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Okay, I bought this pipe because it was a good deal, it included a PIMA set, it’s my favorite Peterson shape—and the rustication just flat out rocks. Take another look: That’s not only as good as the famed Pebble Rustics of the late 1980s and early 90s, it may very well be better. I mean, how did they do that? What makes it unusual, in addition to the amazing rustication (at least for admirers of this iconic shape), is the pronounced “chin” effect (think of Castello’s signature 55 here) created by smoothing off the underside back of the stummel: Dating the pipe is easy—and should be getting easy for you if you’ve read your copy of The Peterson Pipe: The Story of Kapp & Peterson. You can see—if you squint as little, because it’s so faint—the Republic era stamp above the 309, so you know that’s 1949 to … oh maybe 1990? 1995? But then you see the nickel marks—the clover, wolf hound and round tower—and you know that’s before c. 1963. So: 1949-1963, or what you, as an acknowledged Pete Geek, now call “The Early Republic Era (1949-1969).” I’m going to place it in the late 1950s, because of the wonky mouthpiece and the nickel mount marks. Seeing the darker portion at the tenon end makes me wonder if it is even original. I figured it was just another Franken Pete, where the wrong mouthpiece ended up on the pipe, given the high shoulder and the peculiar angle of the bend. It just didn’t look quite right. But then I saw this 309 on eBay a few days ago: The two aren’t an exact match, and the smooth 309 is at least a few years newer, perhaps mid-1960s, as it lacks the nickel mount marks. But they’re close enough to make me think maybe, just maybe, the stem on this rustic 309 could be original, but has been pushed out by debris in the mortise. Damage Report Bowl: I know I’m up to challenge of the bowl, although the rim will test my skill set, as the rustication has been flattened by someone, indicating there must’ve been some substantial lava there. Chamber: The chamber floor is also interesting—it’s the thickest carbon cake on a chamber floor I’ve ever seen, not covering the airhole, but right up on it. This shouldn’t be a problem, although the wood underneath might hold some surprises. Mouthpiece: Yikes! This is a wreck. If I hadn’t seen Charles Lemon do this on the BPL 80s, and asked him for help, I’m not sure I’d even attempt it. And if I can’t rescue it, I do have late-model, thick-buttoned vulcanite P-Lip that could be pressed into service. Tenon Mortise: I’m not sure this is the original stem. And it certainly doesn’t cinch up like one. What to do? Measurements before attempted restoration: Length: 5.77 in. / 146.6 mm. Weight: 2.05 oz./58 g. Bowl Height: 2.05 in. / 55.2 mm. Chamber Depth: 1.41 in. / 36.00 mm.…