from the classic range of Peterson’s, an entry level Pete pipe. This is evidenced from the KAPET stampings and a couple of fills in the briar surface. The COM stamp points to a period between 1895, when Peterson’s opened a shop in London, and late 1950s when this shop was closed. The next pipe that I selected to work on is a beautiful classic billiard shaped Peterson’s pipe with a P-lip tapered stem. The very appearance of this pipe shouted “ol’ timer” to me even before I saw the stampings.
From 1950 to the present time, the stamp for this era is “Made in the Republic of Ireland” in a block format generally in three lines but two lines have been used with or without Republic being abbreviated. When collecting pipes, it is almost impossible, and it would be a pity, to steer clear of Peterson pipes. Charles Peterson was armed with an imaginative flair and a craftsman’s background when he took on the mission to make a better pipe.
On Peterson’s bands, it reads “K&P” for Frederic Kapp and Charles Peterson, the company’s founders. On this page, you will find all of the Sherlock Holmes line’s designs, as well as all the other lines (Standard, Aran, St-Patrick’s day pipes…) that have contributed to the brand’s success for more than 150 years. Today, more than 150 years later, our patented System captain black tobacco pipes and Classic designs can be found in brick and mortar and online retailer shops across the globe. We’ve seen enormous change in our century-and-a-half of pipemaking. Our retail store and factory have moved locations and our ownership has changed hands over the decades. I had seen this pipe on many occasions when I had previously visited Bonds E bay site.