You are currently viewing 194. 500 and Counting: Brian’s Passion for Petes

194. 500 and Counting: Brian’s Passion for Petes

Brian has been corresponding with me recently, and as he’s the first Pete Freek I’ve known who has more than 500 Petersons in his collection, I asked him if he’d mind sharing how it came about. He was a bit reluctant at first, but I assured him there are folks all across the globe who would enjoy hearing his story and seeing some of his favorite pipes.

A Trio of Amber Spigots

I grew up in Kentucky and you could say tobacco is in my history.  My grandfather grew tobacco. My mother was one of nine children and I think seven of them grew tobacco!  My father was a metal worker and so was I, but I might as well have been on a farm since it was growing everywhere you looked. I remember going in the old tobacco barns on my grandfather’s and uncle’s farms and just smelling the tobacco. Every toy gun I ever owned as a kid was a tobacco stick!

Oom pauls and 02s

Most of my family smoked in one way or another—a pipe, cigars or cigarettes. I remember the first time I was offered tobacco. I was six and a fellow classmate pulled out a tin of Kodiak dip and offered me a pinch. I couldn’t be a lameo, so I kept it in my mouth as long as I could before spitting it out.  I started smoking cigarettes at about thirteen, I guess. It was just part of life back then. No one much questioned it.

A Dublin & London triple companion case

When I couldn’t go to the store as a kid, I’d give my cousin the money at the Sunday morning church service and he’d bring my smokes back at the evening service. I remember the day my mother found my dip and cigarettes and turned them over to my dad, no doubt giving him orders to punish me. I thought I was in for it. My dad was 20 years’ older than my mother so he wasn’t one to get real mad, but when he was mad, look out. I figured this was going to be one of those times. I heard him coming from his bedroom, every footstep. I looked up and he said, “Here’s your stuff.” What a load off! My mom was still pissed, but I was allowed to do it from then on.

Five from the IFS or Éire eras (top to bottom): shapes 950, 1048, 3034, 3262, 3266

I went on to cigars in my twenties, not every day but every now and then. Then about six or seven years ago I really started to get into cigars and was in love with them for a couple of years, building a huge collection. But I didn’t like how the cigar industry makes it almost impossible to get their cigars: they tell you just enough to get you wanting them, but good luck getting what you want. Then a certain cigar manufacturer said certain cigars would never make the market except for what they had already made, because of new FDA guidelines. I left no stone unturned and managed to get boxes of all of them. Then to my amazement, after a short time they started to release these cigars, and at a lot less than I had paid!

A Large Tankard / D19 Silver Blast Spigot

It was about that time I bought my first pipe. The industries and the hobbies are so different.  You don’t seem to have the same kind of cut-throats in the pipe world.  I bought a couple of pipes and went through what everyone goes through learning how to pack and clean them. Then I ran across a couple of guys restoring estate pipes and that caught my interest.

A 1911 Peterson Patent Gourd Calabash

I really don’t remember my first Peterson, because at that time I was in love with all pipes and went along buying and restoring them. Some I smoked and some I didn’t. My collection had grown to such an extent that I decided something had to give. I’d been getting more and more interested in Peterson so I began selling off the rest of my collection to concentrate on it. I counted them up the other day and I’ve got 511 now, with more on the way.

Companion cases, amber stems from Patent era

Peterson just has a history, doesn’t it? The only other brand that even compares is Dunhill. Me, my father, his father and even my great grandfather could all have walked into a store and bought a brand new Peterson. That really keeps the fire lit for me.

A Point of Sale box of 312 Standard Systems, c. 1950-60

In my rotation—not my collection—I smoke a Mark Twain, a 301, 309, 312, 314, 317, XL12 (Baskerville), XL17 (Watson), and a POY 2004. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the 309 or Mark Twain.

Patent Shapes, with the XXL House Pipe 01 from the Irish Free State era in lower right

As a collector, I’m always looking for shapes I don’t have. I’d like to pick up all the original 1996 Antique Collection in individual cases, as well as the Writers, Castles, Rivers Collections and a few others. I figure I’m only renting them, anyway, and someday they’ll be in the custody of another Pete Freek.

Cumberland Spigots like this were made from 1990 Patent Commemorative oom paul bowls

I worked in the metal fabrication industry for over ten years. I started out by laying everything out by hand, which is a lost art, but my favorite way to do it. Then I started running lasers and then I ended up running turret presses, stamp presses and break presses before becoming plant foreman. As time went on and my mother began to get old, I began to take care of her. She passed away last September, and it’s just one of those things that about three weeks later I had an accident and had to have my right arm amputated just below the elbow, making it hard some days just to do what most people take for granted.

A Point of Sale Demonstrator strutcard with 314 demonstrator and holder for POS brochures,
issued c. 1984

But I’ll say this: if it wasn’t for my Peterson hobby I don’t know if I would be here now. When things get bad or depressing, I turn to the hobby. Even if it’s just a half an hour looking at Petes on eBay, it can change how I’m feeling. These days, it sometimes it feels like the only normal that’s left!

