Rev. 9/11/2022
PPN / CPG PIPE UPDATE
Thanks to all the Pete Geeks who made the CPGs’ PPN 2022 pipe a reality and to the K&P production team Glen Whelan, Sykes Wilford and Jonathan Fields who did all the heavy lifting to make it come true. Production began this past Friday, September 9th.
Alternates—this is your notification that, as of now, all the slots are filled. I’m sure there will be at least a few who don’t claim their pipes in early November, at which time I will begin reaching out to some of you to see if you remain interested.
CPGS and Pete Geeks—If you were notified as CONFIRMED in an email from me, you’ll receive another email with the information to complete checkout for your pipe through SPC or SPEu. K&P said they were very happy with the project, so I’m hoping we can do this again, perhaps as soon as next year.
The 2022 Christmas Pipe is almost here! Per a Prominent K&P Elf at Smokingpipes.com: “These will go live next Tuesday, September 13th at 6:00 p.m. ET.” I could wish Christmas were nearly here as well, but we’ll have to wait nearly another four months for that blessed event. In the meantime, K&P has been cooking up Yuletide goodies in their new Deansgrange kitchen that will help pass the time. Math isn’t my strong suit, but I think there may be as many as sixty different combinations of classic copper mountings and the dark red chocolate stain on both Heritage and Rusticated finishes.
Very exciting is K&P’s very first copper spigot, the brainchild of Glen Whelan, to whom my hat is off. It’s simply stunning.*
There are four configurations of the 2022 Christmas commemorative across most of the Classic Range shapes: (1) Heritage (spigot), (2) Heritage (army mount), Rusticated (spigot) and Rusticated (army mount).
Spigot Rustication
Spigot Heritage
Army Rustication
Army Heritage
Shapes include 03, 05, 103, 104, 106, 124, 127, 128, 221, 230, 304, 306, 406, 408, 6, 606, 65, 68, 69, 701, 80s, 85, 87, 999, B10, B42, D17, X105, XL02, XL11 and XL90.
It appears that it’s the smaller shapes that will have the AB or tapered army mount. Two caught my eye with their seriously “Patent” bends, a 230 and a 304:
For fans of Patent-style AB bends
I’m a sucker for the copper / dark brown combination, first seen on last year’s amazing SH Christmas pipes, and to see some of my favorite shapes in army mounts and copper spigot mounts—well, I expect you know how I’m feeling just about now.
As far as the color of the Heritage stain goes, here’s an outdoor-light example for those who don’t companion this finish or haven’t seen it in person:
The 124 AB. Note that slight “Irish Bend,” fellas. It’s the Real Deal for Irish pipes, where straight is always just a little bent.
While SPC’s studio lighting turns up the cinnamon and hues making the stain look almost “syrup” (see below), my own guerilla (or is that gorilla) studio lights make the Heritage stain seem “brown,” (see below) or if we’re going to be a little more artistic, burnt umber. Looking at the stain in daylight, even inside, is really what the color chart below calls “chocolate.” In any case, it isn’t what I’m seeing with my eyes.
This image of one of my favorite configurations of the Christmas 2022—I thought it might be the 68 AB brandy or an XL90 AB but Jon in the comments below says “if you’d just zoom in on the photo you can see the 221 stamp” [D’oh!]—is also a little deceptive (to me): you probably won’t see this much grain through the Heritage finish, at least on most examples. On the 124 in the outdoor photo, if you right-click and enlarge it to your fill your monitor, you can see some grain, and if seeing the grain is important in this finish, just keep shopping through the shapes you want until you see one you like.
If it seems like I’m belaboring the smooth finish here, it’s not because I don’t like the Heritage. I really do. It’s because I’d rather you have a little more knowledge before you buy so you won’t be disappointed. We’ve all bought pipes online where someone’s done a stellar job with photos and description and we’re quite pleased, because we already knew it had a little fill or a nick or whatever. Contrariwise, when a pipe shows up and it’s way smaller (or bigger) or lighter or darker, we can feel let down and sometimes (I’m mentioning no names) even pissed with either the seller (for what we feel was false representation) or ourselves (for not paying more attention to the description).
From bottom left, clockwise: 701, 128, D17, 127. The “Irish Bend” on the 701, 124 & D17 knocks me out. You’ll also find it on the 406 apple.
It looks like K&P is headed for smaller shapes in the Classic Range, but I’m not sure whether that’s actually the case or not. I know the addition of the 104, 124, 127, 128, 701 and D17 has certainly shifted the catalog and I know there is a strong contingent favoring smaller bowls and shorter shapes. Sophisticated smokers (among whom I am sadly not one, although I try to be) who know the basics of breath smoking (which keeps the bowl cooler as well as the temperature of the tobacco lower) will doubtless have a field day with these shapes.
