Peterson 04 Smooth “Kaffir” Horn (Estate)

About this pipe:

Peterson pipes generally need no introduction, but just in case you’re unfamiliar: in 1876, a Latvian named Charles Peterson immigrated to Ireland and was hired making pipes in a workshop owned by Frederick and George Kapp. After rising through the ranks to become head craftsman, Peterson bought into the Kapp’s business, which was renamed, Kapp & Peterson (K&P). During this time, Peterson himself applied for several patents for pipe designs, including the world-famous Peterson’s System. Since then, Peterson has become one of the most recognizable names in pipe smoking and continues to produce high quality pipes from their headquarters in Dublin.

The “04” shape was a rather unusual one within Peterson’s catalog. It was produced for a relatively short period near the end of the 20th century, before disappearing altogether, which remains the case to this day. Its origins, on the other hand, go back much further (on this I must, as ever, credit Mark Irwin’s Peterson Pipe Notes project), to a set of designs produced by Peterson in the very early 1900s. These were both termed the “Kaffir” (one “Small,” one “Large”), and both were horn renditions, though they could also be likened to round-shanked yachtsmen, as there was no bend between the button and the beginning of the bowl. As the 20th century progressed, these shapes both disappeared, and the closest shapes that came to them were Peterson’s Zulu renditions—in other words, close, but still very different.

It was not until the 1970s that anything properly resembling the Kaffir was reintroduced, that being the 04 shape seen here. Unlike the early Kaffir variations, it had a slight S-curve to its figure, but other than that, the resemblance was uncanny. What happened to the 04 is hard to say, though it may well have been considered fully obsolete after Peterson introduced a similar (though still quite different) design by way of the limited edition 2009 Antique Collection, which became the rarely seen “B35.” Either way, circumstance has led to the 04 Kaffir being almost as rare as the version that preceded it almost a century beforehand.

The condition is very good. Minor inner rim darkening, chamber slightly over-reamed, and some slight scratches on the bowl.

Details:

Length: 6.09″ / 154.6mm

Chamber Width: 0.86″ / 21.84mm

Chamber Depth: 1.69″ / 42.92mm

Bowl Height: 2.14″ / 54.35mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g