Pewter whistles are probably one of the most overlooked antique and rare whistles.

There is a rich dark grey,  that only pure pewter conveys when it has it's own very rich patina —  sometimes over 125 years old !!! . Yates brought pewter whistles to a whole new level as early as 1870.

Here is a sneak preview and a chance to buy early before it is presented on the website. A whole collection that took YEEEEARS to gather !! Whata jump start for a new collector and what an addition for an advanced collector !!!

48 whistles — from several countries. There looks to be Yates, Dixon, BGI, and various unknown manufacturers.

Note those beautiful figurines of HOOF, FOX and DOG from Yates ?? That twisted pattern GSW from France ?? The early dual window round from Yates or France perhaps ?? Oh, and that double chamber !!!

Almost 50 whistles averaging under 32 dollars a whistle !!! Sold as an entire collection —–The whole collection for 1500.00 dollars.

We are brokering the entire collection to the first buyer !!! You may note there is a mixture of pewter and brittania whistles. Different ages too from 1870 to 1920s it appears.

Shortly we will be presenting these on the website, but here is a peek ahead and a treat for all those perusing the blog —– to get them before anyone else even sees them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

If interested please enquire and we have more pictures we can send ??

where do I go to find rare, antique and collectible whistles you ask ?? — good question !!!

Everywhere !!! Nowhere !!!!

Now what does THAT mean ??

For the most part nobody notices whistles. When we sell at the antique shows the first thing that a person says is WHISTLES ???

the second thing they say is " who knew there were so many whistles ?? "

what do we learn from this ??

the field is wide open to collect AND that few will be selling them as a result. Oh, yeah, here and there someonw will have picked up on it and thankfully will be a small ( very small ) supplier, but for the most part you can still find whistles for a song at the most remote spots and trolling here and there..

HOWEVER…if you want a specific whistle that is different….gotta pay usually. —- Or possibly never see it come up for sale again. Can't say how many we have passed over, missed or whatever and then never see another come up for sale again !!!!

So at times one has to decide how badly they want that particular whistle ?? Is it really that important ?? OR is it really that desireable for you personally ( if it defintely is, then you will have no buyers remorse 🙂  — So you may have to spend more to not let it get away !!!  We have many times and even then had it get away to someone with the same idea only MORE interested you might say !!! But that is OK on average to pay more, as the cheaper ones defintely average it out to an inexpensive hobby.

still….where does one find these rare whistles and what is the difference vetween rare and collectible ?? another good question ( or is it two ?? ) hmmmmm…..gotta give it some thought ……

…still thinking about people using our whistle website to sell your whistles. Just to be clear — WE ARE NOT A PRICING WEBSITE !!!!!!!!!!!

Yet….

we have crafted several articles to help you sell

we have also posted a way to contact us to identify your whistle and we usually do it the same day 🙂

We constantly post articles for free so you can learn and study whistles you have or find

No, we won't tell you what your whistle is worth — BUT we certainly give you all the tools !!!!!!!!

Now I can rest guilt free….kinda…..

bought a 1930s classic dog whistle recently and got it in the mail —

The problem ?? It was sent in a FLAT envelope. Unusual for a seller to go sooooo cheap, but none the less it arrived so.

Upon taking it out of its temporary home it turns out to be bent now. I say now, because in re-examining the pix previous it wasn't bent.

So damaged in transit. Should I write and send it back?? Love to, but the postage makes it not worth it. Especially since I can't send it back the same poor way obviously.

What to do ?? Well, try to unbend it of course !!!! ——- there we go….just a little bit more and SNAP the whistle breaks !!!!

Yah, thought you would find comfort in knowing that even after yeeeeeeears of collecting and working with whistles, I can still manage to get burned…

comforting isn't it ?? I mean you don't have to feel all alone if one of your purchases goes south. Now you are in good company ( if it isn't tooooo presumtuous to say so )

buying whistles on eBay seems like it is choking itself out of existence. WHY you ask ??

