442. SPECIAL BULLETIN: The 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Pipes Drop This Tuesday
PSAs The Chicago Pipe Show will be held May 1st – 4th. On Friday May 2nd, Glen Whelan, Managing Direction at Peterson, will join the Pete Geeks and Pipe Smokers of Ireland for a “Pete Geek Meet” from 12 to 2 in the secondary SMOKING tent. At 2pm I’ll be presenting “‘A Perfect Pipe’: Peterson’s 1906 Catalog” to coincide with the book launch of the catalog’s restoration. The new book will be available at the show and I’m hoping through Smokingpipes.com as well. Because this is such an important year for Peterson, I encourage you to think about attending the show, and especially if you collect or companion Patent and IFS-vintage Petes, as they’ll be one focus of the Pete Geek Meet. Another focus will be found by reference to the following newspaper clipping: This is the 160th anniversary of Kapp & Peterson—dating back to George and Frederick Kapp’s shops in London’s Soho district. Have you ever wondered how 1865 was determined as the founding date? Back in the 1990s the CEO of Peterson, Tom Palmer, engaged a Dublin journalist to write a history of the company. That man indicated to Tom that 1865 was the oldest reference to be found. Unfortunately he died and his notes apparently went with him. When we were doing our own research, your very own blogger found the date in the Clerkenwell News, a London newspaper. So you see, you owe it to yourself to be at the Chicago Show for this wonderful occasion. I don't know if Glen is bringing a green birthday cake with 160 candles or not, but we'll figure something out! THE 2025 ST. PATRICK'S DAY PIPES This morning, to get things started, is about the imminent first release of 2025, the St. Patrick’s Day pipes. Per Andy Wike at SPC, “we’re planning on launching them Tuesday, January 28th at 6:00pm Eastern Time.” He’s also sent us product photos of all the shapes and finishes, which form an extensive gallery below and will give you a chance to explore, appreciate, appraise and evaluate just in case you need to add one or more to your rotation. Josh Burgess at Smokingpipes recently told me that in addition to the regular St. Patrick’s Day, Carroll of Carrollton, Halloween, Pipe of the Year and Christmas releases, Peterson has two new System shapes coming up as well as some revivals and special issues. I think I heard someone say all the CPGs will be given a gift bag with one of every pipe in Natural if they attend the show . . . but maybe I dreamed that. I asked Glen Whelan, Managing Director at K&P, if he would share with us a bit about the release. “This is a really extraordinary year for Peterson,” Glen said, “and keeping the St. Patrick’s Day release in a very traditional Peterson aesthetic was really important to us. Using vulcanite P-Lip stems and sterling silver bands could not have gotten us any more traditional. I do have…