Peterson: Christmas 2021 Sherlock Holmes Heritage Strand Fishtail Tobacco Pipe

Peterson's Strand is, like all the designs featured in the Sherlock Holmes collection, inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's prolific work and legendary characters. This "XL25" bent Egg was named after The Strand Magazine, the first outlet to publish Holmes' adventures. The rendition features plenty of smooth lines and supple curves, giving off a more Danish aesthetic compared to the Irish marque's more traditional blend of English and Irish shaping cues. The curvature of the bowl makes for a natural fit in hand, while the Danish-style sweeping transition highlights the depth of the chamber. As a whole, however, the robust size and muscularity fit well into Peterson's penchant for hearty proportions.

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 the lattermost's smooth texture and smoky stain, offering just the right amount of grain definition and highlighting the copper accent band, 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.