A new feature to be sprinkled on the blog postings we have experimented with and is fun is to highlight is — lesser known whistles to round out ones collections and research with. We call it flying under the radar. Why ?? Because they can be easily overlooked and cheap !!!

Today is a BUY IT NOW on an escargot – damaged at that !!!

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What do you notice besides the damage ??

First, it is easliy repairable and will look great. All one has to do is bend back out the sprung side. Just use some needle nose pliers and cloth ( to keep from scratching the patina.)

Then use some epoxy to hold it back in place – you want to overbend it out a bit and then clamp it flat with a C clamp, wipe off the excess. Now you have a great whistle !!!

Why great you ask ?? Good question !! It looks rustic and plain doesn't it ?? However that is why it is under the radar…no second looks.

Let's take a second look. Peek at the top knop. Note how the 'ring' is unusual ?? It is more like a flat wire isn't it ?? In your research in More Whistles by Martin Gilchrist ( you have that done't you ?? ) You find that only Alfred DeCourcy used that top knop. One of 5 different tops on his escargots. Quite important to a whistle GEEK 🙂

Then you see that it is stamped the Thunderer,  so that dates it well before Hudson ratained the name in court.

Please note that PATENT is stamped on it too. Most likely for the tongue—now try to research that next….We will leave that up to you for now, as you are obviously off and running….

The best part ?? It is on a BUY IT NOW for cheap on eBay !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TWG

It's all about connecting the dots 🙂

Sure, remember those dot pictures from elementary school. Yeah, you know, the ones that had fifty dots scattered all over the page and when you connected them according to the numbers you drew a DOG !! OR you drew a FISH !!!

It all came together after connecting the dots and then you could see the big picture and identify what you were looking for.

Same way with whistle research. … What are the dots though ?? They are the actual physical whistles, catalogs, books —- and perhaps websites 🙂

Admittedly one does have to buy whistles to have enough dots, as there are far less books, catalogs etc — right??  And those whistles can be spendy, but that is the bottom line. Not to be overlooked is writing and communication with other collectors.

So, after collecting as many whistles as one can afford, along certain lines of manufacturers or types or materials, or years….one gets to know the bigger picture and progress is made.

Tempting as it may be one can't just say oh, it's a CAT !!! Nope, might be a SKUNK or an ELEPHANT or ??? Same with whistles. Can't just say it was made by someone without enough dots. Perhaps a stamp or a catalog or ??? Can't just say it dates to a certain time without evidence.

None the less,  it is a fun game research. Makes the hunt as fun as finding a new whistle….

TWG

it’s on the internet so it must be true right ??

Came across a BUY IT NOW or best offer on eBay a few days ago. 4 whistles for 250 dollars. So we made an offer of 150 dollars. No big deal till we looked them up !!!

They turned out to be rare vinaigrettes ( see the Whistle Museum for more ) So we went back and hit the BIN button !!! Wow EACH one looked to be 250 dollars !!! Don’t know why nobody bought them, in fact someone else made an offer and was turned down.

So we paid up !! All was great !! Perhaps because they were listed as just -whistle lot- is all, that nobody noticed them.

Well except Avner Strauss. The seller tells us a couple days later that the Whistle Museum contacted her and that she was being taken advantage of. She promptly refunded the money and the whistles are going to ???

Don’t know. But with all the slanderous, lying statements being spewed out by Mr. Strauss we thought you should know.

Just the other day we popped on to eBay and a Simmons was there for 50gbp on a BUY IT NOW. Now we already had one, but not with a notched window so thought to upgrade it. Great find and nice to just see BINs on eBay even without asking.

However the self appointed judge and jury continues to accuse us of asking for BUY IT NOWs and stealing whistles. Why ??

Because he loves us all and wants us to all have whistles ??

Yeah, that’s why.

Guess from now on we will have to ask for permission from the Whistle Museum whether we may buy a whistle or not. For that matter whether we are allowed to keep it after buying one.

Who has the best whistle collection in the world ??

You do !!!
How can that be you say ?? Because they are hand picked by you to your taste !! Don’t worry about what others have. It is the nuances that make a collection even over the super rare or one of a kind or best condition or….

Nuances…subtlety…in fact perhaps that is what makes articles on whistles all the more interesting ??

details, details, details ad infinitum 🙂

Perhaps soon we can get back to posting some of them for you.

Can’t shake that nasty posting yet. Perhaps soon though….back to the fun stuff again…

— really trying to keep things proffessional in dealing with buying and selling whistles, yet it is difficult. However to stay so requires many things besides just whistles doesn't it ?? Like being honest. Like having integrity.

For example in buying and selling honestly one has to keep very accurate records numbering and recording every whistle ( we prefer to number them all and use a terrific EXCEL sheet to do so.

Even more work,  a picture of each whistle is taken, whether it is a worthless one or valuable one, if audited there needs to be a record. So every whistle that comes in here gets a file number, picture and EXCEL entry !!! ( Then of course mis-entries are agonizingly difficult to straighten out !!!

Recently we were accused ( again ) of stealing another whistle. However this time we were also accused of not paying our taxes.

 Add to this a misqoute saying we never make money. I suppose it goes without saying that to defray costs one has to make some money, ergo the word defray. Profit would be the bottom line wouldn't it ?? THEN you pay taxes on any profit PER whistle !!!

So to sum up this over explanation — we buy a lot, we sell some off, we pay taxes on what we sell off and we lose money every year !!!
We DO get to keep the best whistles and that is what we write about.

Once again entirely without proof or any kind of knowledge of such, a slanderous statement is thrown out there. The internet is a fine way to learn and communicate, but what a terribly destructive avenue it can become.  Of course retaliation would seem appropriate, but that would not be right to do.

Sooooooo……..Rest assured paying taxes is the right thing to do and we have always paid taxes on our sales. In fact the allowable tax deductions and write offs are the only reason we are able to sell as a hobby business. Certainly not to make money.

For example, if accused of 'stealing' a Winchester whistle one simply checks ones records…

Once again foooor the record, we bought a Winchester 1805 on a BUY IT NOW on eBay for a remarkable 5 dollars ( the best deal we ever saw–ever !!! )

Then a Winchester 1806 for 90 dollars which was usually 200 dollars.

Then a Winchester 1805 ( large, really regret letting that one go, but the construction is exacly like a 'reach' or referee' stamp ) – $266.38

Adding up to >>> $361.38 and we sold all three on eBay for 1200 dollars  On a BUY IT NOW !! Then we saw them sold for even more on the internet as the same set !!! Boy those Winchester nuts !!! Guess we sold them too cheap !!!!

Whats the point ?? It is easy to accuse, slander, even attack ones nationality or even lower, their religion.

What do you think ?? Was this the kind of communication that the net was designed for ??

one of my favorite whistles is the skeleton whistle ?? Who named it that ?? Dunno… probably some silversmith, as they seem to be the oldest skeletons one finds. I mean silver and all….

One one big frustration is that they are soooooo small !!! Usually look like maybe they would be a simple fob or a tiny toy or maybe just a small decoration.

Perhaps originally designed for tiny womens fingers.

Then, after giving it much thought ( much too much no doubt ) It dawns on me…Oh, I get it !!! how would it work if it was very large ??

You see, to make it work one has to close the sides with ones fingers, as there are ordinarily no sides ( ergo skeleon, as it only has the main body )

And if it was bigger, say the equal to the larger size escargots , then one would have to have rather large fingers huh ?? You to know, to close the deal.

Guess that sels it. There are no large skeleton whistles… or are there ??