Peterson: Christmas 2021 Sherlock Holmes Sandblasted Baker Street Fishtail Tobacco Pipe

The third addition to Peterson's Sherlock Holmes Collection, the Baker Street, also known as the "XL13," pays tribute to 221B Baker Street — the apartment shared by both Sherlock Holmes and his partner, John Watson. Many of Doyle's stories begin at 221B, and the flat also acts as a means of incorporating Mrs. Hudson, an iconic character and the residence's landlady, into the narrative, making Baker Street an integral part of the Holmes legacy. An actual street in London, Baker Street was laid out by and named after William Baker in the 18th century, and while it was originally residential, it's now mainly occupied by commercial businesses, the Sherlock Holmes Museum being one of particular note. Shape-wise, Peterson's Baker Street is a classic, bold Bulldog. Though the Collection features a number of Bulldog and Rhodesian renditions, the Baker Street is the most traditional and the only straight iteration within the line, boasting a tall, upright bowl and muscular shank that epitomize the Irish marque's signature shaping style.

Peterson has released a limited-edition Christmas pipe series every year since 2009, and 2021's release is based on an idea that Ted Swearingen suggested several years prior. Ted is the Chief Operating Officer for Laudisi Enterprises, which supervises Peterson, and he's been inextricably involved with Smokingpipes for over a decade, not to mention the other facets related to Laudisi. At the Dortmund pipe show in 2019, Ted posed to Josh Burgess, managing Director of Peterson, the idea of doing a Peterson Christmas series comprising Sherlock Holmes shapes instead of the Irish marque's standard, numbered designs. Ted and Josh agreed that the established use of copper on Peterson's Christmas pipes — a convention since 2018 — would work especially well on Sherlock Holmes shapes, maintaining Peterson's reputation for quality metalwork but with a warm, comforting motif befitting the Christmas theme. The aesthetic conjures images of a Victorian Christmas, with Holmes and Watson smoking pipes by the hearth, and Peterson's Christmas 2021 series is also the first to feature more than one finish: a sandblast, a rustication, or the smooth Heritage finish. This particular example is found in a dark stain and textured sandblast, bespeaking Peterson's intimate, artisan-style setup that allows the marque's craftsmen to sandblast pipes individually and with more control, and it's fitted to an acrylic stem instead of the Holmes collection's typical use of vulcanite. Furthermore, this piece comes complete with a black, leather pipe stand exclusive to the Christmas 2021 release and marked by Peterson's iconic Sherlock Holmes logo.

Note: While this specific Peterson pipe has been photographed individually like our other pipes, the Peterson-branded leather stand accompanying it has not, and the pipe representing its use may or may not be the one offered on this listing.