Whew! how many revolutions ?–one–my cork extractor is making all over the country ! Sent for 60 cents, postpaid. State rights for sale. Address W. G. Waterman, Middletown, Conn.
This would be W.G. Waterman’s patent of 1967 for his Improved Cork Extractor:
His patent description explains:
Letter A, handle ; B, corkscrew ; C, groove in handle for corkscrew ; D, catch; E, spring ; F, pins ; G, thumb-piece ; H, groove for spring; I, ferrule; J, cork ; K, bottle. The handle I construct of wood, into which, at or near the centre, of one side, I attach the corkscrew B, so connected that it can be turned down into the groove C, made in the handle to receive it. D is a catch, fastened to the handle, to hold open the cork-screw when used. E is a spring, one oend of which is fastened to the handle by pins F F F, the other end being attached to the submb-puiece G. H is a groove, made the whole length of the handle A, which is wider at the bottom than at the top, that the end of the spring E may slide in it. I is a ferrule on the end of the handle, under which the spring is made to slide, by taking hold of the thumb-piece G, which is rivetd into the end of the spring E in the groove. J is a cork, represented as being extracted from the bottle K.
The patent description then continues to describe the piece in use:
The operation of the instrument is as follows: Whenever a cork is to be extracted, the end of the handle I inserted into the bottle, then, by taking hold of the thumb-piece G, the spring E can be pushed into the bottle, the spring expands, and when the bottle is inserted, the cork goes between the inner sides of the spring E, and when drawn by the handle, the spring closes around the cork, and is drawn out.
If Waterman’s patent was being offered for sale at 60 cents, I am guessing there may have been a few customers that were interested. Yet, I don’t know if a Waterman patent has yet to have been found in our collective corkscrew collecting world.
If you happen to have an example, I would love to see pictures of it.
From an 1859 issue of THE MECHANIC’S MAGAZINE and Journal of Engineering, Agricultural Machinery, Manufactures, and Shipbuilding
No Adjustment RE-quired–You only have to place one of
LUND’S
LONDON RACK CORK
SCREWS
on the neck of the bottle, and it is ready for use. Some of these corkscrews are fitted with Patent Spring Ends to embrace the bottle, and direct the worm through the centre of the cork.
Sold by the Patentee at 56 and 57 Cornhill, and 23 and 24 Fleet-Street London ; and may be had at all Cutlers’ and Ironmongers’.
As mentioned a while back, the lovely needed a new vehicle, and she had been eyeing the new Bronco. And, with the Tacoma (the all terrain corkscrew pursuit vehicle) having a bunch of miles on it, we decided to trade it in, and pick up a new Bronco.
And, Sue just loves it!
After the deal was done, we discussed whether she would like a vanity plate or not.
And, after thinking about the various options, we settled on one that seemed approprate, given our love of wine, our wine shop, our love of wine, and our love of wine.
So, if you happen to be on Vinalhaven, are wondering which car is hers, look for the grey Bronco with an appropriate license plate:
Last night, we sent in our registration for this year’s Just for Openers Convention.
Always a great time, always a few corkscrews that exchange hands, and always great to see friends.
When the time comes, we will be roadtripping across the country to get there–well, across a portion of the country, with openers, corkscrews, and a few bottles of wine in tow.
No. 233. –Pocket Drinking Cup, Corkscrew, and Pencil. –For one subscription.—The first two will be found a great convenience to tourists, and picnic parties. A tin case goes with the cup, in which it can be kept when not in use, and the corkscrew also is enclosed in a nickel case. The pen is a stylographic, or re
No. 233
servoir pen, which, when once filled with ink, will write several days without refilling. Can be carried in the pocket, and is always ready for use. A valuable gift for any one, at one-sixth the price of any other. Supplied post-paid, for 1 subcription at $1.50, and ten cents for mailing. Here are three excellent premiums for one subscriber.
