JFO-ing

Wow…what an adventure! I arrived in Kutztown just in time for the early opening of the one building. Zipping around from stall to stall I found a corozo nut corkscrew for 10, and a syroco terrier for 20. Marky Mark and I played phone tag for a while, and finally he arrived as well. Then, the fun began. We divided and conquered! My phone would ring with the explanation that he just found 3 corkscrews including a DICO, and I would call him back with news of a horn with silver, or korkmaster jr. There were some odd experience as well…for instance the dealer that literally pushed me out of his display case while I was eyeing a corkscrew. Overpriced by about 1100 dollars, he apparently thought I would rifle through his other "rare" items…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then Mark and I hit another show…this time I got a flash for 4 dollars, Mark picked up some various items, and I pointed him in the direction of a Chinnock that I found. With the day winding down, the dealer had dropped price by 100 bucks by the time we returned to look at it…50 bucks off of that, and the deal was done.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the hotel, there was corkscrew conversations, trades, openers, openers, openers, and a few openers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tommy, Mark and I spent much time perusing other shows, antique malls, and the like. I managed to find a goodyear patent, and we scored two more flashes from the JFO-ers. Also, there were some trades made…And I finally have a U-Neek!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The final morning, I hopped in the car with Mark and Hunter and hit some more shows and antique shops, not much worth buying but we did pick up a couple things. (I will add pictures later…)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A great trip, and I can hardly wait for Brimfield this upcoming week! And, the lovely and I will definitely make it down to Kutztown for the next big show!

off to kutztown

It is in the wee hours of the morning, and the car is loaded up for our trip to the JFO. However, before making our way to Harrisburg, we are heading to Kutztown, PA (birthplace of Keith Haring). Hopefully there will be corkscrews a plenty to be found!

first birdie of the year, and three corkscrews

I rented clubs and made my way to the links on Saturday to play 18. And, as luck would have it the rain in Santa Barbara let up. So, after stinking up the first hole with a triple bogey, on the next hole I grabbed my eight iron and stuck the ball 3 feet from the pin. A short tap in, and I was feeling the love! I was still rusty given this was the first time I picked up a club since last season, but a round of 96 is still not bad… ~~~~~~~ On the corkscrew front, there have been several arrivals, and a few store finds. Two of which belong to "the lovely" as she scoured a recent antique show and a few malls to find a nicely marked walker, an interesting german bell piece, and an old snifter (we passed on the snifter given the high price). And, there was another find near SB in Ventura…a blackington golf bag corkscrew. I am sure it will get snapped up at the JFO…

raining in Santa Barbara

I am supposed to play golf tomorrow, but thus far it is raining here in Santa Barbara… Hopefully it will clear for tomorrow. So, it looks like I will hop in the rental car and go down to Ventura (an good antiquing area) and then work my way back up to the hotel over the course of the afternoon.

I have managed to pick up some interesting pieces as of late (pictured below). Nothing truly extraordinary, but fun nonetheless. I will report on what this afternoon brings me later… several dozen flash corkscrews would be nice…or, perhaps a golden knight…

2 Fairchilds!

As mentioned the other day, I grabbed a Fairchild patent Sterlng corkscrew. I did already have one, so I decided to compare the two and see if they are that much different. And, they are decidedly so! Not to be too confusing, but one is marked, ‘pat. appld. for,’ while the other has the patent date of Aug. 21. 88. The mechanism to close the two pieces are also distinct, one has threads, the other has a little rivet where the handle grabs and slides on. There is even a slight size difference, although I don’t have a micrometer handy to measure the exact difference. Also, both are marked STERLING, albeit in different places. The big decision now, is do I keep both, or do I throw one in the box for Mark as I head to the JFO a week from Thursday?

cincinnati o. & austria?

I was just sitting there minding my business, when this interesting corkscrew appeared in eBay stores–I love eBay stores, as there are only buy it nows! Anyway, I snapped it up immediately as it was a great price for a bow corkscrew, but the key ring (incised "The Union Savings Bank & Trust Co." on one side and "Safe Deposit Vaults, Cincinnati, O. and Austria" on the reverse) adds a bit of interest. Don Bull emailed to say that he doubted the key ring was original. With that said, the bow for 8 bucks is a hell of a buy by itself.

One Victorian Sterling Silver Ladies Pendant CorkScrew

One Victorian Sterling Silver Ladies Pendant CorkScrew…at least that is what the decription said. And, it added the date August 21, 1888. I didn’t even hesitate! And, so the 1888 signed Fairchild patent is enroute!!!

AERA-ing & an awesome Roundlet

I have stolen away a moment from the AERA Conference here in Chicago (American Educational Resarch Association) to check email, and finish up a paper on Jean Piaget’s (1929) The Child’s Conception of the World. I know, it sounds exciting.

~~~~~~~~

I noticed a columbus roundlet on eBay yesterday, and placed a bid, but didn’t yet hit the reserve. I have always wanted one, so if anyone has an extra please email me. I am sure we can work a trade!!!!! The columbus is pictured below…

viking?!?!?!?!?!?!

There is a seller on eBay, who shall remain nameless, who has taken to creating corkscrews out of whatever is handy the moment. The latest is one of the better attempts. The first picture is the way the viking corkscrew is supposed to look, the second is the handy work of the eBay seller, or one of his/her friends. What is really funny about this one, is the viking and his opener counterparts can still be had new. How a rusty worm got attached is a wonder…

Props to my Peeps

Happy Easter All!!!