when does one expaaaaaaaaand into 'other' police whistles ??

Hard to pin it down….maybe when U can't find any more that U can afford ??

Yeah, the rarer ones are SPENDY huh ?? That is ironically because of just a few collectors who bid high.

But high is relative. Whistles have always been cheap and as they rise in prices we get used to that and either back off or jump back in.

OR…

we expand into other police whistles often neglected…..

USA, German, rarer OTHER UK makers,

Maybe even other types of police whistles besides tube shaped —–  GASP !!! Really ??? We can dooooooo that ????????

Yes !! Be bold !!!!

the question hanging is — WHY ?????????????

Why all the interest in Metropolitan Police Whistles ??

For one thing whistles are fun to collect. 🙂

Like coins, the Metros all line up in a row —- and what of those changes that occured over a 40 year period !!!

The fact is that few if any whistles can match that. FOUR decades of interesting changes. AND varieties AND anomalies.

They are compact, being tuuuubular and all.

Most are nickle silver which is waaaaaay cooooool from our perspective !!!!

Then there is the ambiance of law enforcement with those so very desirable numbers —- better than railway even ( oops, did I say that outloud ? )

What else is there to the eqution ??? Hmmmmmm…..

Tough question – what is an antique whistle ?

You would think any old whistle. However perhaps the REAL question is what is a whistle ??

Is it a flute like tube shaped instrument with multiple holes ?? More of a pipe than a whistle, but still a whistle ??

And what about slide whistles ?? Are they true whistles ??

AND what about sirens in all their forms ?? Are they 'multiple whistles' all in one or what ??

Then of course There are multiple tube and mutliple chamber whistles ???

Could we bring into the equation bird calls ??

Soooo subjective now isn't it ???

Here's the deepest question of all — why the worry ??

ok, now lets go to the grand finale…

the mouthpiece !!

Cast or machined ??

several types of machined to record.

Wide ? Hourglass ??

wraps around tube ??

rings around ??

Long ??

Short ??

cheap ? quality ?

What type of metal has been used through the whole whistle ??

Brass only ? Nickle plated brass ?? Nickle silver ?? Steel ?? Pewter ?? Silver ?? Brittania ?? pot metal ?? Aluminum ??

Wow this one keeps going doesn't it ??

Now what ?????????????????

OK , now to look inside.

What do you see ??

First gotta know parts…paaaaartition, say it outloud, paaaaaarttiton…well it is pretty plain, really just parts the two sides ( unless it is REALLY old, then there is none )

Perhaps it is cast and that helps to know.

Now perpenducular to that is the disc. Cast ? Machined ?? How is the disc attached to the paaaaaartition ??

This part is IMPORTANT !!!! — LOTS of notes to put on your tags, in your files – somewhere.

Then there are those pesky tines…pointing towareds the mouthpiece or away towards the top ??

What shapes are they ?? – very IMPORTANT once again !!!!

Record, record, record,,,

Do drawings if necessary….

we're still on tube shaped whistles right ??

All the steps in place right ???

Now once again a 'comb over'……………………………………..and we are just looking at the tops…..

Cast top or two pieces, perhaps machined ??

Shape of the ring ??

Overlaps the sides or flat top ??

Raised ring or flush ??

Is the ring distictive to a certain maker ??

Same metal or different ??

Can you tell if the ring is Amercican, Australian, German, Chinese, India, Argentina  …..etc…..etc….

High quality or inexpensively made ??

Marked on the ring ??

Marked on the top cap ??

Hmmmm…..go on ??

categories was the hint and you probably figutred it out ( wasn't very deep was it ? )

you have to have drawers in your tool box ———————— and file drawers go into your computor.

What's more is you have to be able to find your tools after filing them !!! So label those FILES well     🙂

Conclusions ??? >>>>>>>  there are picture drawers, note drawers, catalog drawers….and on and on.

So to be a real student of whistles

1) pictures
2) notes
3) files
4) OBSERVATIONS
5) lights, magnifying glasses
6) brishes, air cans, oh and vinegar ( white preferably )

Now we can get going ….

The reason tube shaped whistles are the best to discern the makers for is that when you get the principles down with these it is MUCH easier to transfer those abilities and techniques to all the others !!!

Yes, these are your learning grounds and learning cuuuuuurves …

So really work on GSWs and other police 'type' whistles…..

It is imperative to learn how to look inside at the 'guts' of a whistle. In a way the inside manufacuring process is like a fingerprint to help in identifying the maker. See how important it is ??

Now where did we leave off ???

Storage of your tools.

It doesn't do any good to store your tools in a tool box if you can never find them again does it ???

So how does one organize their tool box ?? How many drawers can you fit ?? What labels on them ???

hmmmmm….. these are most thought provoking concepts huh ??

I will give you a hint and not leave you hanging …. check out              ——- categories ——-

Back to tool box….hmmmmm…..

Metaphors are very difficult to fit just right huh ??

How about your computer ?? Stores LOTS doesn't it ??

You can put things into compartments.

Comes in different sizes.

OK fine – that's it — your computer is your tool box for storing your tools of the trade — whistle detective…

Tool number one ??