bloke at the local…

For some time, I have seen this corkscrew bar set come and go on ebay, but have yet to get one.  Featuring what looks to be Reg Smythe’s Andy Capp and Flo, it is an amusing set.

 

Well this morning over coffee, I perused ebay and there it was…and, for a very fair price.  So, Andy and Flo will be finding their way to Boston, by way of Chicago…

 

There is currently a golden knight on ebay…1085 at last check…but that hasn’t even hit the reserve…

 

 

otto voigt patent

Early in the year, Chris Bristow asked me what were the corkscrews that I was looking to get this year.  A list of corkscrews that I want would be too long to list, but there were several specifics that I was after; Curley, Clough Power Cone, Dickson, Strait, Griswold, and a Goodyear.  And, as luck would have it, the list has been narrowed significantly over the last couple of months.  The one other I expressed interest in was a Voigt patent.  I don’t know why that piece interested me, but I managed to get one the other day online, and now just the griswold and dickson elude me.  Of course, so do several hundred others…

 

Golf got rained out!  Oh well, maybe next week. 

 

 

back from boston

an eventful weekend!

 

We visited our new house with a contractor and have laid plans for the hardwood floors to be redone, some minor repairs to the gutters, and a couple of other fixes—which room will be the corkscrew room has yet to be determined.

 

And, we got an offer on our Chicago house, so everything is in motion.

 

Then, to top it off, some cat emailed me asking about a syroco piece.  He just wanted info, which I provided.  He then offered it to me for sale.  After brief negotiations, the corkscrew pictured below is on its way.

 

 

quick and easy

I was out and about yesterday, and managed to pick up a Vaughan’s Quick and Easy Cork Puller.  Typically these have the vaughan’s information on them, and on occassion have an advertisement.  The one I found, reads "Souviner of A CENTURY OF PROGRESS, 1934 CHICAGO."  Quite the cool little piece. 

 

Off to Boston on Wednesday…no computer access for a couple days, but I will be driving up to Maine for a bit.  Perhaps there will be time to stop at a couple of antique stores…..

 

pictures to follow…

corkscrews, and more corkscrews

Well, actually a lack of corkscrews…

 

I was doing a little research yesterday, and stole away a few minutes to check eBay.  There are the interesting offerings of Don Bull, who is selling off Alf Erickson’s collection, a nice carved elephant from Peter, but by-in-large, nothing else that is really getting the corkscrew pavlovian juices flowing.

 

I did pick up a syroco bartender opener however, so all is not lost.  A korkmaster was listed briefly–briefly as it suddenly disappeared as soon as it was listed.  I have a feeling there is a pirate at work.  Which one of you scallywags is on the hunt for aluminum?!?

 

 

back from Boston

for those countless readers that haven’t heard via other e-communications, the lovely and I are moving to Boston.   So, this last week, we spent each day looking for a house.  And, we managed to find one; a little 1920’s home that sits adjacent to Cold Spring park.  Lots of rooms, and we are trying to figure out which one will be the corkscrew room. 

 

No corkscrewing on the trip, but very very soon.  I managed to bump into a plaque dedicated to John Singleton Copley, it is pictured below.  Anyone have an extra silver singleton bow that why want to get rid of?

veuve pommery

I picked up this little porcelain champagne cup the other day.  As the picture shows, it has ‘veuve pommery’ written on a champagne cork.  The base of it is marked 77, and I am curious as to when it was created.  Regardless, it makes a nice addition to the corkscrew/champagne tap collection.

 

On another note, golf tomorrow against Tommy.  I don’t know if he will want to bet corkscrews again, but perhaps…