SPECIAL BULLETIN:
The 125th Anniversary Commemorative
Premier Barley System
Drops
Wednesday, October 18th
@
6pm EST.
The 125th Anniversary Premier Barley System features a sterling ferrule, vulcanite P-Lip and the Barley sandblast finish in an edition of 330 serialized pipes, stamped “1898-2023” in all standard System shapes: 301, 302, 303, 304, 306, 307, 312, 313, 314, 317, B42 and XL315.
This 302 sports my all-time favorite shouldered System bend.
For their penultimate 125th Anniversary celebration of the System, K&P will release a special Premier commemorative System (and yes, I said penultimate) this Wednesday. As a fan of the Premier, I can vouch for the fact that this is a special event for System fans. The Premier has always been the most difficult System to acquire for the Peterson aficionado as K&P has always made far fewer of them than the DeLuxe, and it looks like it will continue to be that way, so to see a Premier in the special Barley—or tanshell finish—well now, that’s my idea of an anniversary celebration pipe!
303
The generic term tanshell has come to mean any pipe with a light tan sandblast. It derives, as does so much in briar pipe history, from Dunhill, who introduced their Tanshell finish in 1952, per Joe Morris, who kindly wrote to say that “the Dunhill Tanshell finish first appeared in 1952 (I’ve got one). There’s an idea that they were using Shell Algerian briar stock for that first year as a test before switching to the Sardinian briar for 1953 (at least I think that’s right) but it was definitely first produced in 1952.” Pipedia.org has a fine collection of Dunhill Tanshell photos. Here’s one of my favorite examples from Dunhill, a 1953 LC:
1953 Dunhill LC Tanshell – Erik Hesse Collection (Courtesy Pipedia.org)
Pipedia, incidentally, has a number of great photographs of Dunhill Tanshells from Dr. Hesse’s collection and I encourage you not only to visit their Erik Hesse / Tanshell page but support the Pipedia website as well, as web-hosting costs only becomes more expensive the larger a site becomes. I don’t have a set-in-stone answer to give concerning how K&P creates their version of the tanshell finish, but I can give you a few details.
he pre-story of the tanshell at K&P concerns Mario Lubinski’s special Peterson Rogha natural vergin pipes for Sansonne Smoking Store in Rome beginning in 2016. These were extremely limited, as you can read in Post #88. A natural vergin is not a tanshell, although it’s very close. A natural vergin is a finish developed by the Italians. It’s absolutely spotless, clean and unwaxed with a bare chamber and develops a patina from the oils of the smoker’s hands.
After the Rogha line, Peterson introduced the Burren line in 2018, which you can research in Post #102. This was the proletariat version, I suppose we might say, of the Rogha natural vergin. While unfinished and unwaxed, it was comprised of sandblast bowls with root marks, pits and other imperfections as well as a bowl coating. Many sneered at it—and it was a bit of a take-down from the lofty heights of the Rogha—but it was quite successful among the Pete Geeks and sold well. I think it’s safe to say that, thanks to the Burren and the Rogha and the Nassau Street Edition at SPE in 2020 (Post #188), there’s now a regular Supreme Sandblast line.
The tanshell came to K&P unofficially with the release of the “SPECIAL” House Pipe Rusticated Spigot in 2021 (you can catch a glimpse at the end of Post #254). Formally, however, the Barley finish happened shortly thereafter in December of 2021 with the Barley Spigot (see Post #260).
Josh Burgess, Managing Director at K&P, tells me “these are virgin-quality sandblasts” given a light coat of carnauba wax. The reason for the wax—which is also applied to the Supreme Sandblast—is not only to heighten the visual appeal a notch, but more importantly foster the development of a pleasing patina as the pipe is smoked. I can attest to this personally, comparing my experiences with a Rogha, a Supreme sandblast and a Natural Rusticated DeLuxe (this latter also has a light coat of carnauba applied at the factory). The Rogha has a much darker, dirtier look while the Supreme and Natural Rusticated—and hence the Barley—colors more evenly and gradually in shades of brown rather than gray and brown. Whether there is a light wash of stain, both on the K&P and Dunhill tanshells, I couldn’t say, but they’re gorgeous and should only become more so as they’re smoked.
The variation in color to be seen from new one pipe to another (as below) is due to the briar itself and how it takes the carnauba wax. While I wasn’t sent any samples to photograph, I wanted to present one in the SmokingPipes.Com studio-lit Barley Premier System typical of the colors we’ll see in Wednesday’s drop:
302 Barley Premier System (Courtesy SPC)
This photo is much flatter and more tone-neutral than either the ones seen in the banner, the e-strut card and the gallery photos elsewhere in the post. What you’ll see in the natural lighting of outdoors and in your own smoking room will vary from either one of these, but if you find a blast pattern you like, I think you’ll find the pipe even more appealing to the eye when you see it in real life. The spots you see on the lower bowl in the 313 below are caused by root marks, I believe. They’re not fills, and in any case as the bowl develops its patina they will effectively disappear.
I asked Josh if there was any significance to 330 pipes being made: “No reason for the 330. Virgin quality sandblasts are hard to come by, and that’s the number we had, so that’s how many we made.” Rats! I was sure it was in reference to the King Fergus I (330BC), either that or possibly Charles Peterson’s “angel number.”
By the way–if you don’t subscribe to the Sunday morning blog email from Smokingpipes, there should be a video with Josh and Andy discussing the Barley System release on their Daily Blog site.
