—getting back into writing again. What about you ask ?? Anything coming down the pipeline ?? YUP.

Found a very interesting and never seen before Bell whistle !!!! WOW is all I can say for now. Well, and that a SPOTLIGHT  special will be coming out on it. Guess that is saying more after all…sorry.

AND an unbelievable tube shaped whistle. Not just a general service whistle, nah, too rare to be just sold in ‘production’ to the public. This one is fantastic and it too will be a SPOTLIGHT special 🙂

See, advance whistles news to look for huh ??

Then there is that antique show coming up in a month or so at the Portland Expo. The only drag is that we sell almost exclusively whistles for personal use there !!! Yah, rarely do we sell ‘collectible’ whistles there ?? Where’s the money in that ?? None !! But it’s a start huh ?? Perhaps ones will move on to actually collecting them like us 🙂

And it’s all about visibility too.

In the mean time back to writing….

Just in case you were worried about further postings….yes, we continue to collect, photograph and research. Your enquiries are still fun to read and respond to. Keep ’em coming.

Of course as long as smear campaigns are used our hands are tied as to posting new articles and pictures on the website. Last check, STEALING WHISTLES and a large picture was still pointed at us from The Whistle Museum. Such comments such as monkey business and tags are being used to discount credibility.

It is our hope that soon the postings will be completely removed and there will once again be a level playing field for everyone.

Such a world we live in where hate crimes are acceptable. On our part, we will continue to try our best to stay professional.

In the mean time there are four more great articles under construction. three on group studies and one on a never before seen whistle in the special edition of the SPOTLIGHT.

They subjects are…. well wouldn’t we all like to know…

getting ready to post another SPOTLIGHT special edition. Remember what a special edition is ??

That is when we focus on a whistle that is either a ' one off ' OR the only known example. So, will we be revealing such a whistle ??

NO.

This SPOTLIGHT special edition will be focusing on a reassignment !! Yup, that means a whistle that was thought to be by one manufacturer has been discovered to be made by another !!!

ooooooooh….

salivating yet ???

we'll give you a hint….it's a beaufort…..

SPOTLIGHT research really takes it outa one !! However makes it all come together really.  Another one posted — aaaaand stay tuned 🙂

…… another BONUS SPOTLIGHT  this month ??

Perhaps even another feature ????????????????????????????? If you stay posted for all three, then you may be tuned all month !!!! That'll leave a mark huh ?? BUT it will be worth it — Got some great ones lined up for MARCH !!!

Went to a class last night on just how to dig for more info. Free to you, but everything has it's cost right ?? Although haven't posted FOR SALE whistles as of yet, we have been selling them when you write in, so THANKS !! It helps defray the enormous costs involved with…

Computer
Programs
Lighting
Digital camera
Batteries
Racks
Tags
Tables
Posters
T-shirts
Taxes
Fuel
Booth costs
 

Oh my … Perhaps we should take a closer look at this — haven't even thrown in the cost of the  whistles !!!!!

Going through our notes I ran across a somewhat forgotten release from 1997-98. Four releases to be exact. It was called Whistle Notes.

It had some very aggressive goals and fantastic research. Years ahead of its time I would think, considering all the interest in whistles nowadays 🙂

Inside the cover page was over 80 topics that were planned to be written about. And the intro as follows:

"The C.W.C.A. was formed in 1996 as a non-profit organization for collectors of calls and whistles worldwide. It was founded by James C. Fitch, James L Dundas, and Howard L. Harlan. The purpose and objectives of the organization are to further the awareness of whistle and call collecting and disseminate information on their identification, use, and origin to members."
– The Call & Whistle Collectors Assocation

Just waiting for some pages from the first edition we were missing and they will all be posted thanks to permission from Jim Fitch. Credits will be posted too !!!

Have you checked out the SPOTLIGHT on researching whistles yet ?? Nice breakdown of Martin Gilchrist's books I think. We haven't really drawn attention to it, but we hope to have a few for sale here at The Whistle Galllery. Scarce as hens teeth as they are all three out of print now !!!

It's important to know becaaaaaause ?? Yep, there are no other books on whistles !!! Probably not going to be what with publishing costs and all.

