Peterson shamrock

Irish Emblem pipes, known in the 1896 catalog as “Irish Carving Shamrocks” and in the 1906 catalog as “Irish Emblems,” are scarce and were carved in the factory at Lion Street and later St. Stephen’s Green, as well as sometimes being outsourced to local artisans, perhaps into the 1950s. While carved in all grades, typically they are seen on the estate market in either the 3rd grade System or the 101straight billiard. The emblem on the front of the bowl was usually a harp, although both the wolf hound and round tower could be ordered. The 1896 catalog actually illustrates a pipe with all three emblems, although the vast majority of pipes simply feature the Irish harp. The significance of the three emblems lies in their deep ties to Irish culture: the Irish harp (the Brian Boru or O’Neill harp) is seen on Ireland’s heraldic emblem. The Irish wolfhound was a breed developed for hunting and guarding. The round tower is a paradoxical or as contemporary spiritual practitioners would call it, non-dual place of peace and power, signifying Ireland’s unique Celtic religious heritage. All three emblems were stamped on the nickel mounts of Peterson pipes from 1896 until about 1963. When we were at the Chicagoland Show last May, as my wife and I were walking through the tent on the morning of the swap & trade event, she handed me a Peterson to look at. It turned out to be the oldest Peterson “Irish Emblems” pipe that we have so far documented, going back to the Irish Free State Era (1922-1937). One of the things that was so unbelievable about it was that it was still unsmoked. Unsmoked Petersons are easy to identify, unlike some other marques, because of the chuck marks inside the chamber. It seems to be a kind of unspoken identification tag for Peterson, and as far as we can tell, it goes back to the beginning. Not only did it have its chuck marks, but the remnants of a paper price tag—typical of the era of brick & mortar pipe shops—is in evidence. The clean mortise also gives testimony to the pipe’s unsmoked condition. I can only imagine how labor-intensive these were to carve. Think of the time spent on the best sandblasts you’ve seen—J. T. Cooke’s, perhaps. Now look at the detailed knife work here. Did it take as long? I don’t know. I do know third grade briar was typically used, because the grain was not an issue and would not be visible. The bowls were stained fairly dark to highlight the chiseling of the carver. Many of these pipes feature Irish county names below the front emblem or in a phrase above and below it, as on this pipe (see PPN #77, "Crossmolina" for another Irish Emblems story). I can only hypothesize that a Westport tobacconist ordered several of these from Kapp & Peterson for sale in his shop.  Westport, County Mayo, at the Octogon Square, c. 1898 Westport, known on the…