But there’s plenty of Irish muscle on display here as well, like the XL90, XL11 and XL02 seen above.
Rusticated pipes are not every PG’s cuppa, but sometimes a shape can find a new expression when it’s rusticated, sandblasted, given a different mount or simply given a different stain. Last year’s SH Christmas Rathbone and POY 4AB did that for me, taking me totally by surprise. I love the Kapp-Rough experience anyway and the Blaszczak Brothers technique certainly reinvented those shapes for me.
The now-familiar and much-loved old-time nickel-mount marks are on all the ferrules once again for this Christmas release. For the smooth finishes, the obverse features the cursive Peterson over DUBLIN stamp over CHRISTMAS over 2022. The reverse shank has the Laudisi-era oval MADE IN IRELAND and shape number.
The rusticated shapes have all the shank stamps clustered together. In the really small shapes it looks like the oval MADE IN IRELAND didn’t make it, simply for space reasons.
The Christmas commemorative began in 2009 and has been part of the Pete Geek Christmas Experience ever since. If last year was any indication (and of course it may not be), if you have a particular shape, mount and finish in mind, remember that every shape may not roll out at the SPC drop. There will be the SPE drop (of course) as well as several other points-of-sale, and restocking will occur at regular intervals between now and Christmas, I expect. Oh, and if you’ve got a complete, or nearly complete set of Christmas commemoratives, do drop me a line. I know we’d all love to see your collection in a holiday post.
QUICK IDENTIFICATION
Christmas (2009–) Annual collectible in different shapes depending on year. Original release in shape B33 only, a bent setter shape from the Rivers Collection, with sterling band inscribed with fir tree. Thereafter in varying finishes and shapes (including SH), nickel, brass, acrylic, copper bands, navy, army or spigot (copper) mount, vulcanite or acrylic F/T stems, with presentation sleeves 2009–2022, metal-engraved or bowl-stamped with year.
B42 Spigot Heritage: If you spot one of these, it has escaped from my rack. Send it to me immediately & I’ll reimburse you the postage. Same goes for the Shape 68 Army Heritage seen in the Facebook K&P page, which I suppose must have been a sample or (dare I hope?) only available at the SPEu site.
Many thanks to Josh Burgess and Andy Wike
AND TO GLEN WHELAN
Stock photos courtesy Laudisi Enterprises & K&P
* [No I didn’t ask for a Copper System Spigot, for next year, but *well* that’s an idea!]
SYSTEM WEEK 2022: ONE LAST GLANCE
I hope everyone had a good System Week. We have grown into quite a community. I could tell from the stats that folks enjoyed taking their time over the course of the week to look at the magnificent Petes in each other’s custodianship. Here’s one last entry, from Chuck, that I know you’ll enjoy:
Superstition Mountains Wilderness Area, Apache Junction, Arizona
“A place to really enjoy a Peterson pipe in solitude” —Bill, CPG.
The B42 smooth Heritage with Copper will be my initial target. The best looking spigot pipe I’ve ever laid eyes on. I know first hand that the B42 is great smoker as I have several in rotation. The 68 and much smaller B37 are also favorites. I’ll be ready to pull the trigger on the 13th and hope there are a few left. by the time they show up in the mountain states. I lucked out last year with a late-to-the-game fishtail Milverton, another favorite. It never fails to draw a compliment. Large bent Pete’s are great smokers.
Paul, Paul, Paul. You don’t really like this shape. You know you don’t. It’s an illusion and a delusion. (I can’t believe I even put it up on the post. Why oh why did I do that?) LOL
Mark, I ended up with an XL11. I was there quickly and I was surprised at the sheer volume of available pipes. My New Carolina Red Flake showed up too so I opened a two year old tin just to see how good it might’ve become. I’m working my way through it and it’s quite impressive. As a hedge on future short supply Virginia Flake, I bought a tin of Edisto and it’s very similar to the Carolina Red so I can keep my hands off the aging prizes. I’ll be curious to know what you got from the Christmas… Read more »
Hey Paul! Yes, I went for the B42. It hasn’t arrived yet, but through my own ineptitude I let go of not one but two of the original Darwins some years ago. This was tough for me, as I also liked the XL90 quite a bit. The chamber diameters keep widening on some shapes since Laudisi took over, however, and as the XL90 has passed the 21mm mark from its traditional 19.5-20.2 range, I gave it a pass. Your XL11 is a great shape! I got the XL5, its System twin, in last year’s Halloween release. Speaking of which–this year’s… Read more »
Thanks for the heads up and detailing! That copper spigot design is really cool looking.
“This image of one of my favorite configurations of the Christmas 2022—the 68 AB brandy [or is that an XL90 AB?]”
If you zoom in on the photo, you can see the stamping says 221 🙂
To quote one of my favorite anti-heroes: “D-Oh!” I amended the text. Thanks, Jon!
