MMMMMMMMurphy!!!

Given our proximity to Boston, although now we are less proximate than in a previous locale, I have been fortunate to find a fair amount of R. Murphy Boston corkscrews. However, there was one that I just couldn’t find–the wooden handled frame Murphy. Well, after a couple of emails, a trade has been made, and the corkscrew I have been after, will soon be arriving on Vinalhaven.

And, soon enough, I will be adding a Murphy page to the website. Stay tuned for the launch. Until then, here is an excerpt from a 1936 text I found about Mansfield, MA, and it mentions Murphy and Corkscrews!

“Before the Murphys came to Our Town they had been making dental and surgical instruments in Boston since 1848. Here they continued along the same line for a time. Soon they added a great variety of find cutlery, oyster knives, shoe knives, paperhanger’s knives, cigarmaker’s knives, pruning shears, buttonhole cutters, tabacco shears, pinking irons, butter tryers, can openers, cork screws, cigar box openers and skates (Copeland, 1936, p. 107).

The barnes arrives

The short helix is perfect, and the longer helix is just a little short. Still, it is a fantastic example of the 1876 patent corkscrew. It is marked, but it is only very faint and difficult to read. Trade anyone???

barnes-ing again

For years, I was on the hunt for a double helix Barnes patent corkscrew. And, after a few successful internet sales, I decided to place a high snipe bid on one that was listed on eBay, and was quite happy to win the auction.

Within a brief span of time, I ran across another. This time, it was another auction, but not eBay, and I managed to win this one as well–for 1/6 of the price of the first one!

With the ICCA meeting upcoming, I figured it would make for good tradebait, and while it was not traded, a fellow ICCA’er purchased the Barnes and seemed to be quite happy.

Well, as luck would have it, yesterday, another Barnes double helix was acquired. I have no idea if it is marked, but soon enough we shall find out.

Given this is a double (or triple as it were) it will be going up for trade!

If anyone wants to offer, feel free to drop me a line at josef@vintagecorkscrews.com

updates!

Well, where to do I begin…

The renovations on the building are moving right along, the rough has been done on the plumbing and electrical, and the windows are in! Sue is in Mexico for the week, and if all goes well, the new facade will be up by the time she gets home!

On the corkscrew front, the Hoegger arrived in the mail.

Marked, HOEGGER INC, WEEHAWKEN, N.J., and MFG. IN U.S.A. PAT 1.763.849, it is a really cool little corkscrew.

The next couple of weeks will be a whirlwind, as shortly after the lovely returns we will be packing for a week or so in Costa Rica. I don’t know if there are any corkscrews there, but you never know.

heading back home

I am hopping in a cab this morning, and then hopping on a plane, and then hopping on another plane, and then driving to the boat.

It was a fabulous weekend with the lovely and two of our friends in Vegas. Minimal gambling–no losses! Nice amount of sun! And, a fair amount of food and drink!

Speaking of drink, check out this vintage French poster I found. Anyone interested (Don?). I haven’t picked it up yet, but I do know where its hiding. : )

off island for a bit

The lovely and I will be off island for a few days, well more than a few days.

updates will be posted as corkscrews are found!

Speaking of, yesterday I agreed to buy a collection (in conjunction with the boys) from a collector divesting himself after acquiring several hundred corkscrews over 30 years. Pictures from the collection in about 2 weeks!

off to catch a boat, and then a plane, another plane, then a cab!

On the Hoegger Hunt!

A while back at Brimfield, I ran across an old bar counter that was for sale, to which a Hoegger corkscrew was attached. The bar was $9,000.00. The corkscrew, wasn’t for sale unless you bought the bar. I tried working a deal with the seller, and he told me to come back later. I returned with a screwdriver and a wad of cash. He decided the corkscrew should remain mounted to the bar. And, I walked away empty handed.

Since then, I have been trying to find a Hoegger corkscrew. Not that I am going around looking behind people’s bars for them. Although, that isn’t a bad idea.

Yesterday, I did manage to score a Hoegger however. It wasn’t attached to a bar, and a screwdriver wasn’t necessary. And, neither was a wad of money!

It isn’t the same Hoegger patent from Brimfield, but it is a Hoegger patent. It will make a nice addition to the growing American Patented corkscrew collection.

The picture doesn’t do the piece justice, but the seller did confirm that it is marked. Better pics of Joseph Hoegger’s 1934 patent (#1,975,606) will be posted when it arrives in a couple of days!

updates as promised

Yes, there are corkscrew updates. As well as other updates.

Tommy received his red syroco clown, and is apparently thrilled. I am still waiting on the goberg piggy corkscrew, and anxiously awaiting pictures of what someone described as a possible frary corkscrew! I did pick up another interesting toolkit corkscrew this morning. I already have one of these, so this one may be made available. It will, kind of, depend on how they look when I compare the two. This was featured in Bob Roger’s best 6 last year, and it is indeed an intriguing toolkit with cork puller.

The end of the case is marked, Pat. Pend 115 Broadway, New York,. USA. LEBco trade mark. Anyone have any information about LEB Co.?

On the construction front, we are framing up walls, and doing a little wiring. Monday/Tuesday the materials for the ceiling will be delivered, and soon enough the facade will be competed on the building. I am guessing 89 days until opening day, but I think I have lost count.

Also, I might add that in the upcoming quarterly worme, there will be more information about the 2010 Boston CCCC AGM…be sure and register early, from what I hear, the first 30 or so, will have a chance of being upgraded to a suite!

corkscrew updates tomorrow!

Stay tuned!

corkscrew!

No pictures yet, but I did find a little corkscrew as the lovely drove down the Maine coast yesterday. Nothing outrageous, or rare, but it was a neat little find. A simple havell’s bow. It is rather small however, and instead of being marked on the curved edge, it is instead marked across the wide/flat edge of the bow.

RL and I ran across one of these when he was visiting, but we both thought that the asking price was quite high. This one, well, it was cheap! : )

And, there may be another, yes another Frary coming my way. Having put up the webpage for Frary, has definitely gotten a few collectors rifling through their collections.

Perhaps I should build a site for Tuckers, Sperrys, Dicksons, Russells, or for that matter, Red Painted Syroco Clowns (check out Tommy’s blog!).