Auld Erin (by Peterson) 9BC Rusticated Bent Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Irish Estates

Description

Auld Erin was, like the Shamrock and the Captain Pete, a mid-century sub-brand of Peterson, debuting in the 1950s. In the world of pipes, Peterson itself generally needs 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.

Right off the bat, two things about this Auld Erin (a Gaelic phrase roughly meaning “Old Ireland”) stand out. The first is that it is stamped as having been made in England. This is not entirely out of the ordinary, as Peterson did once have a factory in London, with some Peterson pipes being made in England between around 1900 and 1970. Given the date that the Auld Erin debuted, this pipe will therefore be from some time between the 1950s and and 1970. The second interesting thing is that this Auld Erin is a shape 9BC. This was a stout bent billiard shape that Peterson also debuted in the 1950s, but which has also not been part of the make’s standard shape chart for a long time (the closest recent approximation being the 2020 Pipe of the Year). In fact, Mark Irwin over at Peterson Pipe Notes has a great explainer of the various Peterson “9” shapes that I’d heartily recommend checking out.

The condition is fair. There is quite a bit of finish fading on the rim and bowl, but given that it wears one of Peterson’s older rusticated finishes, I don’t think that takes too much away from the pipe’s aesthetic.

 

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.45″ / 36.83mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g