No problem!
The 103 shape is new to me. I’m a big fan of the 15 and the 102 (which seems just slightly larger than the 15). Do you know how the 103 differs from those two (or the 104, for that matter)?
They released the 102 with the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day pipe, I believe. Interesting that they seem to have swapped it out with the 103 this go ‘round.
We have Sykes Wilford to thank for these great little billiards, as he’s really fond of this size (he likes to say any pipe shape he likes no one else will–but I’m grateful he’s brought these smaller ones back).
Absolutely thanks! Some of the very finest!
The 104 has been the only small billiard seen in a great while. I’d love to do a post on the 100 shapes–all billiards–but it kinda puts me to sleep, as they’re like Russian nesting dolls, if you know what I mean. 🙂
John Irish Made Army 101 Length: 5.68 in./144.27 mm. Weight: 1.30 oz./36.85 g. Bowl Height: 1.78 in./45.21 mm. Chamber Depth: 1.53 in./38.86 mm. Chamber Diameter: 0.74 in./18.80 mm. Outside Diameter: 1.35 in./34.29 mm. Irish Made Army 102 Length: 5.65 in./143.51 mm. Weight: 1.30 oz./36.85 g. Bowl Height: 1.75 in./44.45 mm. Chamber Depth: 1.53 in./38.86 mm. Chamber Diameter: 0.75 in./19.05 mm. Outside Diameter: 1.35 in./34.29 mm. Natural Spigot 103 Length 151mm Weight 41g (spigot adds weight) Bowl Height 42mm Bowl Width 32mm Chamber Depth 27mm Chamber Width 18mm Arklow 104 Length: 5.55 in./140.97 mm. Weight: 1.00 oz./28.35 g. Bowl Height: 1.69 in./42.93 mm. Chamber Depth: 1.27 in./32.26 mm. Chamber Diameter: 0.75 in./19.05 mm. Outside Diameter: 1.30… Read more »
Hi David, thank you for posting all of those measurements! I’ve perceived through my purchase experience that the smokingpipes.com measurements can be quite wrong sometimes—especially weight (sometimes they look like they’re copy-pasted and not necessarily from the same models). The peterson.ie one is probably the best to go by. It looks surprisingly small! The 102 oddly looks like it might be larger than both the 103 and 104. Though I suppose if the 101 is larger than the 102 that shouldn’t be a surprise. I had thought the 106 was significantly larger than all those, so the progression perhaps isn’t… Read more »
Jon, Did you buy that 103? I like the 31 for a straight billiard. I’m upset they stopped making them. I have a 31 St Patrick’s Day 2018 (green & gold) and it’s a favorite. Side by side, the 31 makes my 102 look like a Pub Pipe! I have a Irish Made Army 102. At the time, I looked at both the 101 and 102. I compared different individual pipes from the two smokingpipes sites. There was no difference between the two. All the measurements were identical, for all practical purposes. 2/100 of a millimeter is insignificant to the… Read more »
I will be looking for a smooth spigot. That little 230 would be cool with a spigot.
I love that B33, that has some crazy bird’s eye and I like the stain too. I wonder if the other side is just as spectacular. When I first saw that Corrib shape, it did not “trip my trigger”…now, I need one. I have been looking, but they don’t surface often?
Go back to post #33 and you’ll see a typical example of the B33. The grain on pipes from these years is over-the-top compared with what we see now. I don’t know if it’s simply the staining technique or if there really has been a shift in what briar roots look like.
Greetings all, (I would say ‘ HoHoHo’ but it seems a little early). I am interested to see the 127, 128 and D17 as they become available. For my part I would opt for the smooth finish as, without wishing to start a fight with any fellow pipe smoker, the rusticated finish looks, to my eye, like a pinecone. If it were an Eric Nording pipe, I might look at it again but for a Peterson it won’t do for me. I’ve probably just started a range war. Like John Schantz I, too, would like to find a B33. Having… Read more »
??I will never be able to look at a rustic again without seeing a pinecone lol But I like pine cones so that’s not necessarily a bad thing. To each his own!
On the nickel-mark mounts, there are actually at least 3 different iterations present in K&P’s use of these through the years from the IFS era through 1963. I love the otter! I don’t know if they’re indigenous to Ireland, but I can see the resemblance here. And wild mushrooms? Well, I know author Aldous Huxley used to enjoy these. . . . On the B33, the Italian Pete sits are releasing River Collection pipes slowly but consistently, as Lubinski.it has a seemingly endless back stock of Petes. That’s your best bet for finding one.
Although months away, imagine, if you will, a Christmas tree adorned with nothing but the sixty (or so) iterations … Perhaps a few actually lit with smoke wrapping the branches like garlands… A Thinking Man tree topper … Magical!
