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The 2025 IPSD “Rack ’em Up!” Merit Badge: a Gate Rack sold by Peterson in the 1950s
with three 02 “Slimline” oom pauls from the 1940s and 50s.

Happy 2025 IPSD to all my fellow Pipers and Pete Geeks!  When Mark reached out to me to write an intro for today, I was truly honored. After all, it’s not every day that a guy like me—who’s not the best at writing—gets the chance to open for a great writer like Mark. So, here goes.

Pipes—our favorite companions, those cherished pieces of wood, meerschaum, or clay—which bring us so much joy, solace, and comfort.

Pipes deserve a place of honor in our offices, man caves, or wherever we retreat to enjoy their wafting clouds of smoky goodness. This brings me to the topic of today’s 2025 IPSD blog: displaying our pipes.

As someone who loves to display what I collect, part of the fun and challenge lies in finding creative ways to showcase my treasures, whatever they may be. Displaying anything I collect, and in this case, my precious Pete’s, is a form of art—good displays require creativity and imagination.

When it comes to displaying pipes, I have a few criteria in mind:

• Is it functional?
• Is it inviting for someone who doesn’t share my passion for this hobby?
• Does it help tell the story of the collection?

Most of the time, I’m able to meet all three criteria, but I always strive to hit at least two when building or buying a new rack. With my ever-expanding Peterson collection, there’s no shortage of need—and plenty of ideas—for new racks. After all, as the great Pablo Picasso said, “A collector’s passion can turn ordinary objects into extraordinary treasures.”

So, with that, I’ll sign off and look forward to seeing how my fellow Pete Geeks display their pipes.

Happy Smoaks,

Nate Lynn. CPG

Stewart Whelan, CPG:

Randall Barr, CPG:

Wallace Root:

Simon Gilles:

BJ Gregorio, CPG: Here’s a pic of my cellar and my Petersons occupy the right side of my homemade pipe rack. It’s a modest but growing collection, and I do think I’ll need a bigger boat soon!

Patrick C., CPG: Love my bents! Far left on the rack is a 312, my first “nice” pipe, a gift from my mother. Front center is a Sylvius, which does just beautiful things with University Flake. The Adventures of SH series needs to come back. The rack is some spare birch ply from work, doubled up, and one face cut at 45 degrees. The holders themselves are cheap-o wire coat hooks from Amazon.

Nate Lynn, CPG:

Matt Gase, CPG: The round pipe rack I inherited from my dad.  It’s a Decatur.  My Pete’s (minus my 2017 St. Pat’s pipe that is being repaired by Peterson) are all in front and in the ashtray.  The other wide shot shows a partial of an old chicken coop found in last century’s kitchens in China.  It held dry goods, chickens, and egg.  It now holds my pipe tobacco and overflow of pipes.  Cheers! [Mark: Wow, chickens had it good in China!]

Gary Hamilton, CPG: I honestly don’t have any really unique, or custom, pipe racks.  But lately I’ve enjoyed doing a bit of leather crafting and making my own pipe rests.  Hopefully I’ll have some of these finished to cart along with me to the Chicago show this year…

Ryan Rose, CPG: I submit for your consideration my driftwood pipe rack. I’m no woodworker, so if it looks like it was cobbled together with minimal shaping, that’s because it was. One piece of driftwood split to make the top and bottom, and a smaller piece to make the risers on either side. I considered sanding and varnishing it to make it pretty, but with the rough shaping and ad-hoc construction I figured it would be lipstick on a pig, so I elected to leave it in its “fresh off the beach” state. Honestly, I don’t have enough storage for all of my Petersons, so they all have to share what space I have. For this display, I have my two estate System Standard 309s (the rustic is my first Peterson), an empty space for the new 309 in the mail, my two POYs, 312 Spigot, and 313.

Mark Irwin, CPG: As a boy I spent a lot of time on my bike and rode through countless gas stations, grocery stores and other other public spaces where soda machines (which we called “pop” machines in Oklahoma) were stationed. Each had a stack of wooden crates to deposit empty bottles. This back in the day when the word recycling was unknown and yet the bottles actuallywere washed and refilled and reused, unlike the farce of nearly all “recycle” programs in the US metropolitan areas today.

