There are so many odd things about this one that I’m not sure where to start with…

Let’s start with the obvious: the Army mount. I didn’t even know those existed, but once Glen Whelan (the Managing Director of Peterson) saw this pipe, he mentioned that there was a very limited number of Army Sherlocks made for the US market.

I did some research and found some of those US market Army Sherlocks, but they were all later 90s releases and all sandblasted.

We all know that companies test (and even produce) new line releases up to a few years before the actual release. I have personally worked on more than a few very early Sherlocks from 1986, and they had the scales hallmark.

Another piece of evidence for an early production date is the lack of a model/shape stamp — in this case “Squire”. Those weren’t present for the initial release of the line.

Final oddity is the lack of the Sherlock Holmes-stamped silver ferrule — instead we have the regular Peterson one, and this is the detail that makes me believe it could have been a prototype pipe of some sort.

Most people consider limited editions like the gold band Sherlocks or the meer ones as the rarest, but to me this is the pinnacle of rarity.

This pipe is an absolute unicorn for the Sherlock Holmes collectors!

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.