It may not be too late! The greatest bulldog shape ever to enter the catalog, as I will argue in an upcoming blog post, is that which was finalized as the Sherlock Holmes BAKER STREET / XL13. All seven pipes from the Original Collection were made in slightly smaller versions as the SH JUNIOR for the European market from 1988 to c. 1993. I would hazard a guess that the Baker Street Junior rusticateds turned up in the move from Sallynoggin to Deansgrange and were released—about 60 or so when I saw the email—last Thursday, the 12th.
If you click on the photo above you can readily see the JUNIOR / BAKER STREET stamp. By all means notice the vertically-beaded double ring around the bowl. This beaded bowl ring disappeared many years ago on the Baker Street and it’s one of the things that has always set Peterson’s original SH bulldog above the competition. As I’ve become a huge fan of the Bros. W. rustication, this release was a must for me.
Thanks to Josh Burgess, Andy Wike
and Smokingpipes.com
So to me, this is really the 305c
* This 305 calabash sports the “new “gourd bend” which can be seen in some, although not all, current 305s. I say new, but actually it debuted sometime after 2018. I never found a good opportunity to take note of it here on the blog until now. What marks it off from the c. 1984 305b is the increased visual space between the shank bend and the back chamber wall and the longer, softer curve of the shank into the bowl, making it look altogether more gourd-like than the earlier calabash. When I first saw it thought it a bit comical, but seen in the Barley System here, I’m thinking if any readers want to step up and order my Christmas present early, then by all means do so–this 305c is just exactly what’s on my wish list–just make sure it doesn’t have one of those oversized chamber widths!
For your poster collection
There are some nice looking Barley Blasts in the group, the 302 and 303 are standouts. The “Hinch” mount ferrule that are on some Peterson’s are my favorite. I’m glad I’m not enamored with either rusticated finishes, vertical beaded bead lines, or the straight bulldog shape, it saved me some cash. I prefer the SH Squire shape. I’ve also never been fond of the “Dunmore” pipes because of their beaded shank end.
Glad to know the chimneys are on the stems for this release, that clinches the “shut up and take my money” stance on these for this Canuck. I’ll be shooting for a 312 or bust since the beloved 309 is no longer in production.
Do they have the chimneys? If they were mentioned, I didn’t see it. The rusticated System Premier from earlier this year didn’t have a chimney, which was disappointing.
Hey Chris
It is not mentioned in this post but if you visit the Laudisi website they’re mentioned in this lines individual pipe descriptions, I then had it verified by someone I casually chat with who works for Laudisi and they also confirmed. This release has the chimneys, much to my joy and I’m sure the joy of others as well. The lack of chimney was a big factor in not purchasing one of the rusticated 308 revival pipes.
Thanks, Jonathan! Great to have the confirmation! 🙂
Thanks!
The blast on the above 302 is a beauty. I have yet to add a 306 to the stable and a Premier would be perfect “fill” of that void. Thanks for the information, Mark, and the subsequent hit to the checking account.
Thanks for the info. Oh yes Premier Systems are extremely hard to get. And I´m also saved some money for not buy a X-Mas&Halloween B42. So Bring It On.
My absolute favorite finish on a pipe is a vergin sandblast. To see something similar available on a Premier grade System pipe is fantastic!
I love the naturals. Earlier in life I would’ve scoffed at them, but they’re so lovely in a rustic way, especially as they take color in time like meerschaums.
Mark, I’m very excited to be receiving a Junior Baker Street. However, I’m puzzled by something. Are you thinking they were made prior to the move and just discovered, and so they’re sort of new old stock in a sense? I’m asking because that rusticaction doesn’t seem very vintage to my amateur eyes.
I was curious about that too. The wording on SPC suggests that it’s a recent limited production run.
The wording is deceptive. It would be nice if companies could just slice through all the “magic of advertising” and deliver the straight dope. But it’s not going to happen.
Yeah, I don’t get how they use the term ‘Natural’ to refer to a ‘Virgin’ with no blast, and also to pipes with a less-than-dark stain.
Joe: No, these are new/old stock stummels. They were suitable for rustication but not for smooth release and were found in the move–at least, that’s my hypothesis unless K&P wants to say different. Laudisi-era K&P hasn’t added any new shapes to the standard catalog apart from the recent Juniors.
I think that’s sort of the coolest answer possible. I appreciate the thriftiness of carving on them to make them more marketable. It’s neat that they’re both new and old at once.
I’ve missed a lot of drops recently, so this is one I will definitely be taking a shot at. I’m thinking 314 or 317. But I’d be happy with anything.
I love the natural finishes and have coveted a Peterson in a natural finish. Alas, they will be far out of range for me.
Greetings fellow Pipeman, these Pipes drop in the EU one hour ago all of a sudden.
So i changed my mind with the B42 and companion a 312 instead.
Good luck on your drop.
I got mine from the EU drop today myself I was awake at 350am pressing refresh until they appeared ? managed to get the 312 I wanted and I must say she looks gorgeous.
https://www.smokingpipes.eu/pipes/new/peterson/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=169069
There is a nice 315 still available on the EU site.
I actually started my Peterson/PipeSmoking career with a 312 Standard and will never give it away. So it is absolutely amazing geting a Premier after all this years.
That ’53 Dunhill has me drooling. It’s a sickness loving the LC shapes.
Tomorrow I’ll be going after the first ‘superb grain’ large one I see!!
I bought a 312 from the Irish site several days after the drop, and it arrived yesterday. It’s a great smoker so far, and I’m looking forward to watching it darken. I’m glad they put a chimney in these, but once again (as with the Premier 308), I’m baffled as to why they left off the “Premier” stamp. There’s a lot of other stamping on these, but (at least on mine) it looks like there would have been room. That’s going to create an identification issue many decades from now when we’re all gone and some future collectors are trying… Read more »