gearing up for the JFO

We finally have internet!!!

That said, the EISP (evil internet service provider) moniker shall remain. I just like the way it sounds, and given their response time to the outage, they definitely deserve the descriptor.

But, back to corkscrewing!

The Just for Openers convention starts in two weeks. And, both TC and I are flying out to see what openers (and corkscrews) can be had in San Antonio. I have been stockpiling tradebait for the meeting, and will continue to do so over the coming days. The latest find might be a little hard to part with; a nice pocket knife with corkscrew advertising American Brewing Co.

EISP!

While the EISP (evil internet service provider) still hasn’t gotten our phone or internet back up and running, the corkscrewing continues!

I am waiting for a confirmation of a deal for a nice French folding corkscrew–pictures later if the deal goes through–and I have added a Murphy page to the website. Not only does the page include pictures of some of the Murphys in the collection, it also includes the article Bob Nugent wrote 20 years ago on the company and their corkscrews.

If you need a little reading material, you may want to check it out; Murphy Corkscrews.

Evil Internet Service Provider (henceforth EISP)

After being down a week last month, we are into our second day without internet or phone service at our house.

So, it is back to the library or ARC for free wireless. Fortunately, a few deals were made before the EISP went off line and destroyed our ability to communicate with the outside world.

News and updates if we are ever back up and running!

Thomason III

A couple of years ago, a fellow collector sent me a lovely Thomason III in return for selling part of his collection for him. It made my best 6 that year, and it is one of my favorite corkscrews. However, one Thomason III is simply not enough, and I keep trying to acquire another.

This morning, I was poised to snap another up, but apparently there were several others poised with more pounds in their pockets than I.

I have no doubt that Peter Borrett was somehow involved in the bidding : )

Will & Finck arrives!

The Will & Finck corkscrew arrived. And, it is truly remarkable, the carving is done in such a way that the ivory looks like it was braided; a fantastic corkscrew!

Glass Corkscrew

Just before our trip to Costa Rica, we spent the night with our good friends Jim and Gina–they were part of the Costa Rican clan that spent the week sunning, drinking, fishing, and genuinely having a fabulous time.

Gina is a glass artist, and upon our arrival at their house, I saw a beautiful little piece sitting adjacent to a bottle of wine, which was adjacent to an antique corkscrew : )

She explained, that she saw this wine bottle with a corkscrew on it, and knew that it had to be mine. I was thrilled. It is a great addition to the corkscrew collection, and the growing Gina Poppe collection.

You can see her other work by visiting her website at ginapoppe.com

Tommy scores, and negotiations have begun

Tommy called yesterday, and I got to meet (over speakerphone) his significant other. Not that she is REALLY his significant other, but apparently these two are attached at the hip, and at her urging, they went antiquing yesterday. And, what should they find, but a signed Will & Finck ivory handled corkscrew with blade. It looks to be an awesome piece!

And, while Tommy found a great corkscrew, I made a HUGE find. Not that it is as rare as Tommy’s W & F, but it is bigger.

Yes, I finally found another oversized bell corkscrew. My last one found its way into Milt Becker’s collection–a Walker, with large bell. This one is a Williamson with the oversized bell assist. Not common, and if negotiations go as planned, this will be a nice addition to the corkscrew collection!

Hopefully, I will finally be able to open those 6 litre bottles of wine that are laying around!

Another Frary added to the Frary Corkscrews page

Upon our return from Costa Rica, one of the packages waiting for us contained–amongst other things–another Frary corkscrew. I will still continue the hunt for others, but it is a welcome addition to the growing collection. You can see the page here! But, you can see the latest Frary below

More corkscrew (and beer advertising opener) news to follow in the coming days!

will & finck

Just before we left for Costa Rica, a corkscrew was offered, and I did indeed make a fair offer for the corkscrew. Said corkscrew was then put on eBay, then taken off, as eBay frowns on people selling ivory. The corkscrew was relisted on eBay, and taken off again, as eBay REALLY frowns on people selling ivory.

The aforementioned corkscrew offer-er must have been thinking about my offer whilst having their eBay experience (twice). After a couple of emails, we agreed on a price, and the carved ivory Will & Finck corkscrew is now on its way to Vinalhaven.

I will post better photos when the corkscrew arrives, but this is definitely going to be a welcome addition to the collection.

pictures of the latest arrivals

Not many packages arrived while we were in Costa Rica, but there were a couple. And, I did manage to pick up a couple of corkscrews at a local antique store yesterday. Here are the latest arrivals/acquisitions!

Some of these will be listed on eBay shortly. A few will be staying in the collection : )