OOPS…missed a whistle today. It was on eBay and I put in a bid and was blocked !!!! OUCH.

Oh well, my fault in the end — I didn't ask the seller ahead of time if they actually did post overseas like the auction said they did. Mea Culpa.

It always boils down to confirmation.

So here are some reminders and things to deal with on eBay. Although they are dominant it is still uphell, I mean uphill all the way……

1) always write to see if you are blocked
2) always ask about postage – What with eBay requiring signed for delivery it can triple or quadruple the cost of a little whistle now-15gbp is not uncommon.
3) always ask if there is any damage
4) always ask if the whistle works
5) always ask the size – sometimes the closeup picture is quite deceiving

eBay now limits your questions per day. So if you are interested in several whistles to buy and if the seller says ask about postage as they do often – you can't do biusiness through eBay with any kind of ease. Business is choked out that way.

The answer ?? Go elsewhere…..seriously…..

perhaps you have noticed the lack of blog here at the whistle gallery ??? —- Perhaps not though 🙂 !!!

However we have been studying the results of trying to write a blog every day about whistles. True there is no shortage of whistle stufffffff…..

However the comments that come in are remarkably lacking in any form of whistle interest whatsoever. surprising ??? Apparently it is common to use someones blog to promote their own things and sites — who knew. ?? Yah, like parasitic ticks they just jump on and ask for a ride and to get some internet attention even if they KILL THE HOST !!!!!

In fact the comments that come in have a truly remarkale dearth of ANY information at all !!!

Let me show you just one and let's look for whistle info … well look for anything ??? If you cam for whole milk, you won't find even skim.

'I am really impressed along with your writing skills
and also with the layout to your weblog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it
your self? Anyway keep up the excellent high quality
writing, it is rare to look a great blog like
this one nowadays.'

 

OMG !!!! How much writing can one do and not say anything ????????????????????????

And who was interested in the subject of whistles so much ?? Who was impressed with our writing skills ?? The high quality and rarity these days ??

 

Who liked the latout so much ??? —— Ready ??

cheapcustomizedtshirts.com
[email protected]

Yup perhaps Kirsten wants to use antique whistles to imprint on her T shirts ?? Or maybe her T shirt blogging is inspred by all the whistle history ??

Why not write her and send pictures of even more whistles ?? How about 10,000 pictures…… Boy would that be 'fitting'
 

The first thing that strikes one about Collecting Police Whistles by Martin Gilchrist ans Simon Topman is that it is hard cover. Step one:

Make it durable.

Then you open it and see there is a glossary, fine. It's quite detailed as you find over the years.

However it gets better in that the records from Hudson's Whistles ( thanks to Simon ) have been accessed and coupled up with many collections, a list of major whistle manufacturers in and around London out to Glasgow and other areas pertinant —–complied until a rather complete list of stamps are now useable, arranged for us tracking down who made what.

Wow – great idea huh ?? Have you looked through it ?? Studied it thoroughly ??

What else ??

recap ?? Yes, we have connected up some factors that have led to why the only whistle books are so unusually informative AND yet overlooked …

timing, setting, quality, personalities…

UK – prolific police forces for decades
        Hudson's takes over almost all manufacturing of whistles and keeps tremendous records and still exists today
        Martin Gilchrist, am exceptional student and researcher plus Simon Topman owner of Hudson's ( and records, finds large collection of their old whistles too.
        The UK peaks as a world power has manufactured high quality whistles when labor was still inexpensive and materials were plentiful.

Why might they be overlooked ??

Simply put it is very hard to get across how large the field of whistles encompasses !! Most people comment when we set up a booth at antique show that they never knew there were so many whistles !!! This view persists year after year. No wonder that such well researched books go unnoticed too.

However lets look into their features and hope it gets around 🙂

 

Centered in this environment just described is the foremost ( I think so anyway ) whistle manufacturer of all time. Clearly the dominant force in the UK  ( somewhat like the BORG of whistle manufacturers there ) and eventually around the world.

Among the collectors came a driven student and undoubtably self sacrificing one at that – Martin Gilchrist. An analyst even !!!

Now he gets together with Simon Topman who KNOWS whistles as he owns Hudsons the maker par excellence.

AND ????? ……. Records !!! Oh yes, those most valuable records at Hudsons that date back to the beginning of the whistle emergence 19th century.

Well re-emergence might be more accurate.. How fortunate THAT was !!!!!

So, no ordinary book is Collecting Police Whistle by Martin Gilchrist and Simon Topman !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet it may be that it is underestimated as just another collectors book…. Hmph !!!!!

How is it NOT ???

Let us count the ways together ……..

Of all places in the world why would the UK be at the center ?? ( well I think they are anyway ) — of the whistle craze I mean.

Very good chance is because they took a great deal of care over many years to issue Police whistles to so many interesting forces.

Many countries had and have forces. Perhaps a LOT of them. But the UK excelled in that they had so many types with really cooooool sounding names like –

BURGH     and       SHIRE        and          well you get the picture right ???

Yah, sure !! Doesn't this sound really interesting ??? >>>>>  SHROPSHIRE Constabulary

Or how about  EDINBURGH Constabulary.

Makes you salivate just thing about those stamps doesn't it ??

SOOOOOOO….. Is it really a surprise that collecting took off there ???? Yeeeeeears, decades of whistles in fine nickle silver too !!!!!!!!!!

And all those matching chains, hooks and rings……

Oh my, so tuuuuubular 🙂 Like soldiers, they line up in a display box and sometimes there are really RAAAAAAAAARE ones and doesn't that attract collectors ????

We could go on and on about it, but the timing was ripe. The manufacturing was right. The quality was outstanding……Pre and post Steampunk even……

Then what happened ???

it often amazes me that the only books for rare whistles don't jump off the shelf. Why are people ( i.e.collectors ) hesitant to buy them ???

Skeptical ?? Understandable I suppose. But valid ?? Not really.

All one hads to do is ask another collector who has them.

It is almost unimaginable how much work and research went nto them.

Besides that, the tremendous fortune that was paralleled with the location of Hudson's manufacturing being right there by the writer.

Was it all coincidence ???

Now there is something to be skeptical about…..

Sorry to spin out on toothgrips, but the more you quiz yourself the more —– no 'rhyme or reason' it seems to reveal.

The toothgrip.

Was it an advancement or a selling venture??

This I DO know. It is another feature that helps to identify a whistle manufacterer and that is NOT confusing !!!!

Take for example US made escargots … Don't worry, no more spinning 🙂

The small 'smile' on the top side of US escargots can be very helpful in grouping them into different makers — or at least different periods of time for a maker who perhaps changed machinery or moved or….

The remarkable thing is those little toothgrip smiles stay the same and can actually be compared.

Just sayin"…..

what is interesting about escargot toothgrips is that when they appeared on the scene in light weight form in the mid 1880s by Hudson and following the button whistles, they had toothgrips. Buttons never did though.

Of course no 6 piece cast whistles that followed like Wards, McDonalds, Aulds and others used them at all. In fact 5 piece whistle by Black and 'others' didn't use them, nor Barrall.

Then in 1891 the new patented Glasgow, heavier style came out from Hudson and voila – no toothgrip or did they?? . But wait, on again, off again….Yes and no….

But wait, sometimes it was left off even on 1897 models. And then again models in the 30s —

But wait, on page 19 of More Whistles by Gilchrist a picture shows a span of yeeeeeeears with NO toothgrips….on some. What;s the rule then ??? Needed or not ??

I dunno……