What is a whistle ?? Seems obvious, but is it ?? Strictly speaking they are defined as CALLS ( it’s what they do after all )

Would you say that a siren is a whistle ?? Well, one does blow air through it after all. However,does it make that sooooound when air is split and rattles your ear drums ?? Noooooooo…..sounds cool though and made by whistle makers.

Then there are warblers with little tanks and you have to add water to them to make them trill. Once again they have to have air blown through them….sorta….

For that matter all bird calls are called calls just like whistles. And they do call birds 🙂 Annnnnd all calls —- call somebody !!!

What about spinners on a string that whistle when you spin them in the air ??

And there are tops that when you release them they create a whistle toooooooo…..

We could be purists and question all combination whistles considering many baaaaarely whistles at all….

I guess in the end it’s your call.

Why take pictures of your whistles ??

Always good to have records and we’ve talked about this before ( I use the word we loosely )

But, isn’t it ironic that by taking pictures of your whistles that you see things that you missed or never noticed about your whistle before you clicked that button ??

Why is that we wonder??? ( well me anyway ) Would a magnifying glass work just as well ?? Probably not. It’s not the ‘largerness’ that helps. It’s the comparison….

Yah, when you take pictures to study a whistle sometimes it isn’t till you compare it with others that the significance of the design characteristics surface.

Or is may be a contrast that wasn’t readily discernible the first time around. Perhaps even parallels can be found.

here is a nice time to make more notes too. That is the nice thing about tags, you can write on them if they aren’t too small.

Granted it is hard to get into the whistle windows for closeups, but it’s fun trying. Perhaps even upgrading the ole camera ??

Then there is loading them into the computer right ?? … Another day we should ‘talk’

What is all the excitement about Metropolitan whistles anyway ??? I mean really, one whistle looks like another when it comes to police type whistles right ?? And beyond that don't all Metropolitan whistles looks alike ?? In fact isn't that what was strived for when making them ???? Iconic ????

So what's all about ?? — It's a mistake….

But it is a start anyway. Yes, there is a lot more to whistle collecting than Metropolitans. OMG !! Did I say that out loud ???

For example there are all those 'lesser' manufacturers like Barrall, DeCourcy, Dowler, Ward, Stevens etc. etc. Then there are whistle manufacturers outside the UK….yes there are other countries !!!!! Other whistles to collect !!!!

So much variety and nuance. So much more rarities. And then there is the variety !!!

But Hudson is the big dog on the block and after driving out all the competition early on set the bar for many for decades. However those early years are a wonder to the collector if one looks below the surface 🙂

keep an open mind ….

here's some irony in a nickle silver and brass world — whistles

It may be what a whistle buyer listens for,  but matters very little to a whistle collector — wow there's tons of metaphorical synonism ( are these words even ? ) in this….

Bottom line though is that when a true whistle geek buys a whistle — more likely than not — it is for the stamp, the shape, tha manufacturer, the market  …

BUT not for the sound !! Oh yeah, it does need to be working and he ( she ) may toot on it to check it out for 'soundness' however it is in every way,  but what it was actually

made for,  that it has become valuable — now that's irony…

good news, bad news !!

Time for new articles !!! OUCH ! That means writing again … aaaaaand those pictures… lots of work…. yet more info to share.

Why do it you ask ?? I dunno. Guess it seems selfish to keep learning and not sharing it.

For example, we dropped the ball and missed a recent auction for a double escargot by Auld from 1890. The thrid one we have seen so far since collecting whistles earnestly. Whats the loss by being to busy ?? It went to someone in the states and that's fine, BUT will we ever learn anything further as a community of whistle collectors ?? Doubtful—it's gone deep into a collection.

What is our goal is to win one, then photograph it better and then photograph it more, with 'comparison pix' to really digest what was built so long ago.

sorry… not this go around….

The good news is that it was obviously a 'production' whistle. There will be more to surface so keeo watching and if you spot one ———-write us right away….🙂

well, it's been a while since posting !!! However there is soooooo much interest in rare whistles ( metal only, no tin 🙂 That people crave to read what is going on in the whistle world.

Here is a small perspective….a byte kinda…

Bosuns. Yup they are really taking off. Seems like they have doubled and then doubled again in prices. It really has become quite a catagory to collect. They are varied too–whoda thunk ??? Just a pipe right ??
Nah, short or long, silver or brass, Pewter – brittania ( admittedly rarer ) It would seem that they have finally come into their own.

Silver has also skyrocketed. The best silver has always commanded high prices, but now even the smaller ones are going up. However they are still quite affordable compared to corkscrews ya know ??

There is an amazing amount of bargains amongst the climbing prices to be sure. Hopefully as we redesign the website more will be able to be brought out to see.

