Peterson Cara Sandblasted 406 Prince, Republic of Ireland, era undetermined (20th–21st century)

This reference example documents a Peterson Cara in sandblasted finish, carrying the maker's shape number 406, the Prince. It entered the archive as an estate piece from Ireland, the brand's home country. Kapp & Peterson of Dublin ranks among the most historically significant names in pipe making. Alongside the System, Peterson has issued a long succession of named lines, of which the Cara is one, offering the house's standard shape chart under a dedicated series stamping. The Prince is one of the classic English shape designations, traditionally associated with the Prince of Wales who later reigned as Edward VII. It is characterised by a low, squat, rounded bowl of generous width relative to its height, set on a slender shank, a profile that gives the pipe an elegant, compact silhouette. In Peterson's numbering system the 406 identifies this rendition of the form. The sandblasted treatment on this example exposes the grain structure of the stummel in relief, a finish Peterson has applied across many of its lines as a textured alternative to smooth stains. Dating a Peterson conventionally proceeds from its country-of-manufacture stamping, since the wording used — from early Dublin marks through 'Made in the Republic of Ireland' variants — shifted across distinct periods of the firm's history and can bracket production accordingly. On the documentation available for this piece, the line name and shape number establish it firmly within Peterson's modern catalogue, and the honest conclusion is a broad bracket spanning the twentieth to early twenty-first century.