There's another reason though. You might take note that the hardbound edition of Collecting Police Whistles and Similar Types was CO authored. Simon Topman was heavily involved in the contants and publishing.

Therefore many records were made available for the book and much of the copyrighted informationincluding stamps, registrations, patents, and references is from Hudson's whistles records. That doesn't come from wikipedia you know !!!

So that makes those books indispensible. They are a part of the tools needed for research. You can create your own library from there.  Did you know that ?? Sure….

keep pictures
keep notes
do patent research
use the internet for personal copies
buy catalogs ( and share them with us 🙂
 

essentially creating your own references. We even do that with our whistles. All organized.

But you need those books !!!!!!!!

put together a SPOTLIGHT for you in the interim waiting for the good stuff. 🙂

I really want to get to that section again, but working out posting the pix still. So we put together everything we could think of today that can help you in your research.

Hope it saves you tons of time, but to be honest in all likelihood it will more than likely bury you !!! Welcome to my world. So you thought whistles were obscure ?? So you thought there just weren't that many whistles to learn about ???? HA !!!!!

It took the better part of the day to collate and write, just gotta upload in a bit….

What was nice is that I didn't have to worry about pictures in this one. What a relief. I really need to perfect that side of these SPOTLIGHTS — maybe after this weekend sale and during the winter…

Just have to do more research on this….

FOOD for thought about variations… What constitutes a variation ?? How does it affect my collecting !!!

SINGULAR VARIATIONS

Take an escargot for instance, there are so many varaitions that we may not think about it, yet there you are !! On the other hand there are nuances to the different variations themselves that can be quite intriguing. I was just looking at two similar escargots. Both with the high back, flat knop developed by DeCourcy. One is clearly his and stamped so on it. The other the knop is taller and slightly different. Also it is stamped REGAL which may not be among his stamps, yet I have two now….. hmmmm….. perhaps somebody else used his design ?? Perhaps there is another maker to research I don't know about ??  On the other hand the construction is more primitive and could be an older one of his…. hmmmmm….. tasty huh ??

METROPOLITAN VARIATIONS

Another area of interest are all those police whistles, and especially those Metropolitans. You know, one through ad infinitum. Well anyway all that aside, let's start with an MP3 with cast top and mouthpiece. Perhaps you find one with a cast top and a possibly replaced 'rolled' mouthpiece. Might have been original or replaced while refurbishing — soon after it fell off !! OR the top and bottom have been replaced during an overhaul. OR it slipped by and wasn't stamped with numbers, enscribed down the back —either/or…. and now what would have been one whistle has become half a dozen and a micro study of that period of whistle making in the early 1880s. Delicious huh ??

MODEL VARIATIONS

TheN there are model varaitions from one to four sizes. Some collectors like to search for all of them to 'complete' their collections. Fun if not too revealing i guess. Almost have to have those catalogs to know, or perhaps the surprise when they come in the mail or find one at a boot sale that is smaller or better yet – JUMBO !!!! Big enough to take a bite out of !!!

well, thought you might be up for an afternoon snack. Now you can dip back into the refrigerator for a clsoer look at what you have been storing away.

multi-chambered whistles, dual chambered whistles, train whistles, cycling whistles, what do you call them ?? Two to three tubes of thin stock soldered together in varying lengths to make the sound that most identify with trains as a kid. They date waaaaaay back into the 1800s  and are still made today. What does that say about them ??

Apparently they have held their place in the whistle world. But why are they so neglected by collectors ?? Good question 🙂

For one thing they are cheaply built. Well, not truly so, but in comparison to a dual chamber solid brass Barrall whistle or a plated brass with heavy construction De Courcy,  they look like they are merely just tin. That may be true to an extent. HOWEVER a true conneseur of whistles remembers that early escargots dating into the 1880s were made out of the same thin materials. Two and three chambered 'taxi' calls or hunting whistles by BGI (USA), Lilly(UK) and other countries were also made similarly. Then there are the rare cycling whistles pre 1900 by Hatch and Johnson, and of course early 1900s sirens by B&R and others with history back into the 1800s again. It goes on doesn't it ??

The SPOTLIGHT is focusing on them right now and half done for posting and you would be surprised at how many types and makers there are !! So for our unsung heroes, we pause and think … have I been letting some rarities slip through my fingers ??….