St. Patrick’s Day Pipe 2023

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit! Happy St. Patrick’s Day to You! This morning I've invited Jason Canady, the blog's resident St. Patrick's Day commemorative expert, to step in and take a look back at what will go down in Kapp & Peterson's history as the very finest SPD ever issued (and you ought to look at his complete SPD collection and thoughts on this year's SPD listed at the end of his post--and perhaps Post #84 on the history of the series just to bring you up to speed).  I've got my own D20 "Flying Pencil" SPD 2023 ready to go with some Germain's RDF tonight, and either a pint of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout or some Teeling's Single Grain--or maybe both.  Sláinte! A DEEP DIVE INTO THE ASTOUNDING 2023 ST. PATRICK'S DAY RELEASE by Jason Canady It’s time to reach for your favorite St. Patrick’s Day pipe. The flags are unfurled, and the brass instruments polished. The church doors are open, and the parade and celebrations are underway. I hope everyone finds time to join in the celebrations today and celebrate the St. Patrick holiday your way. Speaking of St. Patrick’s Day pipes, Mark graciously let me cover the launch of Peterson’s St. Patrick’s Day 2024 edition pipe on January 14th in Post # 380. With 2024’s release in the rear-view mirror, I thought we’d look back at 2023’s 25th Anniversary release. The 25th anniversary of the St. Patrick’s Day pipe gave the opportunity for Peterson fans to grab an Irish-colored flag pipe if they missed the 1998 original release. Unlike the original version which came only in a smooth finish, the 2023 version came in smooth, sandblast and rustic finishes. To celebrate the occasion, Peterson paired this collectible pipe with an Irish wool tweed bag for the first time exclusively for the smooth and sandblast finishes. That St. Patrick’s Day anniversary release was quite special in the Peterson SPD line and deserves a second look. While on my hunt for pipes from this release I discovered hidden gems of information I feel should be noted and shared with my fellow Pete Geeks. First, we’ll look at the pipe drop itself with its crash troubles. Then, I'll reveal shapes released that I discovered were never advertised. “Wait. What?” And we’ll look at some shapes that were advertised for sale in only a rustic finish, yet a smooth or sandblasted version was spotted in the wild. We’ll also note with zero intention of criticism to K&P, but with dutiful observation some of the quality control issues Peterson had during the production of this series. I consider this something of a duty to note for historical purposes. To understand the troubles of the 25th anniversary pipe drop in January of 2023, we need to look back at the Peterson Pipe of the Year drop in 2022 (see Post #297). In August 2022, Peterson released the much-anticipated Mark Twain shape for their POY. The excitement and demand for the shape generated heavy…