wow, the great weather has brought out the collectors !!! Super time yesterday the first day at the antique show in Portland !!!

So much fun face to face 🙂

Not sure what we talk about more, whistles or history behind the whistles — or is it a package deal and that is what is addicting ??

Side note–saw a revolutionary era ( 1700s !!! ) whistle on eBay today. Well they wrote 'it is believed to be' — way cool line huh ?? I guess now if you believe, it is almost as accurate as if it actually is so ?? — be careful when you buy !!!!!

Turns out it was another BGI round pewter whistle made about 100 years later than they advertised — but hey, probably sells better saying it is Babylonian or such, right ??

Well that is part of why we put up the website — easy research ( if wanted )

Other side note…. been thinking ( I know, dangerous ground ) what to do for our anniversary…. How about another SPOTLIGHT bonus ?? Hmmmm….. what could we post ??

How about one on the 20th ( that is mid way this anniversary month ) we post another ground breaking SPOTLIGHT ?? Very little has been posted on Amercan whistle manufacturers huh ??

OK then, there you have it….that is what we will do —- stay tuned……

Next weekend is the Portland Expo Antique show in Portland, Oregon.

Always a blast to talk to so many about WHISTLES !!!!

Police whistles head the list this year. Unusual for us in that since they are so popular and we try to widen out most of the time.

Next is our efforts to use antique whistles with antique whistle chains and create jewelry.

Then there are SPORTS whistles.

Lastly safety whistles.

Surrounding all that will be a variety as  best we can bring.

Admittedly we had at one time thought that we would sell exclusively on the net and not deal with the public. Wow, not fun at all !!

Turns out lots more fun and personable to talk and feel whistles face to face. Sure it takes some time.

Maybe it is like rock music. The bands have to go on the road to be able to be heard and then sales are great for their recordings ??

Such is the burden of being rock stars…..

well, it's not too early to be looking to the next whistle sale. To be held at the Portland Expo Center in March ( 6th,7th.8th )

Hundreds of whistles — all metal of course, cause that is all we do. We will be highlighting POLICE whistles this year. We also got a great purchase of 1950 German POLIZEI issues, with four variations. They will probably go quickly as the price is great and no postage costs !!!

Of course we are working class people so we will bring what we have and can afford —not the best and not the worst — in what ways ??

Not the best cause we keep them all ?? No, not at all !!! There are always 'doubles' and we always sell those off. Plus we buy all the time great whistles we come across, just to pass on to collectors looking for variety.

Helps to keep the interest up, as you never know what you will find.

On the same hand is the fact that we can't afford the best. Let's say some very fine bosun whistles, carved ivory whistles, asylum whistles, fire brigade,  the rarest police whistles and the list goes on and on — we don't have any either so don't feel bad if you don't have any of these !! Yet we remain hopeful like you.

Guess we are mostly middle of the road collectors all looking for a 'good deal' — just trying to grow and learn.

On the other hand many whistles are overlooked and we constantly buy to educate ourselves and to also sell to those wanting to learn. Yes, we get 'passed up' all the time by those gaining an educated eye ( and pallet ) But that is why we do this, so that you grow past us !!! The best teachers have their students surpass them.

Now that is success….

40 more days till the March 6rh show !!! Already looking ahead in deciding what to highlight.

Police whistles !!!! Yup, from all over the world, will be what we put center stage.

Of course England leads the pack, but there are also ones from Argentina, USA, France, Germany, ????

Should be a fun display,

Then of course there is the necklaces we have been creating that are fun and different. All genuine whistle parts including the chains, rings and hooks, oh an thw WHISTLES !!!

There will be rare ones, on down to plain safety whistles.

And a chance to just talk whistles —– the growing collectible 🙂

Finally found a niche for whistle jewelry worthy of our website !!

Nothing cheesy or cheap in quality of these necklaces. The idea is to build necklaces that have a RARE whistle combined with a difficult to find —all the way to very rare whistle chain —  taken from other antique whistles we have found in our travels. —- Then matched up in a variety of combinations that no one else will ever have.

Only we are dating the chains, rings, hooks AND identifying their background and THEN doing the same for the whistle !!!!

For example:
the smallest madel girl scout tube shaped whistle was found ( circa 1930 ). Then it was combined with the very coolest and very distinctive chain link that is exclusively found with two tube taxi calls and three tube ‘conductor’ whistles circa 1920 and 1920 ). The hard part is that these links come in half a dozen sizes. So pairing two up and then setting the whistle properly with the right ring ( circa 1920 ) from another whistle. The chain is steel, so the ring must be too. The whistle is very petite and works perfectly and has a ROUND knop which is also very rare to find in post 1900 tube shaped whistles, let alone this small of a whistle.

