Peterson Shannon B11 Smooth Bent Brandy 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.

The so-called “B” shapes comprise of some of Peterson’s less common offerings, and stand apart from the make’s standard shape chart. As Mark Irwin at Peterson Pipe Notes documents, many B shapes began as limited edition models, such as Peterson’s Pipe of the Year, eventually ending up as occasional renditions of other series. The B11, as seen here, was introduced in the early 2000s. Like the B10, it is a bent brandy, with the key difference being that the B11 is a sitter. This one is part of the Shannon series, one for stripped-down designs composed simply of a briar bowl and a vulcanite stem. Curiously, this appears to have been from an earlier iteration of the Shannon, as opposed to the one currently made by Peterson, as its stain is far lighter than the latter. It also has has very enjoyable grain patterns that are allowed to breathe more so than contemporary Shannons, with flame grain swirling around its bowl and bird’s-eye galore on its underside.

The condition is great. The inner lip of the rim looks like it might have been over-reamed slightly, pushing it just a little out of round. The pipe was restored by Briarville.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.52″ / 38.60mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g