EXTORTIONARY POSTAGE COSTS…

It is the eBay effort to guarantee that the item gets to the buyer with no way of saying it didn’t. With a money back offer that sounds legitimate doesn’t it ??Sounds fine on the surface huh ?? Yet who pays for the ‘signed for delivery’ ?? The buyer alone !!! So a simple item like a whistle that costs someone perhaps 10 dollars USA has to now pay as much as ( the sellers in the UK charge from 8GBP up to 16GBP !!! )  an inflated price.

In effect the buyer now has to pay three times the items original cost. Or in other words what was won for 10 dollars now costs 30 dollars !!

Who loses ??

First — the seller, because the buyer doesn’t go for extortionary rates )

Second —  the buyer because it isn’t worth it anymore.

Third — eBay because it loses the sale, or it goes for WAY less money.

Fourth — All of us because it is killing whistle movement. In fact why sell whistles if they don’t sell for enough to make it worth it ??

On the surface it seems like a great deal to eBay as it owns Paypal and if they ‘pass on’ the cost of postage they make more money on total transaction fees. AND they make more on the exchange rate that is now ridiculously higher !!! Besides that they now do not have to refund due to lost items claims ( granted there may be some false claims made for items not received, but there are other ways to deal with that – like giving ones an option to NOT claim if they go with regular postage. )

It is sad that it has degenerated to this. The world market is opening up and shutting down as fast as greed can compromise it….

Just some thoughts on postage. Perhaps other markets are looking better ???

why yes – 2 shows in a row !!! We are going to Puyallup 🙂   ….. next weekend, the 7,8,9th

Gotta admit, 3 days off and away from home is almost better than three days of whistle talk.

Got a live in house sitter so can’t worry toooooo much.

Really been working on necklaces lately. You think WHAT ?? That’s not whistles !! But WHOAH, yes it is !!!!!

Here’s the direction we are taking just for fun. Our entire necklaces will be purely vintage whistle stock !!

Try this on for size—-Bent and Parker 1894 patented plural whistle in mint condition. You KNOW how hard they are to find. Perhaps one every year pops up. ( I LOVE the design of this particular whistle and its totally unique approach — and nobody has ever followed it up ) Combine this great whistle with a long continuous BELCHER chain purloined from  a nickel silver military presentation whistle. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE belcher chain.

WOW what a combination !!! TOTALLY vintage and TOTALLY whistle created, even the small rings are from antique whistles

How about this ???

circa 1910 COPPER siren out of the USA with darkened steel patina top knop. Then add to this partial very darkened patina ‘ship link’ steel combined with another unique link incorporating a snaffle bit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAY COOL — no way there will be another one of these !!! And created purely from vintage whistle stock. ALL created by TWG from yeeeears of collecting.

Next will ne nickel silver variations of chains, rings and hooks….Oh and a whistle to die for 🙂

Pix ???? Hmmmmm….

Now there is a brave question !! How much should I pay for a whistle ??

Depends….On what you say ???

How much money do you have to spend ?? No, not how much money do you have ? … More like ‘expendable money’. — Probably in all reality NONE !!!

Then why buy ?? That’s another story entirely.

Is it cathartic ?? Or  appeasement ??

Is it compulsive or easy to pass up ??

Is it competitive or generous to others.

Guess in the end it is all about motive. What are the side affects ?? Actually what are OUR side affects ??

Perhaps what we do with our whistles, reveals more than anything our motives. When is a whistle NOT a whistle ??

When it is a symptom…….

Only three more weeks until the fall show at the Portland Expo !! Yup, time to set up the whistles again !!!

Always a lot of fun. Talking whistles for three days !!!!! Paradise for the whistle geeks growing in the northwest.

In fact we have bought whistles many times now at the show—wait, don’t we go there to sell ?? Sure, but as things progress it is buy AND sell. The best of both worlds ya know ??

What to look for ?? Plenty of safety whistles. Also lots of police whistles, from the UK and from the USA.

Then there are some rare sorts and in-betweens. LOTS of selections. Also a great  time to pick up whistle books or posters. Beyond that there are now necklaces made of antique whistles and genuine whistle chains, rings and hooks.

hundreds of whistles….hope some sell….we’ll be the ones you can hear for a mile….