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TO LOVE WHAT YOU HAVE / TO HAVE WHAT YOU LOVE

September 3rd, 1898: the date of the third and final patent, perfecting Charles Peterson’s Patent System Pipe.  This year marks the System pipe’s 127th anniversary, and to celebrate we considered what it means as pipemen and women “to have what you love”–what’s in your rotation–or “to love what you have”–what’s in your collection.  Whether you consider yourself a “companioner” or a “collector” or a bit of both, smoking a pipe, that is to say smoking a PETERSON pipe, requires a certain amount of thought and reflection. 

Wherever you are around the world today, on behalf of the Pete Geek community, I invite you to load your favorite System pipe with a choice tobacco and find time and space to consider what pipe smoking means to your life.

This year’s theme was suggested by a conversation between Chas. Mundungus, Michael Sparks, and Conrad Gottlieb last summer, all CPGs:

“TO HAVE WHAT YOU LOVE / TO LOVE WHAT YOU HAVE”
Choose One:
To have what you love; that is, what do you collect?
To love what you have; that is, what do you companion?

Either/Or choices are often difficult, and no one who entered the lists this morning was disqualified for a both/and answer, or even a non-answer. Our objective was simply to observe the maxim of the Irish Illuminati: “To preserve, smoak, and promote Peterson pipes.” 

* Jay Keatley CPG.

Have what you like:  This 1990 Commemorative Patent System (Oom Paul XXL) is a prime example of the NOS Pete’s that I seek.  Perfect, unsmoked condition with original patina.  Also, the Bennington Clay Marbles and 1893 Columbian Exposition Match Safe are period correct.  This year’s smoking companion will be my Peterson Pub PSB filled with L.J. Peretti’s Blend 500.

* Clint Stacey CPG.

Love what you have… this is a maxim that I wish I had taken note of many years ago. As a much younger man I had a terrible weakness for not appreciating what I had and always looking at the next thing, the better thing, or so I often thought. A few years ago a wonderful man from Eritrea told me an African parable about a dog with a lump of meat in it’s mouth that on crossing a bridge sees its reflection in the water but actually believes it sees another dog with a larger piece of meat and in an attempt to grab the larger piece of meat opens his mouth and loses what he has in the water. Although a little wiser and more content now, I can apply this parable to my approach to pipe collecting and companioning seeing and wanting patents and IFS and various modern offerings but often neglecting what I have. This premier 303 is a case in point. My first Peterson bought about thirty years ago. It is system perfection complete with chimney. It has been all over the place with me and though I sometimes neglect and forget it in pursuit of other older, larger and (possibly) finer pipes every time I come back to it I am reminded of a delightful pipe, a greater smoker and definitely something worth loving. Happy Systems Day everyone.

* David O. Fricke CPG. 

I am shown with my favorite companioned Pete, the 2022 PPN limited edition (#40 of 90).  Along with an old B42, my first Peterson System pipe, these are the two I seem to “companion” and Smoak more than any others.

* Ken Sigel CPG.

Old Peterson’s (patent and pre-1938) are the essence of my Pete collection. They’re what I love. For me each addition feels like another piece of history. They fit together. Other than a POY or PPN the old guys are all I acquire. I smoke many different system pipes (with a few exceptions I only have Petersons) The newer ones are great, but the ones I love are old. Gratitude – being able to smoke a system on my boat, Star, way Downeast in Maine.  It doesn’t get any better. “Star” old sailor’s tattoo. Follow your dreams. Find your way home.

* Stuart Whelan CPG. 

Have what you like: The year was 2021 and as with most Pete Geeks if you look back, it was probably a time when the rare situation occurred. Having spent a lot more time in front of the PC perusing pipe related website, blogs plus of course, the offerings of the YTPC (YouTube Pipe Community) and the flow of dollars to online vendors such as Smokingpipes.com, I had sated my Pipe Acquisition Disorder (PAD) – well I thought I had. . . .

November 30^th 2021

Peterson Pipe Notes No. 257 announced that the Peterson Pipe of the Year would be the “Return” of Basil Rathbone’s famed 4AB!

