I recently acquired an
interesting Peterson 1989 System African Meerschaum, complete with a
steel wind-cap. It is a 312 shape with sterling silver collar and
P-lip mouthpiece. What caught my attention other than the wind-cap,was the beautiful honey
colouration.
They used to make pipes
from meerschaum from Africa,Tanzania. This source run out some 10
years ago, the company closed around 2002. These pipes where made
with a slightly different technique than the higher quality Turkish
Meerschaum. They where dipped in a
hardening oil to make it much more resilient to knocks and everyday
use. African Block is heavier and doesn’t have the same degree of
absorptive properties as Turkish.
Some
photos below of the new addition.
I have 6 Peterson Tanzania meers and they are really good smokers! I don't think that turkisch meerschaum is better. It is completly different. I love both materials :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jim, congrats, I ve been watching her on eBay, but resisted the temptation to bid. She ´ s in good hands now. Lukas
DeleteHi, I bought one of these in 1994 together with a rustic version - my first two Peterson pipes. Later on I came across a smaller version of the rustic. All three are still in my collection and I simply love them. I agree that they are excellent smokers even though the Tanzanian meerschaum is not as absorbent as Turkish. What I like most is the fact that they are far more robust, not only the bowl but also where mouthpiece joins the shank. I've had a few Turkish meerschaums, some imported from Turkey at great expense and although they offer a great smoke, most of them seem to suffer from the problem of tobacco oil seeping out of the shank - never a problem with the Peterson. Regards.
ReplyDelete