Great post yet again, Mark! You’ve now sufficiently stirred my indecisiveness as to which one(s) I’ll go for … Some real beauties here!
The 2022 SPD’s could fit the bill as they would make perfect little pinecones all over the tree and theres plenty left to spruce up (no pun inteneded) a few trees!
Alright alright I’ll quit with the pinecone attacks but I couldn’t help myself! Lol no offense meant towards those who like them! I love you all still the same!
Hilarious! When I started with pipes more than 50 years ago and for many years afterwards, I turned up my nose at blasted or rusticated pipes of any make, including numerous Dunhills (inexpensive then compared to today), GBDs, Comoys, Astleys, Charatans, etc. I just didn’t get it. But Peterson changed that over the years. While I still prefer smooths, I have a few blasts and rustics that I definitely would not part with.
The B42, XL90, & the 221 would be my favorites. I just wish they would have given the option of the Oak, Terracotta, or Sandblast finishes. Seems like they take a great idea and cheap out at the last minute with the Heritage finish. I’m sure Peterson has trouble getting quality briar with the volume they produce. But, I’d pay extra for being able to see nice grain.
Personally, I do like the heritage finish, however I think it’s also “too much of a good thing.” It’s been offered now on last year’s Christmas, the POY, the recent Tyrone, the system dark, etc. I can’t help but think “another heritage finish, ho hum…” I think they should have gone with something a little different. Maybe (as you say) it had to be dark, and I can live with that (I happen to like a dark finish), but maybe, just maybe, they could have come up with something just a little different for the Christmas pipes. It might be… Read more »
David, they’re the same shade as last year’s SH Heritage Christmas pipes. Very dark with a red cast in bright light. I couldn’t capture it very well, although the Laudisi photos of individual pipes do the color justice.
Oak would be amazing. I feel the same about the heritage finish. I think when it first was introduced you could actually see some grain through it. I wasn’t crazy about it then, but I could appreciate it (I got a Christmas Sherlock with decent grain on one side). Now it’s gotten so dark, it basically just looks like it’s painted a solid color. I have a couple with the finish now but probably will not be getting anymore. The Aran line is roughly the same price and looks much better in my opinion. You’re probably right that they’re in… Read more »
This is great news! Certainly a lot of choices here. I’m excited about the copper spigot mounts. I’m not much of a fan of the spigots, but they do give these pipes that special Christmas look. They’re a beauty to behold. I like the addition of the D shapes. I do miss the hot-foil “P” on the stems. Yes, it increases the cost, but I can’t imagine that it would do so enough to make it significant. If I counted right, there are 31 shapes? If each shape has 4 options, that makes over 120 different versions. That’s both good… Read more »
Most can guess which shape I will end up with in both rusticated and spigot. 🙂 This has been a great Pete year and look forward to see the remaining specials before year end 🙂
I’m guessing which ever shape they only make 2-3 supreme grades in?
So, when would the smokingpipes.eu have their release?
Hi Mark, Thanks again for another great article and pictures of pretty Peterson Pipes. I like the color combination and understand there won’t be any P-lips, due to the plastic stems. Too bad. I also understand what you mean about the color of the stain and the color of the light. After I burned all the paint off of my 2019 St. Patrick’s Day pipe, I stained it with green wood stain. Because of how the stain works, it is now a nice shade of brown with green highlights. It looks much greener outdoors than in. Now that the bowl… Read more »
Unfortunately, this is going to result in another “buy a pipe immediately once they appear on the website, or get stuck with a rusticated one” situation that’s been (most regrettably) the norm whenever we have the options. I must say that the 2022 POY and now the Christmas pipes in the rusticated finishes just look cheap. Frankly, they look like they couldn’t even make it into the basket-pipe category. If one looks at the photo above (near the top, with the red/green/white wrapping paper), the 999 rustic next to the 05 smooth, it becomes quite clear that the rustic pipe… Read more »
The reason for the quick sellout is because people are loyal and crash the site on first release. One of my goto smokers is the rusticated POTY 21. It is smart to have rust finishes because some people don’t want to or have the means to acquire a natural or PSB finish. It opens the door for more people to purchase. Eventually, all the limited editions pipes sell out.
Dear Bob, First of all, if anyone prefers the rusticated finish, I take no issue with that. If someone wants rustic, and has the chance to buy a rustic, I’m sincerely happy for that person. I’m not necessarily addressing the extremely-limited finishes (eg natural, terracotta). Maybe I’ll post later about those. What I am addressing is the entry-level smooth finish, which lately seems to be limited to the heritage for some odd reason. When this year’s POY was released, the heritage pipes were all gone less that 15 minutes after they went on sale at 6 PM Eastern US (I… Read more »
David,
Well said! In my humble opinion Peterson has started to sacrifice quality for quantity. That’s a lot of briar to source to supply the world with Peterson pipes. Even the nomenclature is weakly stamped on many pipes these days.
