276. K&P’s Pipes for the Illuminati na hÉireann *
The more I work with Peterson pipes the more fascinating their history becomes. The historical chapters (one through five) of The Peterson Pipe felt beyond my capability in the beginning, which was why it was such a blessing to falll in with Gary Malmberg, who not only loves history but can do the research. As we worked over those initial chapters, I began to warm up to the work and observe how he went about it. At some point I began reading beneath and under and over the lines he was writing to see if I couldn’t add to the story a bit. The 1906 catalog’s R.I.C. Pocket Pipe (the Shamrock Grade was between a I. and a II). One of my first tiny victories came with a a strangely-designated pocket pipe from the 1906 catalog, the R.I.C. Neither one of us knew what it was and it certainly wasn’t important in the scheme of things, but I couldn’t let it go and kept at it until I finally figured it out: it was made especially for (and perhaps to honor) the Royal Irish Constabulary (1822-1922). The pipe was available in both army and navy mounts and seems to have had a chamber about the size of the current 314 System. As the book’s research and writing rolled on, Gary and I received a number of helps, tips and hints from friends and Pete fans all over the globe. Looking ahead to The Pocket Peterson in a few year’s time, I find I’ve got an unofficial team of “Pete Geek Irregulars” now at work, looking at every pipe and marking and in several cases adding to our fund of knowledge about the history of K&P or its pipes. Lance’s Patent House Pipe, a one-off dutch-billiard shape, hallmarked 1899. Note the two Maltese crosses on the bowl. Bowl is 3 in. tall, chamber 2.35 in. Stem 7 inches. Two of the foremost researchers among the P.G. Irregulars are Lance Dahl and Scott Forrest, who independent of one another came up with compelling evidence regarding an unknown stamp on a number of pipes in their collections. The stamp looks like a Maltese cross and appears either singly or doubled on pipes from the Patent era through the Éire and Early Republic. Because pipemen can sometimes be quite dogmatic about what they read in a forum or imagine the case to be ("don't confuse me with the facts, my mind's made up"), I should let everyone know that Scott's background is in historical research and Lance worked in government intelligence before his retirement, giving them that "Thinking Man" spirit we routinely find in our fellow CPGs. Over a year ago, Scott first asked if I knew what the Maltese cross stamp was all about, as he had a few pipes with it. I'd never seen one, although co-author Gary Malmberg has. I hypothesized it could be a grading mark from the factory or a tobacconist's mark (common enough on Petes). That satisfied him…