Amen to that, Brian! There’s something about pipes, tobaccos and pipe-smoking that I seem to need now more than ever. Sometimes I wish I could “share the calm” with everyone who’s stressed out here in the US about politics, pandemics, racial relations and global warming. I don’t think they’d listen, but wouldn’t it be amazing if everyone could just slow down a bit, be kind and smoke their pipe?

The “Gate” Peterson pipe rack from the 1955 Dublin & London catalog

With many thanks to Brian
for sharing his collection and his life.
Photos courtesy Brian

 

*See “Tobacco Sticks Explained.”

 

… and just one more, this a 2 pipe brass and walnut rack from Peterson that I’ve never seen before:

 

 

 

 

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John Schantz
John Schantz
4 years ago

Nice bevy of pipes, thanks for sharing your collection Brian and Mark for putting the pics here. Maybe I have just been inspired to get some pics of my Pete’s lined up for you Mark. I have over 500 pipes, but I have not started to winnow out and whittle down to a few manufactures yet. I like almost all of the pipes I have for one reason or another. It’s tough to part with any of them. I do have nearly 100 Pete’s so far, and as Brian said, “More on the way”.

yosemite
yosemite
4 years ago

great collection…. Peterson’s are addictive…. my herd keeps growing and growing but it’s no where near as great as yours…. thanks so much for sharing

Jorgen Jensen
Jorgen Jensen
4 years ago

Good morning. What a pleasure !

William Auld
William Auld
4 years ago

Wonderful collection – love the Calabash! I, too, grew up in tobacco country (eastern NC) and remember those tobacco stick rifles. Thank you very much for sharing your collection story!

Jorgen Jensen
Jorgen Jensen
4 years ago

I have been reading this more times now. There is more blood in this than there use to be. The life, the pipes…….I feel that I know you Brian.

Erik Millqvist
Erik Millqvist
4 years ago

Peterson, tobacco and pipes helps me with my depression.

Joseph
Joseph
4 years ago
Reply to  Erik Millqvist

Thank you Brian…, know your collection and especially you are greatly appreciated.

Andy Camire
Andy Camire
4 years ago

Truly enjoyed reading about Brian’s experiences and family history regarding smoking. A lot of it I can relate to similar experiences. Thanks for sharing his personal story and collection which is amazing. This is certainly a hobby and pleasurable past time that makes the times tolerable and a wonderful diversion.

Jim Vetrovec
Jim Vetrovec
4 years ago
Reply to  Mark Irwin

What a collection! As an unabashed and shameless lover of Pete’s it’s a pleasure to see that I’m not alone in this world. What I enjoyed about those pictures is to see that they are smoked and not just show case pipes gathering dust. Many of Brian’s pipes are on my wish list. I’m getting an NOS in book 1985 Mark Twain with gold band. It has two stems, fish and P-Lip. I intend to smoke it proudly and to take care of it lovingly. Hope my dog likes it. He give his sniff and lick of approval to every… Read more »

John Schantz
John Schantz
4 years ago

Interesting tidbit about the Cumberland Spigot stem for the 1990 Commemorative. I bought one of those stems years ago on EBay, just to see if it would fit something I had…nope, not really?. It comes closest to fitting my XL305a Dublin. I get a pipe it will fit sooner or later?.

For a second, I had to see if Brian absconded with my amber spigots, at first glance they looked liked some of the same ones as have?

DOUG OWEN
DOUG OWEN
4 years ago

Absolutely unbelievably spectacular collection. Next time my wife criticizes my pipe acquisition disorder with my meager collection of 55 pipes I will point her to Brian’s collection. If the Laudisi people don’t know about Brian they really need to send him some sort of congratulatory letter and I am sure the Peterson people in Ireland would love to see this collection if only to congratulate him on being the proud owner of probably more Peterson classic pipes than anybody else in the known universe. Thanks so much for the photos Mark, I am going to archive them for my personal… Read more »

Marlowe
Marlowe
4 years ago

Thank you Brian for sharing your wonderful and personal story. What an awesome collection – a true Pete disciple. I especially loved the amber stems.

Bob Cuccaro/ TLIP
Bob Cuccaro/ TLIP
3 years ago

Holy Cow!!! What a collection! So glad to hear another Pete enthusiast finds peace with his pipes 🙂

Linwood
Linwood
3 years ago

I’ve tried to be a good guy and not get any more pipes for a while. Then this thread – absolutely wonderful that Brian decided to share with us and Mark to bring it to us ! Thank you both! Brian please show us more! And, I’ve never been an oom Paul type of guy – have overlooked them and the 02’s but golly Brian’s look awfully grand to me! Keep the faith Brian and the best to you! I hope we hear more from you!

Linwood
Linwood
3 years ago

Let me pick you up off of the turf, my friend. I think I’ve been brainwashed by some political cult, and I’m trying to resist… but hey like Sadie I once knew well for a short time, I might be convinced to try anything, once. The cult – it’s because of them….

Linwood
Linwood
3 years ago

I wouldn’t doubt that minimum the FDA is watching this subversive group, but the hat wearers posting comments.