Personally, if I want top quality I buy Castello’s. However, I love the history, nostalgia, and smoke ability of Peterson pipes. They are my go to workhorse briars.
J.
J., I get what you’re saying as I have pipes by many artisans, Dunhill and Castello. A System is still the equal, in terms of smoking experience, of almost any of those pipes. My Dunhill Oompaul Cumberland had tearaway that CLOGGED the airway and a “genuine cumberland vulcanite” stem that WASN’T polished (half-finished) when I received it. The drilling is off center. Hmmm… sounds like the kind of snarking I hear about Peterson, doesn’t it? Funny thing is, that pipe cost $550, not $120 like these will. The Dunny smokes great. But not any better than my “pinecone” Rathbone and… Read more »
Mark, First let me say again that I’m new to your website and I’m in awe of the information you have compiled. Fantastic! Your books will be next on my list. I collect/smoke Castello’s mainly, but love the look, history, nostalgia, and smoke ability of Peterson’s. They are my go to workhorse pipe. I too like rusticated pipes, but I like attention to detail first and foremost. In order to get that attention to detail you pretty much have to order higher end Peterson’s. But, like David FM pointed out, it’s next to impossible to beat someone to the checkout.… Read more »
I agree 100%! The 2022 SPD pipes prove it! As well as all the rusticated Arans and Emeralds. Why make something that is just gonna take up shelf space? Maybe if their rustication was more like Savinelli’s more people would buy them but the pinecones are hideous! Heck, even if they need a lot of fills due to lack of quality briar, I’d be more inclined to buy a dark or ebony than a pinecone!
I’m sure K&P would love to issue all straight-grain or brilliant paisley or pure birdseye or even do away with rustication all together, even though no one else does. Not Dunhill, not Castello, not even Jeff Gracik. The proportions are determined by the bowls they buy and what can be done with the bowls. In the Patent era there were Grade 4 pipes that had exensive fills in them (check out the Grade 4 Patent in another blog post). No one finds that attractive, and when Dunhill’s Shell patent expired, everyone was in the sandblast business and, by 1947, everyone… Read more »
I’m not asking for high-grade finishes, just smooth finishes. What I’m really saying is “stop making so many rusticated pipes and so few smooth pipes”. Just adjust the proportions. I’d be perfectly happy with an entry-grade smooth finish. The numbers are undeniable. The smooth pipes sell out quickly, and the rustic ones end up as consolation prizes for anyone who doesn’t want to (or can’t) login to a retail seller within the first hour. And again, I’m not talking about natural, or terra cotta, etc. I’m going to make a prediction that (overall, and over the next few months as… Read more »
I always assumed that the number of “left over” rusticated and sandblast was more due to the sheer volume of those pipes and the price level as opposed to what customers generally like. After this years POY release, I saw a number of smooth pipes (dark smooth and heritage) at brick and mortar stores, the Columbus pipe show, and online at other places instead of just smokingpipes.com/eu, weeks after release. In fact, the Laudisis website currently shows the Heritage as “in stock” and my local brick and mortal said that they could order one for me. I do not know… Read more »
I second Bob’s views here. I email with Pete lovers all the time who only have 4 or 5 pipes total. They’re young or they have small incomes or for other reasons just can’t justify collections of hundreds and hundreds of pipes. I was one of them until my 40s, when the “trade up” school found me and my income as a school teacher could justify owning more pipes than I could ever possibly smoke in a month or even 6 months. Don’t forget also that European smokers don’t spend the $ Americans do on their pipes. They also really,… Read more »
David: I don’t think a feeding frenzy will happen here. There will be dozens of pipes in every shape and finish. K&P may not have a big number of a few shapes, but they’ll do their best to have those before the end of the end. Rustic is always in the eye of the beholder, and certainly you pay your money and make your choice. The Christmas pipes are not limited to 250 on SPC and what, 75 on SPEu? These are just above gateway (or entry) level pipes, similar to the Standard System or Aran, made for all the… Read more »
David, I think Laudisi is clearing out the low quality (aesthetically) stummels that have probably built up at Peterson over the years. Hence the sandblast, rustic, and heritage finishes. The stummels that are Heritage stained are most likely devoid of grain, so much so that they think they have to cover it. My guess is, they could have been Ebony pipes, but from what I understand, the process of the Ebony staining is very time consuming. The Heritage stain would be dark enough to cover in all but the brightest light with much less work. I like the Aran stain… Read more »
P.S. I couldn’t help myself, a first run Peterson copper spigot (03) was too hard to pass up, even with the crappy (my opinion) Heritage finish. I will say, the copper and Heritage do work well together.
Oh, also, not worrying about the grain made the process of choosing one much easier…they all probably sucked. That, and the fact that there were smooth spigot pipes left hours after the release.