Like a lot folks in our community, the works of Sir Arthur Connan Doyle and his famous consulting detective loom large in my subconscious. This pipe was one I “liked” a lot and it would have to join my rotation regardless of my previously sated PAD state.

So it was that a terracotta smooth pipe was crossing the seas to my pipe rack and now has a special place in my rotation.

So now I “Have what I liked”!

* Alexandre Philippe Guidetti CPG.

Have what you like; like what you have–

To me, “have what you like” means valuing the practicality and ingenuity of the Peterson System pipes. The 314 model embodies that philosophy: compact and travel-ready, yet with the full benefits of the reservoir and P-Lip. It is a true everyday pipe, perfectly balanced between function and form.

“Like what you have” comes naturally when smoking this pipe. It is not rare or extravagant, but it is consistent, comfortable, and entirely dependable. Each bowl reminds me why the System design has endured for generations: it offers reliability, simplicity, and a cool smoke.

The photograph places my restored 314 on Sandra Bondarevska’s The Petersons in Ireland, a reminder that each pipe carries not only craftsmanship but also history. Owning and smoking a Peterson is a way, for me, of connecting with that tradition, and celebrating it on System Day feels like being part of something larger than oneself.

* Gilbert Ludwig CPG.

I love what I have, and I cherish every moment with it. My pipes are for smoking, it is all about the smoking moments. I don’t consider myself a collector, if anything, I collect moments and memories. The thumbnail images are but a small fraction of these moments. All Systems! Happy System Day to all!

* Gary Hamilton CPG.

This year’s System Day entry was a no-brainer for me.  And in the spirit of following in the footsteps of the recent POTY offering, I decided to select my vintage Shamrock 02 for this year’s entry.  If I had to choose one, and only one, shape to companion on my pipe smoking journey, it would have to be the Oom Paul.  There’s something intrinsic about the shape that just works for me, both visually and functionally .  For an avid bibliophile, the capacious bowl yields chapters of reading enjoyment.  And despite its size, the “hang” seems magically effortless, almost balancing itself with very little clinch effort needed.  Yes, there are other pipe shapes, but nothing says Pipe any better than the classic Oom Paul.

* John M. Young CPG, aka The Nebraska Pete Geek.

“To have what you love / to love what you have.”  It’s a wonderful idea and helps keep me grounded.  I remember the “gotta have ’em all” mentality of the desire to nab every Peterson Straight System that would pop up on the auction sites.  In the early 2020s this was an exercise in patience.  Over the years it has remained a slow hunt but today it is a slow, expensive pursuit.  I have relinquished the hunt for shape 31s and 120s and continue to hope for the more elusive 86 and elder statesmen patents.

The above pipes are all frequently companioned.  The most recent Heritage finish 31 with an acrylic stem may not please the Pete Purists but as I get older (lazier) I appreciate the ideas of nickel and acrylic.  The bottom 120 has a replacement stem that I made from a longer than standard stem and fit with a modern chimney from Peterson Pipes and Accessories.  Whether old and bone tenoned or new and acrylic, I love them all.

* Michael Sparks CPG.

To have what you love.  Within the last year or so I’ve discovered what is to me an amazing Sherlock Holmes pipe, the Strand. Like Mark, I love the Comfort P-Lip, but the button on the Strand is probably twice as good.  Maybe it’s just my teeth, but the button is sculptured to perfection—exactly the right width, great clenching shelf, and as I think about it, the stem in front of the button tapers in a way that’s different from Systems, making it extremely pleasant. That would be enough, but the Strand, like the Milverton, is one of those Sherlock Holmes pipes (and of the 14, so far I’ve only observed it in these two) that has a very short tenon-mortise gap, so that there’s virtually no air turbulence and the tobacco stays lit much longer than in my other Systems. I also love the Strand for its chamber, which is so friendly to dark virginias, my preferred tobacco, with its 20 x 42mm geometry. I began this journey with just the sandblast, which looks as fine as most of the PSBs I see. Then I saw a Natural pop up at SPC, which totally shocked me.  A few months later, I found my idea of the perfectly proportioned (cheeked?) rusticated version. Happy System Day to all the Pete Geeks!

