Peterson (c. 1974-83) Giant Smooth XL Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Irish Estates

Description

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.

Peterson’s Giant pipes, otherwise known as the Giant Briar, are rare and rather mysterious things. This is not only because they have long been out of production (leaving an oversized gap in Peterson’s portfolio that is currently occupied by the House Pipe range), but because, aside from their size, the pipes themselves bear little to indicate what they are. Mark Irwin has a good writeup on the Giant in article 240 of Peterson Pipe Notes, where he discusses how the line was only in production for around a decade, between 1973 and 1984, and how the Giant, like the Plato, the House Pipe, and various other Hand Made Peterson creations, resists easy identification due to the way it is stamped (or, more accurately, not stamped. To put it plainly: Peterson’s Giant pipes were, as the name suggests, very large pipes, to the point where one might reasonably call them magnums. For some reason, Peterson also never stamped “Giant” on these pipes, instead referring to them as such in the catalogs of the time. There were smooth and rusticated Giants available, typically taking the form of a billiard or a bent billiard, and these pipes could be fitted with either a P-Lip or a fishtail stem. As they were non-standard shapes, the Giants did not have shape codes in either the catalog or in the pipes’ nomenclature. As such, this one is a Giant Smooth billiard with a fishtail stem and, true to the name, it is a big pipe, with a chamber to match, and is also very nicely grained, especially for a pipe of its size.

The condition is fair. There’s a couple of worn out fills and slight scratches on the bowl and some general wear to the rim, but it’s nonetheless a quite remarkable find.

Details:

Length: 7.5″ / 190.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.92″ / 48.76mm

Weight: 3.0oz / 86g