I’m really liking the b42, but I wish it was a system deluxe. Nonetheless if I can’t get lucky and snag one, I’m going to aim for a tankard or so. Hopefully they make a spigot for the tankard shape
I wonder whether the spigot mount works on the 304, or will it be too heavy on the stem-side? Does anyone out there companion a spigot 304? Does it sit? I might like to acquire one, but I’m a bit hesitant because I’ve had bad luck with a few (navy mount) 304s in the past.
It will sit correctly. My 306 Spigot PINECONE has no problems at all.
It seems as if all the 304 pipes have the plain army mount (the AB if I understand), while all the 306 are spigot. Maybe that will change? Peterson does make a 304 spigot, so the smaller size is not prohibitive. I am curious to see if they offer the spigot option on any 304 as they continue to release these.
I’m likewise curious to see if they will offer the option on any other shapes.
If anyone sees this, please post. Those pipes might get sold before others notice them.
I’ve got my eyes on the XL11 spigot! That looks fantastic in those colors! Man, the wife is not gonna be happy! I’m just thankful for SPC’s lawaway option! I think I’m going to stay off the interwebs for a while to let my checkbook catch back up…
Thanks again Mark for costing me more money and the the awesome articles!
I’m in the same boat as you. There has been so many releases in a short period of time plus the CPG/PPN pipe. I have been doing business with SPC for many years and I was not aware of the layaway option. I will have to look into that. Thanks again for another great new release rundown Mark.
Mark, did we hit the threshold for the filter option PPN pipes?
Yes Chris. There are nine on order.
Deary, Deary me, Gentlemen! Steady the Buffs! I didn’t mean to start a war! By comparing the rusticated finish to a pinecone, I merely meant to state a personal preference. I entirely agree with David FM about balancing the offers to meet all tastes and choices. I also would like to see more oak finish, as I find the Heritage and Dark obscure the grain but, if so, this may be the intention. I further question why it is cheaper to make a plastic fishtail than a plastic P-lip. Once again, can there not be a choice rather than an… Read more »
Richard: As far as an acrylic P-lip is concerned, that’s (apparently) not an issue. Most of the System Standard pipes currently available have them. Last year’s amazing halloween pipes were acrylic Plips, and that did not seem to affect the retail price. A few days ago, I posted a question to Mark about army-mount Plips, and he reminded me that the silver army mounts do indeed come in Plips–although I only see vulcanite available right now. So while I can’t point to any specific army-mount acrylic Plip pipes, it would seem to be the case that such a combination would… Read more »
Not an ultimatum, just the way it shakes out in the shop. If you read all the back posts, you’ll get the story of the transition from vulcanite to acrylic and why they did that. And why they’re trying to strike a balance now and bring back more vulcanite. Yes, the Dark and Heritage for K&P, as for EVERYONE in the pipe biz, even Castello, Dunhill, Name Your Prestige Brand, is to obscure the grain. Grain does not equal great smoker, BTW. Ask any of the great old men in the hobby and you’ll learn that crossgrain and birdseye have… Read more »
Mark: I’m a bit confused on the nomenclature here. The 2022 POY (Mark Twain) is called the 14B. The 2021 POY (Rathbone) is a 4AB. In the photo above (specifically, the 230 and 304 together), you call those AB. Above the photo, you wrote this “It appears that it’s the smaller shapes that will have the AB or tapered army mount.” Now, I understand the A part (I think). That means “army” (whether intentional or coincidental). So what does the “B” mean? Not necessarily, why did they choose that letter, but what is is about the pipe design that causes… Read more »
It refers to the different stem shapes not the pipes themselves.
I still don’t understand it. I did read that post 154, but I’m just more confused. If it’s strictly the stem shape, then what (specifically) about that shape makes it an AB or B? The POY Rathbone and the POY Twain both have tenon extensions. So why is the first an AB and the later a B? The Rathbone has the extension, and it’s an AB. The 2022 Elf Army (at least 230 and 304) are also AB, but no tenon extension. It would help if we could limit the explanation to the pipes available today. All the comparisons to… Read more »
http://petersonpipenotes.org/tag/peterson-system-stem/
David: It’s in the book. Nevertheless– A = army mount with the shoulder. Think the typical 309 or 307 or whatever. It has a bump in it. It’s there not only to make the graduated bore possible but to make it easier to grip. B = a tapered stem like the Mark Twain or this year’s 14B. Seen in Deluxe Systems of yore until the late 1950s. C = any stem that has been SHORTED (See how C sounds like Short.) S = saddle on the Deluxe or any pipe AB= the kind of stem we see on the 4AB… Read more »
OK. I’m getting there.
Let’s keep it simple.