* Matt Gase CPG.

With apologies to Stephen Stills’s “Love The One You’re With”–

There’s a rose in a fisted glove
And the eagle flies with the dove
And if you can’t smoke the 4ab you love
Smoke the one you’re with

Peterson 2025 Barley 11s with GL Pease Odyssey,
At our Michigan cottage on Lake Huron

* Martin Schwarz CPG.

My companion for this Event ist a 120 Straight System with some heavy burly blend, so I can collect ideas and thoughts in a more focused way in my own workspace. Happy System Day, everyone!

* Justin H. Beal CPG.

Like what you have: This is a Deluxe System 11S (I never have been able to read the date code on it but it’s probably from the early 80s because of the gold foil P, IIRC).  It has one of the widest P-lips I’ve seen, even though it is a little hard to see in the photo.

This pipe was well used when I got it, not abused, but it looked like a pipe that someone had been using pretty regularly.  For me, when buying estate pipes, I take this to mean that the pipe under consideration is a good smoker, and that logic has served me well. This pipe smokes like a train, and I use it primarily for tobaccos that lean towards the heavier side…

Tobacco for this year will be some well aged, Peterson 3Ps since Mark mentioned it in the last post.  I haven’t smoked any in at least a couple of years…

* Mark Irwin CPG.

To love what you have. My friend Clint in the UK, who shares a passion for Petes, teaching English, vintage detective pulps, SH and a hundred other things, helped me acquire what is the only real “Holy Grail” Pete I’ve ever sought: the Sculptured 309.  While its meer counterpart, the Aboriginal, was in the catalog as early as 1973, the briar Sculptured seems to have been a one-time release, c. 1978-79. Legendary tobacco reviewer Jim Inks is the only pipeman I know who companions one, and indeed, before Jim’s, I doubted one even existed.  When I first saw this, my heart sank, because it was an eBay – UK auction from a seller who would not ship Royal Mail. Telling Clint my woes, he said, “Fear not!” And he did the rest.  Thanks, Clint.

* Steve Eacret CPG.

My journey as a pipe man is relatively brief, three years ago I found myself at my father’s home where I was caring for him (now in his nineties) for a week. While putzing around in his garage, I spied his pipe carousel with all the pipes I remembered living on his desk when I was a young boy in the early seventies. I asked if I could have a couple for memory’s sake and was told to take them all.

So the journey began-research led me to online forums and the wide world of our hobby, and I cleaned a few up, ordered some tobacco and was hooked. I was instantly drawn to old pipes, and due to my heritage came across a PPN article on the antique line and fell for, of course the shape of the unobtainable med JAP AB.
My first Pete was the only one I’ve bought new, a Short Army 102 I treated myself with in June of 2023, as the closest to the JAP I’d get.

Quickly, horsetrading into and smoking old Petersons has become just short of an obsession. While staying within my means, and much due to the generosity of like minded souls I’ve found along my journey, my one Pete is now fifteen, including four systems (three pre-republic) and one semi-system.
More to come, as I’m still in the “have what you want” phase, tempered solidly with gratitude for what I have.
Slainté, Cap’n!

* Mark Hunt CPG.

“To have what you love / to love what you have.”  I smoke only Peterson pipes. Have all the system shapes & all the Sherlock series. I do love what I have.

Sitting here in the shade as the painters begin to paint the house. I am smoking some Sutliff Blackthorn Shillelagh in my Baskerville Sherlock. Why?  I have been re-reading the stories on e-reader & this is what I arrived at today. It seemed the fitting way to celebrate this great CPG day!

* Ed Patton CPG.

Have What You Like – What Do I Collect?

After stumbling upon an article on Mark Twain & his old, beat-up Peterson System pipe several years ago, I finally discovered the joy of smoking a proper pipe when I acquired my first Peterson System pipe, a new Deluxe System Smooth 5s Calabash P-Lip. The more I learned about the history of Charles Peterson & his three patents, the more interested I became in acquiring fine examples of Peterson System pipes. I fully intended to remain a smoker/collector, but alas, the opportunities abounded for acquiring both new & estate pipes, & my growing collection has overwhelmed my ability to keep them all in rotation. In the photo, the Peterson System pipes I have acquired on the estate market are on the bottom rack. My favorite companions are the 2022 Pipe of the Year Mark Twain & the System Spigot 309. Actually, whichever Pete I am smoking at the moment! Happy Peterson System Day 2025!

