Peterson's St. Patrick's Day pipe series represents one of the longest-standing annual traditions for the Irish marque. They have been in production since 1998 with the very first release, dubbed "Tri-Colour," or "St. Patrick's Day" pipes, due to the featured colors of the Irish flag in the pipes' accents. Last year, Peterson commemorated 25 years of the St. Patrick's Day (SPD) pipes with an homage to this first design, featuring the same tri-color accent that started it all. Chuck Stanion wrote an excellent article on the 25th SPD pipe from Peterson along with a detailed history of St. Patrick himself. Describing the significance of St. Patrick and Peterson's inspiration for these pipes, he states: "St. Patrick has captured the imaginations and affection of millions — second only, perhaps, to St. Nicholas. St. Patrick is a powerful symbol of Ireland, and when the oldest continuously operating pipe factory in the world decided to release an annual series emblematic of its own Irish culture, St. Patrick's Day was a natural attraction."

A variety of Peterson's St. Patrick's Day pipes from years past are available on-site in our collection of Irish estate pipes, restored by our expert restoration team. Many of these selections are quite rare. Let's reminisce for a moment and explore the history of Peterson's most iconic series to date with a closer look at each St. Patrick's Day pipe design, from 1998 to 2024.

1998

1998 was the first year that Peterson released the St. Patrick's Day pipe. Pipes from this period are quite rare, but when found, they're like discovering buried treasure. 1998's edition bears the colors of the Irish flag as an attractive accent and is dressed in a dark stain, making it an understated beauty with both traditional and modern aesthetics. The woodsy-brown bowl was paired to a P-Lip mouthpiece made of vulcanite.

1999

Curiously, no St. Patrick's Day pipes were created for the year 1999. However, the series continued with the year 2000 and has been released every year since.

2000

The SPD pipe for 2000 showcased a rich, brown-hued smooth bowl with a P-Lip vulcanite mouthpiece. It featured a bright nickel band with "Peterson's" engraved over a classic shamrock with the commemorative date, "March 17, 2000."

2001

2001's rendition celebrated the holiday with a more muted expression: a warm walnut stain paired to a jet-black vulcanite mouthpiece, topped with a broad band of sterling silver for an elegant and traditional presentation. The band itself was engraved, displaying a shamrock encircled by the name of the brand and the commemorative date, "March 17, 2001."

2002

Featuring a smooth, auburn finish and rendered in a variety of popular shapes with a jet-black vulcanite mouthpiece, 2002's version was accented by a broad nickel band with the series' stamp engraved.

2003

Peterson's St. Patrick's Day 2003 was accentuated by a traditional chestnut stain, lighter than the previous year, and accented by an elegant, clover-embossed band of nickel and the series' titular stamp, paired to a jet-black vulcanite mouthpiece.

2004

The 2004 iteration manifested a rich, chestnut stain with a warmer tone than 2003's edition, accented by a sterling silver band etched with "March 17, 2004" and paired to Peterson's traditional black vulcanite mouthpiece.

2005

St. Patrick's Day 2005 release was dressed handsomely in a light chestnut, classically subdued burnt sienna finish paired to a bright nickel band etched with "March 17, 2004," and equipped with a jet-black mouthpiece of vulcanite.

2006

2006's pipe wears an auburn contrast stain adorned with an accent commemorating the Irish-themed holiday in bright nickel bearing a shamrock motif, and featured a jet-black vulcanite mouthpiece.

2007

2007's edition continues the conservative tradition of previous releases, dressed in a chestnut stain and accented by a sterling silver band, all with a jet-black vulcanite mouthpiece.

2008

2008's iteration features an emerald stain, a sleek black mouthpiece, and the stamp of the series represented by a shamrock-etched accent on the nickel band. This was the first St. Patrick's Day pipe from the series to feature Peterson's signature green color, representative of the color associated with the Irish holiday.

2009

Dressed in a rich and earthy walnut stain, 2009's iteration returned to the conservative brown hue of years before, adorned with a bright metallic band stamped with a clover to commemorate St. Patrick's Day that year along with a jet-black vulcanite mouthpiece.

2010

2010's version featured a warm, auburn stain contrasting a bright accent of broad, polished nickel attached to a vulcanite mouthpiece. This iteration was certainly reminiscent of the design of 2007's SPD pipe, with a similar colorway and design aesthetic of the bowl.

2011

The 2011 SPD pipe offered a smooth, chestnut finish, a bit lighter in tone than the year prior, accented by a broad, nickel accent etched with the line's name and a shamrock icon, as well as the vulcanite mouthpiece.