My favorite crates were the distinctive white 7UP crates, because that was favorite pop. At some point in my pipeman’s pilgrimage, looking at one of these crates, I saw that I could repurpose it for myself to make a great 12-pipe hanging rack by removing three of the dividers. It worked so well I made a tobacco shelf as well. I had thought these might be something easy to make and take to the pipe shows, but by that time, looking around, the crates had become “vintage” and hence a little more expensive. Still, if you remember these or still have a favorite soft drink, you can get one for not too ridiculous a price on eBay. This one, labeled “HOLY SMOAK” at the bottom center, is seen, with different Petes, at the front of the big Peterson book.

Ray Schaefer, CPG:

Martin Schwartz, CPG:

Urs, CPG:

Clint Stacey, CPG: I’ve had a quirky interest in Bakelite since I picked up some mottled art deco egg cups years and years ago. Whilst some of the beautifully shaped radios are out of my price range I have looked out for and picked up smoking related pieces. Here are some of my Bakelite pipe racks and stands which seem to fit the 30s,40s,50s pipes. In the background are some of my tobacco jars including the one that Rathbone has in a couple of the 30s SH films!

Jon Umpherville, CPG:  This is how I display my petes, it is nothing special, regular old run of the mill pipe stands and racks but how I display my now complete PPN pipe collection is in the nice bright green stands I painted one day when I was bored and wanted something to do. Idle hands and all. I plan to smoke one of my PPN pipes on IPSD but I am still undecided on which one or which blend. I think that will come down to how Thursday at work goes and how high my stress levels are 😂!vvEnjoy the day and may all your Virginias burn smooth, cool and sweet my friends.

D. H. Billings, CPG: Most of my Petersons, with a few exceptions, are kept on these two racks. The larger rack was made by BG Woodworx (https://www.facebook.com/share/19nN3SJ28s/) and was specifically designed to hold multiple wider-width pipes like the 302 and B42. The smaller rack belonged by my grandfather – who served in the 45th Infantry during WWII.

Lee Skiver, CPG: Attached is a picture of my prized PPN POY 2024 with accompanying Sterling 10th year Zippo. While I’d love to have a vintage ‘gate’ style pipe rack (they keep eluding me on eBay), I do like how my leather magnetic stands have turned out. As you know, the stand is simply stacked leather (dyed in this case) with two magnets – one disc shaped, embedded in the base, and one spherical that’s placed in the bowl, pulling the pipe to the base.

Chris Turner, CPG: Greetings all! I wanted to contribute to the Peterson Pipe Notes Event and show how I rack ’em up. Finally looking for that first Certified Pete Geek certificate! That’s my St. Patrick’s Day 2025 XL90 in the foreground.

Jacob Verstrate, CPG: Here’s some photos of how I display my most of my Petes! They’re pretty much just everywhere!

Jake Martin, CPG: The churchwarden usually rests next to a calabash and Persian slipper on the mantel, of course, but it’s pictured here with the rest of my Holmesian and Holmes-adjacent Petes where they reside in my vintage Sherlock Holmes Charing Cross pipe cabinet.

Martin Kollmann, CPG: TL: Watson, 307, Professor, 2024 PPN 309 92/175, Sherlock Holmes Original, Lestrade.  BL: Pub Pipe, 2025 St. Patricks 230, Carroll of Carrollton 2024.

Mark Hunt, CPG:

Ed Patton, CPG:

Randall Arnett, CPG:

John M. Young, aka Nebraska Pete Geek, CPG: Truth be told the 7 pipes on the top far left are actually Marxmans with a restored “The Four Hundred” up front.  Immediately below it is a commissioned Phillip Rivera large 1906 Jap.  The remainder are all Petersons.

Nate Lynn will be back Sunday with several of his own
remarkable pipe racks as we expand IPSD to IPSW—International Pete Smoking Week

Rath Dé ort! 

Clint Stacey CPG brought my attention to this astounding Patent-Era tobacconist’s display cabinet. It’s still for sale, and if I lived in the UK, I’m sure I would have done whatever it took to bring it home. I’ve seen another which was for sale for awhile in California, but not in nearly so pristine condition. It’s still for sale, by the way, if you want to have it shipped to my home address–Christmas is just around the corner!

SLAVA UKRAINI!

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