Now, who else can assure you of all those things ???

Whew, just for ONE necklace. Oh and the chain has to be cleaned and all rust removed first, then re-cleaned well. Well of course the whistle does too now doesn’t it ??

Every inch is vintage, antique, genuine old whistle parts !!! Vintage necklaces from TWG — lavalieres

Hangs perfectly 🙂

terrific show in Portland. Lot’s of whistle talk Sat and Sun.

And made a fortune in all those whistles sales. Yah sold a hundred…well not quite, but close, maybe 50 anyway, or close anyway.

After totaling up everything and two people for two days ( that’s four days labor if you are adding it up ) we made 300 dollars to divide between the two of us.

So 150 dollars divided by 16 hours is close to minimum wage anyway. What do you think ?? Is it worth it ???

Well, YAH, no brainer. Of course it is worth it !!! Whistle talk all day for a whole weekend !!! Sheesh, I would pay 150.00 for that kind of audience — well I wouldn’t go that far……pretty far though….an hour to Portland anyway……

There’s hope yet…. 🙂

=== saturated and sated. The whole day talking whistles !!!

I tried to tell a shopper that the safety whistles are ones you listen to and ALL the others — it’s the least thing you do with them.

His reply was that he bought books that he never intended to read. Just to collect or resell !!

guess that is it in a nutshell.

We did discount a couple of Stevens GSWs enough for a buyer to grab them both. One is an ‘improved’ CITY POLICE, not described in Collecting Police whistles. Odd huh ?? I thought so too. A smaller model than normally seen, but Stevens none the less.

2 great picks. Another couple ones that went were steel and brass combination whistles by DeCourcy circa 1915. Great patina on that old steel.

Then there was that filigree lace cuts into what looked like a Yates pewter round. Wooden pea with the hole through it. How rare is that ?? Don’t really know ?? Could be post 1900 French. The again even older….

well, more later tomorrow.

—tomorrow is the big weekend !!! Finally, saturated for three whole days with antique whistle talk !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah !!

AND it is only a short time before posting another SPOTLIGHT.  This one will be landmark original 🙂 A whole new subject in the whistle world 🙂 Can’t wait….well I guess I can….

AND got in this terrific BGI horn whistle….BUT that means I gotta add back into the collection a NON metal whistle >>> traitor 🙁                How could I do such a thing ???
Can’t help it….there are some fantastic NON metal whistles to collect and study about. Hmmmm what to do ?? Guess I will have to set them apart so that when I get tired of their unwholesome influence on my other whistles I cam always sell them off….Yeah, that’s the ticket.

However they are way cool and over a century old and all that stuff…

I know, I can take them to the show and put a really high price on them and they won’t sell………. And if one does then I can tell myself that I made so much that it is worth it, right ???

But what if one DOES sell….

well, it is only 2 weeks till the Portland Expo Antique show. Can’t wait !!! Cause all the sales ?? Noooo !! Cause all the whistle talk !!! Yah, people come from everywhere and say ” I never knew ” !!!

a couple times now we have just covered our expenses is all. Thankfully we haven’t lost money even once – why ?? There are other like hearts out there !!!!

AND there are books to look at together with all the different categories. After all can’t bring everything to the show, but can bring lots of pictures.

Sometimes we get to buy whistles there too 🙂 Got some real jewels that actually came to the booth ( a corner booth this year )

Mostly it is just fun to get saturated with whistles for three days solid. This year we will be featuring starter sets. Some of escargots, some of rounds, some of mixed whistles. Just a way to jump into collecting and not just safety whistles for the hikers, cyclers etc.

Hope to C YA

still recovering from the weekend  ( last ) at the Portland Expo ) !!! Not only setting up takes its toll but breaking down and then re mounting everything at home. Whew !!!

Such a contrast of buyers in whistledom. One customer will walk up and pay whatever the tag says — no questions asked. ( We took a rare Gillies whistle by mistake when loading and so we put a little stronger price to discourage its sale and it jumped off the rack and is now gone !! SOLD 🙁

Another will look and question and sift through till just the right whistle. Then decide to think about it, laboring for a few hours, then circle back around to offer me half price — less than I paid for it !!! What can a person be thinking that we are there for ?? Weird huh ??

Another was mentioned in the Oregonian article, just want a whistle or two to set off his terrific 18th century dresser top. No more no less !!!

The strangest was when a friend picked out several hundred dollars worth of whistles and just about to pay when called away for an emergency !!! We certainly hope that everything went well. Hopefully. Whistle matter for nothing when it comes to family.

Well back to research soon. In the meantime it is reorganizing time….