Originally Published in the Spring issue of The Bottle Scrue Times
On May 19, 1903, William J. Lowenstein was granted patent number 728,735 for a “Bottle Attachment.” His intent, was to create a space on the surface of a bottle where a corkscrew would fit behind the label. His patent description explains, “The object of my invention is to provide a means for utilizing the label of a bottle for holding a corkscrew or other tool, thereby dispensing with rubber bands, strings, wires, &c., for this purpose.”
Later on his patent description, he adds “The corkscrew C is first placed within the recess B, and then the label is pasted on the bottle, with its upper edge extending across the ring-shaped portion B’ of said recess and preferably about the middle thereof, and as the upper central portion of the label adheres to the portion D of the side of the bottle the corkscrew will be securely in the pocket formed for it by the recess and the label, thereby dispensing with the need for rubber bands, wires, &c., for securing the corkscrew to the bottle. Moreover, it will be impossible to use the corkscrew without defacing the label, which renders it impossible to refill and use a bottle a second time without detection unless it shall have also been relabeled.”
And, of course, as the patent drawing shows us, he provides an illustration of the corkscrew with advertising hang tag, explaining in the patent description, “In Fig. 5 I have shown in side elevation a view of the corkscrew adapted to be used with my bottle and have shown the ring-shaped portion of the same provided with an advertising tag, such as is usually made of tin, but may be made of any preferred material.”
Beyond the corkscrew, which would be of interest to all of us, is Lowenstein’s use of words “my bottle.” Further, the corkscrew illustrated in the patent displays an advertisement for “Old Harvest Corn Whiskey.”
As it happens, Dr. Julius Lowenstein was a dentist from Rochester, New York, who moved with his brother-in-law M.W. Meyer to Statesville, North Carolina in 1884 where they started Lowenstein & Co., a wholesale liquor distributor and producer. And, one of Lowenstein’s brands was Old Harvest Corn Whiskey. So, when he mentions “my bottle” in his patent, he literally was speaking of the whiskey he himself produced.
During this time, Statesville was dubbed the “whiskey capital of the world,” as they were the last southern stop on the railroad before trains would head west, and in 1880’s, 450 distilleries were shipping their products through Statesville.
The title of “whiskey capital” and Lowenstein’s company would be short lived, as with rising taxes and the anti-liquor and prohibition movement being strong in North Carolina, Lowenstein closed in 1896.
On June 16, 1896, as reported in the Statesville Landmark, “It has been an open secret that Messrs. Key & Co., so long in the wholesale liquor business here would go out of that business entirely. Messrs. Lowenstein & Co. have also decided to go out of the wholesale business. The closing of these two houses ends the wholesale liquor business in Statesville.”
Lowenstein then headed to Atlanta where he gained ownership of the Norris Candy Company. But, this also adds to the story. Lowenstein’s patent of his bottle attachment came after his departure from Statesville and the closing of his wholesale business. And perhaps that is why we have yet to find a Lowenstein patent advertising a Lowenstein product.
Of course, there are variations that do NOT advertise a Lowenstein & Co., product. And, to my knowledge there are a dozen variations of advertising that appear on the Clough-like wire corkscrew with the advertising hang tag.
I will add here, that none of the examples I have seen carry any type of patent date, but based on the illustration in Lowenstein’s patent drawing and an advertisement for Pearl Wedding Rye, we begin to see what Lowenstein was suggesting—or perhaps suggesting avoiding.
The following are the known examples of the Lowenstein patent, with several coming from a collection within our collection.
Bailey’s H & C Pure Rye
Corkscrew image from Collectorcorkscrews.com
Bailey’s Pure Rye Whiskey was a product produced by Huey and Christ in Philadelphia, and in 1875 took over the production of Dr. Stoever’s Tonic Herb Bitters, German and Cock-Tail Bitters, and were an importer of wines, brandies and gins.
CLARK, CHAPIN, AND BUSHNELL’S EXTRACTS, NEW YORK:
Corkscrew image from Bullworks.net
Clark, Chapin, and Bushnell were importers, wholesale grocers, and tea jobbers with a location at 177 and 179 Duane Street, New York City.
