When it comes to collectible pipes, what matters most is the age, whether it was a limited release, whether the pipes were numbered, and, in some cases, the reason for the release — for example, Pipe of the Year, Father’s Day, etc.

Then we also have the grade of the pipe. Some releases received higher grades than others, just as the Christmas pipes are generally lower grade, while the Pipes of the Year are much higher.

Keeping all of this in mind, I want to present to you a pipe from Peterson’s first-ever limited and serially numbered commemorative release — the Centenary.

Here is what Mark Irwin’s Peterson Pipe Notes blog has to say about the Centenary:

“In 1975, K&P celebrated what it then thought of as its centennial year, which was actually the year Charles Peterson was hired by Frederick Kapp to work at the Dublin shop. Kapp—and Peterson, in other words. Harry Kapp had retired in 1970 but was still casting a paternal eye over the company, which acquired Tennant & Ruttle in 1974, when the company officially dropped the ‘Kapp’ and became the ‘Peterson Tennant Group.’ The company had moved to its new Sallynoggin factory locale in 1972 (?), but was still on the ascendence, making more pipes in its history than ever before.

To celebrate, in 1975 the company released their first serially numbered collectibles, culling pipes from most of the catalog, all high grades and all bearing the distinctive Centenary stamp on sterling bands. These were numbered according to the number of bowls available for each shape, whether in the System or Classic Range, thus, for example, there were 11 4s Systems created. Other shapes were released in upwards of 100 pipes.”

I just want to add a little more to that from my personal experience. I tried researching the line and couldn’t find a single pipe currently available for sale on eBay or anywhere else. I couldn’t even find any sold examples, except for the Centenary sold on this website a few weeks ago.

Additionally, there is quite a lot of mystery surrounding the number stamps. I have seen several pipes with regular-looking stamps, such as 38/100, but I have also seen a few rather unusual ones. For example, my personal Centenary 20S has a shamrock followed by the number 3 stamped on the bottom, and no one seems to know what it means.

This particular example is Shape 69 and is numbered 8/100.

The pipes go through one final check before shipping, so if you notice any inconsistencies in the carnauba finish or smudges they will be taken care of before your pipe is shipped to you.