A couple of weeks ago, I found a non-ebay online auction lot, that I found pretty interesting. And, over the following days, I would go back and see how the bidding was going.
After registering for the auction, I placed a bid, and went back to business at hand.
At the end of the first week, I was the high bidder, and actually the only bidder. As we got closer to the auction close, a few more bids were placed, but I was still in the lead.
My initial bid was not particularly high, but obviously higher than others that had also seen the auction.
With about 8 hours until the auction close, and knowing that there were 8 other bids, I went back to the auction lot, and upped my bid quite a bit, hoping to ensure that the lot would indeed be heading to Vinalhaven.
Last night the auction ended, and this morning I got the confirmation email. I had indeed won. And, the additional higher bid wasn’t necessary, the lot ended at a whopping $27.50 and with a 10% auctioneer’s fee, just over 30 bucks.
The auction lot, was billed as “Metal cork screw, “Steinwerder & Sellner”, St. Louis”
And, the metal corkscrew?
It is a Brangs patent, and it carries advertising, not for Steinwerder & Sellner of St Louis, but for Steinwender & Sellner of St. Louis
And, who is Steinwender and Sellner?
That would be Gustav A. Steinwender and Christian Albert Sellner; wine, beer, and liquor importers and dealers in St. Louis
Steinwender and Sellner, was established in 1863, and the ads above date to 1891 and appeared in the St. Louis Dispatch.
Of course, the Brangs is the Jules Brangs’ French Patent Number 122,704 of April 23, 1878, which is a hard to find piece. But, with the additional advertising, it is pretty darn cool.
I will add pictures, sans the Cory Craig, Auctioneer watermark, when it arrives in a few days.
A really neat little corkscrew that I have tried to acquire several times to no avail.
Best 6? It certainly will be in contention!
corkscrewingaround@vintagecorkscrews.com 