The system pipe has a separate space in the pipe, where the moisture can collect, making the pipe cool and dry. A few years later the P-Lip, the unique Peterson mouthpiece, appears. With both the company has achieved many successes and prizes. But this system turned out to be a hit for three reasons. But I think this Peterson Meershaum pipe is pretty unique. @re-engineer spotted it sitting on my file cabinet in a previous post, and I thought it might be worth a post of its own. It combines several features that might be of interest to the new pipe collector as well as the historian, and there's a fun story behind it. I knew that I was dealing with a pipe from the Specialty Line of Briars made between 1945 and the present. Headset loupes with multiple lenses can usually be had at quite reasonable prices which, with a good light source, are often all you need. Today, almost 150 years later, Peterson manufactures around 100,000 pipes a year, with great popularity in both Europe and North America. The Date Letter Code for the year in which the silver was hallmarked (see the chart below). In certain years a fourth hallmark is applied – for example 1966 – a Sword of Light for the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising 1973. There were also other marks used for the fourth hallmark. As the oldest continuously operating briar pipe factory in the world, Peterson Pipe have a certain tradition to uphold, a legacy of craftsmanship dating back over 150 years. It was stamped 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. From the chart above that identified it as having been made in 1994 – at least the band was! I have drawn a red box around it in the above photo. The chart defines the meaning of each hallmark on the silver band. 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 briar pipe. The Peterson brand was embraced by politicians, business leaders, sportsmen, artists and writers. A bent brandy “setter,” like its sibling the B10 it seems to have originally appeared in the high-grade Rosslare Royal Irish line in 2003 and from there appeared in most every Peterson line. As young Latvian talented pipe maker from Riga, Charles Peterson joined Kapp in 1865. Kildare (1965-) First issue of line with matte-finish in Classic Range shapes, P-Lip and fishtail mouthpiece. Second issue C.1979 as Kildare Patch, with rusticated patches on pipe surface. Third issue 2010, matte-brown, P-Lip or fishtail mouthpiece, no band. This long canted looking pipe that is kind of a cutty had some burn marks on the front and back outer edge of the rim. The bowl was quite clean but I could smell the tobacco. The pipe was stamped on the left side and read Peterson’s [over] Kapet and on the right side it read Made in the Republic of Ireland. There was a lot of grime on the briar that made it sticky feeling. There was a hole in the bottom of the bowl that punctured the heel. The stem was plugged as well and I could not blow any air through it. The nickel ferrule was oxidized and dirty with  grime on it and an overflow of oils from the sump. It was a mess.I called the fellow who sent the pipe and told him about the hole in the bottom of the bowl. He said it was probably the result of constant reaming with a pocket knife. The three stamps resurfaced on the copper-plated Christmas pipe mounts beginning in 2019 and and continuing through 2022 (the date of this revision). The practice of stamping sterling with the date letter wasn’t resumed at Peterson until 1969, for rather humorous reasons you can read about in the Peterson book. Pipe smokers new to Peterson sometimes wonder what the “K&P” stamp is all about, not realizing the company was known as “Kapp & Peterson” until the 1970s and is still referred to as “Kapps” by the old hands in the shop. Usually Peterson metal stampings and bowl stampings aren’t difficult to decipher, but I’d recommend at the outset using some kind of strong magnification loupe. Jeweler’s hand-held loupes are usually not quite strong enough to do the job. Enjoy some of the most legendary tobaccos ever made with Peterson. Frederick would soon bring on Latvian immigrant Charles Peterson, and they went about renovating their styles and beginning a brand new way to think about and craft a tobacco pipe. By 1896, they were getting recognized in the 1896 International Tobacco Trades Exhibition in London with two gold medals, for "Best Finished Pipe" and "Best Patent Pipe." As the oldest continuously operating briar pipe factory in the world, we at Peterson have a certain tradition to uphold, a legacy of craftsmanship dating back over 150 years.