Peterson's first Pipe of the Year, a barely bent Bulldog with a P-Lip mouthpiece, appeared in 1997; the 2024 Pipe of the Year is a Deluxe System Rhodesian with a tapered stem. These two pipes bookend a series that now spans 27 years. It's a full generation of pipes, and they make an impressive collection. There must be Peterson collectors out there who have achieved a portfolio of all of these pipes, and they probably experience considerable envy and jealous resentment. But they have some nice pipes to make up for the hostility of their covetous peers.

Pipes of the Year are the most premium limited-edition releases from Peterson of Dublin. The designers and craftspeople look forward to their release every year and watch for the public's response, taking pride in these pipes.

It's a significant accumulation of designs, but for those with an interest in modern Peterson history, we've gathered images of pipes from each year of the series, starting with the present and working back to 1997.

2024 — Rhodesian

We'll give the 2024 pipe a little more attention. It will be released soon and enthusiasts may want more information. It will be available Tuesday, August 20 at 6 p.m., whereas previous Pipes of the Year are sold out.

This year's pipe is something really new. It's the first new System shape to be introduced since the B-42, which was released in 2009 and called the Darwin to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. The Rhodesian for 2024 represents an evolution of its own toward a more modern Peterson.

It was designed by Giacomo Penzo, Pipe Specialist at Peterson, and his goal and achievement was to develop a pipe that perfectly reflects the design language of the original Peterson catalogs, but with an original shape.

"Up until now," says VP of Manufacturing Josh Burgess, "our Pipes of the Year have revived classic shapes that had drifted from regular production. This year, we wanted to do something a little different, which was to create an entirely new shape that still harkened back to those classic Peterson designs.

"So we said, 'Giacomo if Charles Peterson had developed another System shape, what would it be? Redesign that lost shape.' So Giacomo went away and worked and he came back with a sketch, which we all thought was promising. Then Giacomo went away and turned that sketch into a stummel, and we really liked it. Giacomo went away again and turned that stummel into a finished pipe, and we loved it. That, in a nutshell, is the story of the 2024 Pipe of the Year. It's a new design, but a new design that captures all the essential qualities of the oldest and most classic Peterson shapes."

This Rhodesian is a Deluxe System pipe. "It has the wear gap between shank and tenon face," says Glen Whelan, Managing Director of Peterson. "And then it has the condenser at the end of the tenon and inside it has the full System reservoir. The only difference with how this one is produced versus other Deluxe Systems is that we're going for the tapered stem on this release rather than the typical saddle stem that people would normally associate with the Deluxe System."

The tapered stem provides an elegant flow and sinuous aspect. "As Giacomo was creating this bowl from the block," says Glen, "it almost looked like we were on a Peterson archeology dig. It was like we were uncovering a lost Peterson shape. That's the best way I can describe the design process. This was a Peterson pipe just appearing in front of our eyes, even though it had never been in the catalog previously. I think it's very, very difficult to design a new shape that is unique yet fits the Peterson identity. We really achieved that this year. Although it's a new shape, you could look back in a catalog from a hundred years ago and plop this shape right in there and it wouldn't look out of place. So I think visually it's very fitting with the Peterson aesthetic, even though it is a brand new shape for Peterson. I am just so looking forward to seeing the customer reaction to this release because it's something we all really like here and something that we're all really proud of as well."

The 2024 Pipe of the Year comes with a Donegal tweed pouch and is available in several finishes: Terracotta, Sandblasted, Rusticated, Heritage, PSB Rua, Ebony, and Natural. Each is stamped with its number out of the 1,100 pipes made.

2023 — X160 Bent Billiard

For the 2023 pipe, Peterson resurrected the classic X160 bent Billiard. Not fully a System pipe, the X160 does feature the same graduated bore and P-Lip button. Debuting on shape charts as early as 1906, the X160 provides an Egg-like bowl in silhouette, with a supple waist and arcing taper toward the rim. A wide transition gives way to a lithe, curling shank that tapers to meet a broad, domed military mount of silver. This pipe was released with a total number of 1,100.

2022 14B Mark Twain

Perhaps best known to Peterson aficionados as the Mark Twain shape, the 14B was an easy choice for the 2022 pipe. This shape was released in 1981 as the Mark Twain and quickly became one of the most popular pipes in Peterson's history. For 2022, the shape was replicated more closely to the catalogs of 1906 and 1896, differing from and slightly more accurate than the 1981 model with more visual weight freighted to the front of the bowl and a slightly different bend. At the time of its production, Josh Burgess said, "it's the most historically accurate recreation of a historic shape that Peterson's ever done."

2021 4AB Rathbone

Introduced in 1896 as one of Peterson's first System pipes, the 4AB personified the brand's House style with its tubular, straight-sided bowl and angled shank. It was made famous by Basil Rathbone in his Sherlock Holmes films, forever associating Peterson with the legendary detective. It beautifully captures the historic shaping style of Peterson's early patent pipes. This pipe marked 125 years since the 4AB shape's debut. The "AB" in the shape refers to the long tapered AB stem and nicely contrasts the sterling silver military mount.

2020 9BC Bent Billiard

Peterson resurrected the 9BC for their 2020 Pipe of the Year from their original bent Billiard Patent design. For its nomenclature, "9" refers to the bowl shape; "B" to the tapered stem; and "C" represents the shorter stem length. This Pipe of the Year was not a System pipe, though it features the iconic P-Lip mouthpiece.

2019 999 John Bull

The 999 appeared in Peterson's catalogs in 1937. Stout and masculine, it earned the nickname "John Bull" after the national personification of England in political cartoons. The shape featured chubby proportions and a tapered mouthpiece, often in the P-Lip configuration.

The mid-1980s marked an era of transition for Peterson, however, and the design was eventually retired and replaced with another, slightly leaner Rhodesian shape, the 998. The 998 assumed the John

Bull's 999 stamp but preserved the former's lighter, leaner proportions. The original 999, it seemed, had been lost.

In 2018, an unfinished original John Bull stummel was discovered at Peterson. It presented an opportunity to revive the shape for the 2019 Pipe of the Year.

2018 Rhodesian

Peterson's 2018 Pipe of the Year was a tall, Stack-like Rhodesian with an Acorn-style taper at its base and an oval shank. Its high beadlines emphasize the forward cant of the bowl for a distinctive presence.

2017 Devil Anse

The 2017 Pipe of the Year was a shape dating back to 1906: a highly canted Apple shape. For this rendition, the chamber walls are thicker and the bowl possesses an oval shape instead of the original's Ball character.

2016 Chimney

An angular Stack with a tapered stem, this Pipe of the Year maintains a classic style. Only 500 were made and they are difficult to find these days.

2015 Founder's Edition Oom Paul

The 2015 Founder's Edition commemorated the year of Peterson's founding with a release of 1865 pieces, each individually numbered. The wide silver band featured an engraving of the likeness of Charles Peterson.

As we delve further into the past, it is perhaps best to let the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy the visual representation of each Pipe of the Year back to the beginning of the series.

These are all of the Pipes of the Year that have been produced so far, but there will be many more. As Peterson's premier series, anticipated and appreciated by Peterson fans worldwide, it's far from simple. The good folks at Peterson plan these pipes far in advance and pour all of their talent and experience into them — plans for the Pipe of the Year for 2025 are already in the works. From historically accurate renditions of pipes developed more than a century ago to fresh shapes unimagined when the marque was young, Pipes of the Year represent the best of a vibrant, living pipe company dedicated to the smokers who admire their craftsmanship.