2012

The 2012 SPD pipe highlighted a traditional dark-auburn stain and achieved a sophisticated appearance paired with the mouthpiece of vulcanite. Accentuated by a metal band etched with the date and a commemorative clover, this pipe continued the signature aesthetic of the woodsy-brown hues of SPD pipes of the past, rendered in an assortment of shapes.

2013

Wearing a classic wood-toned stain and paired to a vulcanite stem and mouthpiece, the 2013 SPD pipe featured a flashy nickel band emblazoned with the date and a shamrock design.

2014

The 2014 pipe deviated from the brown hues of the last five years of SPD pipes that came before it, finished in a sophisticated ebony sandblast. This year's version continued the inclusion of a nickel band with a shamrock and the date, as well as the vulcanite mouthpiece in a matching black color.

2015

For 2015's pipe, Peterson utilized their signature emerald stain to accentuate an ornate partial rustication accented by twin nickel rings, green acrylic, and an intricate relief carving along the upper bowl. It's paired to a polished black vulcanite mouthpiece and engraved with the St. Patrick's Day mark of the series on the shank instead of on the band, as in the years prior.

2016

The 2016 edition returned to a brown woodsy colorway and featured a smoky smooth finish with a stylish accent of brass and orange acrylic flanked by two metal rings. A glossy black vulcanite stem and mouthpiece along with the signature stamp and year for the series were featured here again.

2017

The St. Patrick's pipes for 2017 were handsomely dressed in a smooth, deep emerald finish accented with a bright nickel band engraved with a Celtic motif, leading to the black vulcanite stem and mouthpiece. The series name and the year were engraved on the shank.

2018

The SPD pipe for 2018 is particularly unique; dressed in classy yet festive garb, it wears a deep emerald stain. This rendition features a bright sterling silver mount with a clover stamp and the series name and year, as well as a sunny yellow acrylic stem and mouthpiece, the first unique stem and mouthpiece colorway of the series' history.

2019

The 2019 pipe highlighted the Irish marque's signature emerald stain, much like 2017's version, accompanied by a military mount of nickel adding some aesthetic flash while also reinforcing the mortise. This iteration is particularly special as it was the first St. Patrick's Day pipe to feature Charles Peterson's innovative System engineering, down to the iconic P-Lip mouthpiece.

2020

The 2020 edition celebrated the limited line's 23rd release, utilizing Peterson's signature emerald stain once again, but now accentuating an extra-craggy sandblast paired to a bright nickel army mount and a polished vulcanite stem. This pipe leveraged modern finishing techniques to elevate the firm's iconic, timeless shaping style.

2021

2021's edition dazzled with a turquoise-green acrylic stem and mouthpiece fitted to a stummel dressed in Peterson's recognizable, hand-tooled rustication in a dark, two-toned stain with a broad nickel band accented with the series' stamp and year. The tri-color palette alternates strikingly between the reserved stain, bright metal, and vibrant stem, making for a pipe that remained tastefully traditional yet undeniably memorable — all while exuding an iconically "Peterson" aesthetic. Also, this pipe came complete with a matching leather pipe stand, exclusive to the 2021 SPD run.

2022

2022's rendition showcased a hand-tooled rustication of the bowl dressed in a rich, walnut stain, all elevated by a Fishtail stem of emerald-green acrylic fitted to a nickel army mount with the series' stamp and year as an accent.

2023

2023's edition marked the iconic line's 25th anniversary. Fittingly, the Irish marque returned to its first St. Patrick's Day design: Each pipe bore a tri-color accent of green, white, and orange to honor the Irish flag's iconic pattern in the band, revitalizing the same accent that embellished the original in 1998. 2023's SPD version was rendered in three distinctive finishes — smooth, rusticated, and a sandblast — all dressed in a light brown colorway and paired with a classy black vulcanite mouthpiece. The smooth and sandblasted pipes were serialized out of 1,200 examples crafted in those finishes, completed by Peterson-branded bags fashioned from tweed woven by the historic Kerry Woolen Mills.

2024

Peterson's St. Patrick's Day pipes for 2024 comprise an assortment of iconic Peterson shapes in five different finishes, all with System engineering. This release's standout feature is the vibrant green acrylic military mount which replaces the standard nickel variety. The fitment offers a rich dose of contrast to the composition, especially against the black acrylic P-Lip stem. Additionally, this pipe has been serialized out of 1,600 total pieces, a limited edition that includes a pipe bag made from hand-woven Irish tweed for stylish and festive carry.

So there you have it. 26 releases within the iconic St. Patrick's Day line from Peterson, from 1998-2024. We hope you enjoyed this journey through the past and continue to follow this long-standing Peterson tradition in pipe making in celebration of St. Patrick's Day for years to come.