With regard to the 4AB (Rathbone 2021 POY, specifically) and the
230 & 304 photo above (that you refer to as AB)
What’s the “tapered shoulder” that you describe? I can find that little bump (what I’d call a node) on a typical System Standard pipe available today. So, the bump is the shoulder.
I just can’t find any such thing on the 4AB Rathbone or the 230 & 304 examples.
What does “tapered shoulder” mean?
OK.
S means “saddle”
So the type of stem on the 80s would be called a saddle stem, right?
.
.
.
.
.
.
(Sorry Mark, had to do it. Just kidding)
Another question:
I might have been mis-reading this all along. At first, I thought that every shape would come in 2 options of either the army mount or the spigot mount. (One can buy an 05 in army or an 05 in spigot.)
Re-reading the post here, it might be that each shape will be assigned one type of mount, and only be available that one way. (All the 05 pipes will be spigot).
Which is it?
Thursday’s release will make it plain. Some of the shapes come in both mounts, while the smaller shapes mostly in army mount and the larger shapes pretty much all in spigots. Has to do with the size of the spigot, which must remain the same across all the pipes.
THE PIPES ARE ON SITE at SPE !!
Thanks for the blog-post (providing advance notice) and the heads-up! Armed with these pictures, your descriptions, and the available pipes on the SPE site, I was able to prep my SPC cart and get the shape & style I was hoping for!
As I write this, its about 9:15 AM Eastern US. I’m looking at smokingpipes.EU site They have 98 of the 2022 Elf Army pipes currently on offering. 43 heritage 55 pinecone I noticed different pricing tiers, so just out of curiosity (and just in case anyone is wondering), I sorted by price. Here are some price examples At this exact moment, the euro and the US dollar are almost exactly the same (€1 = $1.01) so one could practically just read those numbers in dollars. 05 heritage spigot €117 XL90 heritage spigot €117 87 heritage spigot €117 106 heritage spigot… Read more »
A note on pricing. If someone intends to buy 2 or more of these pipes, it would cost less to buy them from the European site. I compared a 313 smooth System Standard across both sites €113 or $128 for the identical pipe. So I that’s a difference of €15 or $15 (since the two currencies are nearly even at this point). Even though the currency exchange is about even, the pricing is different. SPeu charges €15 to ship to the US. On one pipe, it comes out about even. Any one pipe would cost the same from either site.… Read more »
Gosh it’s been quiet here today on PPN.
It’s like everyone is just hiding behind the curtains waiting for St. Nick to come sliding down the chimney, hoping that he’s going to leave everyone’s favorite Christmas pipe stuffed into a stocking.
No typing. If you make any noise, he might pass your house. Everyone pretend you’re asleep.
It’s almost 6 PM EDT. …..
Is that reindeer hooves I hear on the rooftop?
Well, I think I was able to score a Heritage B42 Spigot. Unless I get the dreaded double sale email. I have my fingers crossed.
Christopher: Here’s hoping! I certainly don’t want that to happen to you, but if it does (again, hope not) at least with this offering, there should be a replacement available.
I ordered a heritage 05 spigot.
I only saw the one when I bought my XL11 Spigot at 6:10 est.. I was thinking of nabbing it but that shape just doesn’t do it for me.
I was on at moment of the drop. Took me a few seconds to find the page with the B42 but I only saw 5 total available
At 6 sharp, there were 12 B42s on the site. They were gone soon after.
I think we can expect more as they periodically re-stock the online inventory. I hope you do get one.
It’s Wednesday 1030 PM Eastern.
They still have a full dozen B42’s available for sale, but……
…all in pinecone.
They’re scheduled to post more inventory on Thursday afternoon.
There should be plenty of opportunity
if anyone missed out on the first go-around.
I should have qualified that the 12 B42s that I saw were all heritage. I didn’t look or count the pinecone. For the small price difference, I had to go smooth. I was able to get a B42 spigot. It shipped yesterday so I can safely say that I won’t get “the e-mail.” I think that this release was consistent with the normal Christmas pipe release which seems generally to be an entry level pipe. They spruced it up with the spigot, but generally kept the price reasonable. My first system pipe was a heritage. I loved the dark stain… Read more »
They just posted another dozen B42 heritage. Just in case anyone who wants one is watching this thread.
Just to see what would happen, I kept an eye on things at smokingpipes US site.* They started at 6:00 PM Eastern US with 599 total pipes available (I suspect it was really 600, but I was a few seconds late) of this year’s Christmas pipe. They had 261 smooth and 338 pinecone as the initial release At 6:30 PM, they had 500 pipes left (99 sold) unsold smooth 190 (71 sold) unsold pinecone 210 (28 sold) At 7:00 PM, they had 462 pipes left (137 sold) unsold smooth 163 (98 sold) unsold pinecone 299 (39 sold) At 11:00 PM,… Read more »
The Chrismas Pipe drop was very successful in my opinion with plenty of smooth finishes.