* D. Billings CPG

I know, I know, Mark said to pick ONE, but for me, the two questions go in tandem because what I’ve collected I also companion….

In early 2023, I purchased an incredibly rusticated 302 with a flat bottom (what Mark called the 302a in Post 120). I’d previously preferred the B version of the shape, but that particular pipe changed everything for me. Since then, I worked to obtain a seven-day set of the 302a/XL02a shape in various finishes – and at this point, I’m good… unless, of course, a specific line comes along in which I absolutely have to this particular shape.

But that original 302 that changed everything and led to my small collection? It’s a travel companion as well. Incredibly comfortable, always reliable, and gnarly enough not to have to worry about getting dinged up (not that it is dinged up, but it’s nice to know that I don’t have to worry about it). This pipe has gone with me from the tops of mountains all the way down to the beach. It’s incredible.

* Eric B. CPG.

I have a small rotation of just three System pipes, all three of which are Deluxe Systems.  These three pipes remind me of the Peterson Pipe Notes Blog; and I’m slowly building other memories with them as well.  Something about the Deluxe System just works well for me.  (Mark would likely say that it’s the condenser, and it probably is.)  In the past several years a fair number of pipes have passed through my hands, but these three are ones that I’m definitely keeping for the long haul.

* Martin Kollman CPG.

When it comes to Peterson pipes I haven’t found one that I don’t like but the Pub pipe has become my favorite with its perfect bend around my mouth and comforting feel in my hand on a cool fall morning. My sandblasted finish is my favorite but I have added an oak to the collection and on the hunt for more as a Pete Geek never has quite enough, even though the rack is overflowing.

* Lee Skiver CPG.

Have what you like For me, I like System pipes, interesting Sub-System pipes and Petes that need a little TLC.
Like what you have:  While shape 9 is probably my favorite Peterson shape, I’ve been known to companion some of the more modestly sized shapes.
Shown above is a 305a Standard with whom I recently connected, and in the background you can see a Shamrock 02B and a Plateau, both in need of some help, but at least bearing deep-drilled system “wells.”

* Marlowe Sharp CPG.

Have what I love: In a nutshell Mark says – ha! That’s hard. Simply: I love my Peterson Systems. I can’t say I collect anymore. Im at that stage in life where Ive unloaded most of my non Pete briars in order that can afford and HAVE that “one” special Pete. Trouble is there are too many “one special Petes” with all the new releases. I’m even narrowing it down to just PPN POY’s – anxiously awaiting each new release to see if it will “have”me.

Love what I have: I am loving my 20s’, particularly my Deluxe Barley. Its my best smoker. As I write Ive finished a bowl of Mr B’s Muskoka Mixture that lasted me over an hour. Bliss!

Happy System Day everyone!

* Fletcher Hiner CPG.

To have what you love. I love the unassuming 9/307, a pipe large enough for long smokes but simple in form. Still as abundant today as it was a hundred years ago, available in a variety of finishes and styles. Always included in limited runs and often undervalued by other collectors. I have 9/307’s in just about every imaginable configuration and I love every one of them.

* Nate Lynn CPG.

I tend to collect Calabash pipes, Sherlock original, B10, 05, 5s which was my first deluxe system pipe and second Peterson, XL11, XL5s, xl315, etc..What I companion is the same thing, my weekly smoker is the PPN2023 XL5bc. It is my favorite pipe and is nicely broken in.

CATCH & RELEASE

From Chris Lauer CPG: “A new-in-boxes recent complete set of the Original Sherlock Holmes Collection, all 7 pipes. $600 + $30 to ship. Hallmarks are from 2021 and 2022. Contact me at lauerchristopher@hotmail.com.

Gilbert Ludwig’s banner is awesome, but you can’t “super-size” it from the banner.  Here it is as a pop-out:

PPN will return
Sunday September 14th.