In the mean time, keep writing and sending those pix 🙂 It has already been a great year and some very rare ones have surfaced.

TWG

Been a while since anything was posted and gathering a few thoughts as of late, thought to dribble on a little….

It always seemed poor judgement to be a collector and buy damaged whistles to us. However after years of collecting and studying them, there has been a change of thought. Inevitable I suppose.

Why say that ?? Because sometimes a rarity comes along that may never be seen again and where would be the closeup examination and learning be then ?? Perhaps that whistle would be the missing link in a chain of information vital to identifying another whistle or more !!!

Years ago we purchased a GSW with a porteous top. It was stamped the acme roller. However it was terribly smashed. The seller took it back and refunded the money. It was auctioned again and bought by an avid collector. Another one has not been seen since !!! RARE !!

Beyond the stamp, are whistles that may be damaged, but have important clues to identifying a manufacturer. Here at the Whistle Gallery reference collection we have a Lilly GSW with no mouthpiece. It has the only known Lilly stamp on it ( so far ) NOW however, is a benchmark for comparison to other whistles that may match !!

The MP1 from the Gilchrist collection and also is here at the Whistle Gallery reference collection has no diaphragm, but sets the bar for all MP collecting doesn't it ??

Our 6 tube Registered Porteous Wind Instrument in the reference collection is the only known example. However it has a crack in one tube — get rid of it and wait for another ??

What's the point of all this jabbering ?? Don't just pass on over those dented, broken, scratched whistles !!! There might be some important pieces there 🙂

Collecting whistles should be more than having the best. It is the deep and satisfying study, along with the discovery invovlved…..

TWG

Perhaps time off isn’t so bad. Gives a person a chance to revitalize and reorganize.
Is that really any good ?? Why not keep the ‘peddle to the metal’?? Good question !!
….gives time to step back and reassess where one is putting their efforts right ?? To ask oneself what am I doing ??

So, in this abeyance from posting whistle articles, we have moved into just one location with all our whistles and research material. A ten by ten office !!! Surprisingly it helps to see things in a different perspective. Re-examination of what is ALREADY accomplished. That is the trouble with searching and collecting isn’t it ?? — One never is satiated.

As stated on the website, defamatory information was posted and mostly removed. And when the ENTIRE posting is deleted and there is a level playing field again for all, once more there can be more disclosure and sharing in this most interesting field of study. In the mean time, there is always a seed of truth in every criticism. So this makes it a good time to reflect and make sure that no avarice or unsuspecting ill motives have overshadowed ones actions. A month off isn’t so long for this.

reorganizing whistles, web stuff, motives and practices, it’s all good….

In the states there is a saying — He cut off his nose to spite his face. Perhaps it is international ?

wikipedia says — 'is an expersssion used to describe a needlessly self destructive over reaction to a problem. Don't cut off your nose to spite your face is a warning against acting out of pique or  persuing revenge in a way that would damage oneself more than the object of one's anger…

apparently it dates back for centuries…

Cambridge says 'to cause problems for yourself by trying to punish someone else.

The Phrase Finder says ' disadvantage yourself in order to do harm to an adversary.

Perhaps an example ?? Say that a neighbor was in the 'habbit' of sharing candy with me and my friends on a regular basis. My neighbor would bargain at the candy store for the best prices and I decided to take umbrage to that. So one day I decided that I didn't like this bargaining and told all my friends about it. Now the neighbor stopped giving out that candy. I showed him didn't I ?? I fixed that !!!

No more candy for your friends. ———–Wait a minute !! ———-No more candy for me either !!!

That is cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Had a friend who started collecting fingernail clippers. He found that there were a lot of interesting and OLD unique designs, In fact a rather untouched area of collecting, which made them pretty cheap by most standards.

Enthusiastically he would send pictures and invite me to join in the hunt.
However thinking about it made me hesitate. Why you ask ?? —– muddy waters !!!

I could foresee what could happen…

First, there would be the fun and excitement of sharing what we found with each other. Of course there are so many that we would never bump heads at all at that time.

BUT as the hobby and depth of knowledge increased, up would pop up these compound and unusually shaped nail clippers- almost engineered approaches to cutting fingernails.

And there were very interesting and engaging types of metals, manufacturers and ornamentation !!

So it goes that various ways to obtain these nail clippers would become more difficult. One of the friends had a tremendous amount of money and bought voraciously, while the other who had less money, had to look in very obscure circles and dodge straight up confrontations.

Feelings became strained and the simple nail clipper had become a divisive wall now. No longer were they friends or did they share anything. Everything had taken second place to finding the rarest and most valuable nail clipper !!!

You see, I had seen it happen before with the simple and lowly whistle….