Rustic as well if you want one. Still some left if you don´t have one.
Great variety of shapes. Good job Peterson.
Gentleman, I logged onto SP at 6:00pm and reviewed all of the 2022 Christmas pipes and come to the conclusion that I was the Grinch. The copper military/spigot mounts just weren’t enough to overlook the dark Heritage stain or the Aboriginal-plus rustication. So, I added $61 to the $126 cost of the Christmas Edition pipe and purchased a fresh Peterson DeLuxe System PSB (2s). I get the quality, grain, sterling silver, and vulcanite stem. Common sense prevailed. I am happy for those Peterson enthusiasts who enjoy the Rustication and Heritage finish. “Smoke what you like and like what you smoke.”… Read more »
Well, that was fun!
So, when does the Halloween pipe drop???
Hi Mark, if you still want a B42 Spigot Heritage, there’s one here : https://www.peterson.ie/pipes/seasonal/christmas-2022-copper-spigot-heritage/moreinfo.cfm?pd_product_Id=4566
Just sayin’
Thanks, Simon! I did get one. Now–to the plasma bank! (Just kidding… sort of.)
Ah ha!
So is that a subtle hint that another dracula-like release is imminent?
Did anyone notice if any of the spigot pipes come with a 9mm filter option?
I thought I saw a few on the day of launch, but as of now, no spigots are listed.
Keep checking @smokingpipes.eu & type ‘Christmas 9mm’ in the search bar.
I just looked. BUT…There are 14 of this year’s Pete as well as 11 for he Savinelli offering. be well…
Nevaditude
Yes, the EU site always has more filter pipes. Even if they don’t have it now, they’re more likely to have it later as they restock.
Craig
You can go here
https://www.peterson.ie/pipes/seasonal/
(Not the banner at the top of the page, because that will call up all of them at once.)
That will show links to 4 separate pages, each one will show only the category you want to see, as far as finish and spigot.
Most, but not all, of the spigot pipes are available in filter. Examples: 01 is yes, but 05 is no. That will give you an idea of what’s available, but not necessarily with absolute certainty.
Out of curiosity, what shape(s) interest you?
My 05 heritage smooth spigot Elf Army arrived. It’s a beauty! I’m thrilled. Haven’t smoked it just yet, but as far as appearance goes, it’s a fine pipe to behold. When I opened the box, something occurred to me: I have not read one single comment here at PPN about this year’s complementing leather pipe stand. I’m not complaining. A “free” pipe stand just means that the pipe would have cost a few dollars more. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would have been willing to buy one separately, had they been available. I must say, I miss… Read more »
All this chatter and praise I’m reading here about the B42 has me intrigued. I just ordered one in heritage. SPC just posted a few more today. They posted at least 10, but they’re going incredibly fast.
I just got my B42 spigot and fired it up for the first time last night. The stain is good looking, but very dark. Not a bit of grain peeking through. I was smoking an aromatic, and as a cigar smoker transitioning to the pipe, I was smoking a little fast. I went to put the pipe down to give it a rest, as it was warming up a bit, and noticed that a lot of the stain had worn off on my fingers. After I was finished, I was looking at the pipe, and it had actually lightened up… Read more »
I’ve tried that heritage B42 that everyone is chatting about. Beautiful pipe, especially with the copper spigot. It’s everything it seems to be from the photos. I do see a bit of grain showing through the stain, but nothing remarkable (ie exactly as expected). It’s not like the killarney pipes that show nothing at all. It has a few minor fills, but likewise that is to be expected for a pipe in this price range. That’s not a complaint, just an observation. Anyway, it’s huge by my usual standards (one of my favorites being the tiny 65). I know the… Read more »
Another great article Mark! First time commenter, but definitely a long time follower. I was able to snag up a size 03 Christmas pipe, and already smoked a number of bowls in it. In addition to this pipe, I snaged a POTY last month also in the heritage finish. While I love both, I noticed some of the finish appears to be staining my fingers after smoking. Its odd because neither pipe ever smoked hot (the bowls are never even that warm to the touch) and I tend to not even hold the pipe much during smoking. I’ve never run… Read more »
Good question, Paul. I don’t have an answer, but maybe someone at Peterson can step in, as others have expressed this concern to me on both the Heritage and Rua finishes.
Don’t know if anyone checks comments on old posts but if anyone happens to see this:
Do you know if the copper is solid or plated? And if plated, what’s the metal underneath? Nickel?
Hi Tim, K&P told me the copper cannot be solid because of head-transfer problems. I don’t know the base metal. Having said that, let me add that a solid ferrule can be made–because Giacomo Penzo, the Peterson pipe specialist, made for the 309 Homage pipe he executed for me (it’s in one of the blog posts).