FRANCIS H. LEGGETT & CO. NEW YORK:
Francis H. Leggett joined his father’s grocery at the age of 18, and after becoming partner a few years later, started Francis H. Leggett & Co., a grocer, jobber, and distributor. Within the next decade his operation became one of the largest in New York.
While Leggett distributed a myriad of products, the reverse of the hangtag on this Lowenstein is marked “PURE SPICES, FINE FLAVORING EXTRACTS”
WESTHEIMER & SONS, PLANET, SOUR MASH, ST. JOSEPH, MO:
Ferdinand Westheimer & Son’s was a distiller in Louisville, Kentucky whose brands included Boston League, C.C. Bond, Clover Brook, Manhattan Reserve, McAllister, Number One, Old Hutch, Planet Sour Mash, White House Club, and Pullman Rye, but had their greatest success with their Red Top Rye.
HANCE BROS. & WHITE, PHARM’CL CHEMISTS PHILADELPHIA
Hance Bros. & White was a pharmaceutical chemists company in Philadelphia. One of their many products was Frog in Your Throat lozenges.
HUMPHREY & MARTIN’S FINE WHISKEYS PHILADPA (found in yellow or tan)
Humphrey & Martin were distillers and wholesale liquor distributors in Philadelphia producing the brands Anchor Rye, Bouquet, Clyde, and Golden Lake.
LEWIS 66 WHISKEY
Lewis 66 Whiskey was a product produced by Strauss Pritz & Co., distillers out of Cincinnati, Ohio. They also made a myriad of brands: 1875″, “A. Lewis & Sons Pure Hand Made Sour Mash”, “Bon Ton Rye”, “Bouquet Rye”, “Cream of Anderson”, “Durham Distilling Co. Rye”, “Durham Rye”, “Edge Cliff”, “Flower of Kentucky”, “Flower of Maryland”, “Fountain Run”, “J. M. Walker’s Anderson County Hand Made Sour Mash Distilled Spring 1868”, “Lewis 66”, “Mercer Co. Kentucky Pure Small Grain Bourbon”, “Mountain Brook”, “Old Bon Ton”, “Old Winchester”, “Planet Rye”, “Roanoke Rye”, “Small Grain Bourbon”, “The Celebrated Longfellow”, “The Famous Lewis 66”, “Winchester “, “Winchester Rye”, and “X & S P Co. X.”
PEARL WEDDING RYE and PEARL WEDDING SELECT RYE WHISKEY
Pearl Wedding Rye, and Pearl Wedding Select Rye Whiskey were produced and distributed by the United Wine and Trading Company in New York.
And, they even featured the corkscrew attached to the bottle in some of their advertising. Look closely at two bottles on the right in the advertisement here.
THE GREAT A&P TEA CO’S EXTRACTS (found in red or tan)
That would be the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company that ultimately would become the A & P grocery chain; at one point the largest retailer in the United States with 15,000 locations nationwide in the 1930’s.
WEISS-EICHOLD LIQUOR CO. MOBILE, ALA
Changed their name to Weiss-Eichold in 1901 from Eichold Bros. & Weiss.
Corkscrew image courtesy of John Morris.
Weiss-Eichold was a wholesale dealer of Liquors, Cigars, and Tobaccos, and apparently a self-proclaimed, “Rectifier of Spirits.”
They produced brands such as Big Hit whiskey, Golden Cream whiskey, and blended brands such as Belle of Mobile, Rag Time, and Simon Suggs.
If you have a Lowenstein patent, that is different than the ones shown in this article, feel free to drop me a line at josef@vintagecorkscrews.com
From the 1885 Illustrated pattern-book of furniture, carpets, rugs, linoleums, floor cloths, curtains, window blinds, table linen, towellings, blankets, etc. Vol. I published by Silber & Fleming (London).
No. 2852. – Patent Lever Cork Drawer, bronzed or nickel plated, complete, with six screws.
josef@vintagecorkscrews.com corkscrewing around 