As the numbers keep climbing on the website, one wonders how many afficianados are out there ?? Are the hits from collectors or sellers ?? In which direction should the website go ?? You should have a say really. Otherwise we here are not helping at all and we do want to help the field grow.

So…

Feel free to write in. To where ?? The commenting is disabled to to all the 'bots' spamming us. However you CAn go to Facebook and comment there !!! It's a back door that is in the front now  🙂  Cool huh ??

We have a list of to do things that are 5 deep right now for the site, but we can always add new ideas. Suggestions for SPOTLIGHTS  are also welcome and may be a fresh perspective from a newbie collectors point of view or from a veterans point of view.

Our specialized collecting may be too narrow for you and of no help !! We collect metal only and no tin ( mostly ) But there is a much bigger whistle world out there !!!

The long and short of it is that we write  from the school of hard knocks that we have experienced in the last five years of intense study and collecting. Beyond that we are always prying into new areas of research.

Perhaps there is insight you can pass on ??

it's been a year now !!! whoah !! Who'da thunk !!!

—– we put a counter on at the end of November and have 20,000 pages loads !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                         So what has happened behind the scenes and what is going to happen ??

We re wrote a lot  and made corrections a LOT !!! Changed the pix somewhat and decided to post only our whistles. Makes things tougher but hey, gotta draw the line somewhere 🙂

We're bulding a data base to share with you. Already up to BEE 🙂

The SPOTLIGHTS  are coming monthly now. Added a LINKS page for you. And breaking news to watch for. We are soooo very close to selling now that we have worked out the financial bugs with ordering.

Added Facebook for comments again.

redesigned a few things………

Selling posters of an arranged whistle cabinet for those of you that love whistles but don't want to go broke !!!!

Books will be for sale in a month or two !!!

We're setting up for some more innovations you will like — hopefully…

It is amazing how much time and energy it takes to maintain the site. ( and money ) The data base is REALLY  going to take a chunk out of me 🙁

Well, thought you might want to be in the loop. We're getting more and more emails, so keep 'em coming !!!!

Feedback – feedback- feedback !!!!!

Unearthed some really great information lately. One tidbit will be posted under DeCourcy, another tidbit under Ward. ( SPOTLIGHTS )

You know every bit adds to the picture of whistle collecting. What is really a treat though is finding out who made a whistle that has been hanging around for perhaps years. It is almost as much fun as when it was first found. Like one would say "oh, now I know your name" !!!!

In thinking about identification…..

We can't get around it can we ?? Around what ??  Glad you asked >>>> CATALOGS, gotta have catalogs. Again, why ??
Cause in old whistle catalogs are the pictures with the model numbers 🙂 No brainer from there huh ??

The catch is that the older whistle makers are gone now and where are their catalogs to be found ?? For example, R.A.Walton. He left Hudsons where is was working as a foreman in 1898 to start his own whistle business … Universal Whistle Works. However he only lasted for 6 years. However, he did make a lot of whistles —- and he also put out a catalog c. 1901,  half way through his adventure. Now where does one find that catalog to examine today ?? Perhaps the library by his business when it was at 14 Hunters Road, Birmingham.

OR it could be stored at a museum by there. OR it could it be on microfish ??? Gotta be sooooome where ???? What a help that would be.

Perhaps even a collector has it and is hoarding it 🙂 Can't blame them for wanting to keep all that information for personal use. However the more we share the more we learn and grow.

Just some fodder for the soul…

Can't help but be elated tonight. Got home after a long day at work. Checked the website and found we had reached a goal !! Tonight we broke 10,000 hi

Why is this important to collecting rare whistles ?? Well for one thing it gives ones a place to go. There are other websites, but not many ( see SPOTLIGHT on research ) So to have a place where one can constantly learn is good for all.

As for  the FOR SALE  section, it is loaded up and ready to serve. Just working out the bugs on how to pay on line 🙂 — surprisingly harder than we thought, giving options and all, but on the low budget we have.
 

Beyond that we are getting ready for SPOTLIGHTS. Have a half a dozen built. Also getting ready for a new highlight to box up for you !!! ——  Veeeeeery secret just yet though.

Hopefully one day the site will be a nice pivot point.

Many thanks again for the interest ed enquiries !!!!

……The crew at The Whistle Gallery

finished Beauforts, Boson, Rounds ( I know out of order ) today and ready for loading to the FOR SALE section. Told you !! Didn't think it was EVER going to be done huh ?? I don't blame you. Really tedious. Had to retake some pictures.

Will keep plowing before actually loading them up. Should have half a dozen catagories done soon and then, voila.

Hoping for the following format…

Maker
Year
Price
Rarity
Description ( brief )

Serious enquiries can always ask for more pictures I suppose. All in all, takes a ton of time ya know…. Then there is pricing. Postage on one can be four times what another costs to get here !!! SO the prices may vary some what. Should I take offers ?? I dunno, gets all balled up them. I start high and then bargain back and forth…Then of course have to be reasonable ( means literally 'willing to yield' )

Gotta start somewhere, so I started at the bottom of my hagning board, almost 50 whistles done today…. Only about 301 to go….OMG….

love the counter on the website. Main reason ?? It puts pressure on me to get the website up and running. About 225 hits a day right now and climbing. That's a lot of action and interest to stay ahead of.

Looks to be up though doesn't it ?? But really it isn't really RUNNING until the whistles for sale are available. More importantly the SPOTLIGHT section needs to be rolling.so we can all be learning more.

HOWEVER the main setback is that I am still here !!! – WHAT ?? Yes, I never got to leave for the show in Calif. and now I am pushed back a week — ratz !!! Well, I guess that is not entirely true. Started and finished  the beauforts descriptions for the sale images. Got me going anyway. However I am still kinda packed to go in a few days so I don't want to take the whistles out to break them down.

Yeah, I am actually driving around with my whistes all packed in the car.

Well, lets see what I am taking with me…hmmmm….

A lot of Porteus top whistles, a few unusual ones like a spherical cycling whistle, a folding extractor whistle, quite a few older 1880s police whistles by Dowler, DeCourcy, Hudson, etc.. Oh and a BGI 601 1881 bullet whistle, some 6 piece escargots by Auld — even a very rare Barrall escargot whistle YUP for sale even !!! One very very nice nickel silver Metropolitan police whistle MP8. Lots of Walton police issues ( only made whistles himself about 6 years ya know ) Some Stevens whistles… I'm torn…do I sell them off for working capitol or price them too high to sell, so that I have them for the website to sell to all this interest ?????

So many whistles, so little time…

thought to update you on the website. Eeeeeeeever sooooo slooooow I know !!!! Going as fast as can be done I think without paying someone daily !!!!

It's not just that, we keep changing our minds !!! Improving things…. I hope 🙂

So, as of late, refining our use of pictures a lot. We have decided to use ONLY our pictures that we have taken. 99% will be pictures from the Whistle Gallery reference collection itself. We felt that it was more honest with all the picture pirating going on these days. Besides that, it isn't as misleading. After all, if we used every picture that were stole from the internet or other collectors, you might assume that we actually owned the picture and the actual whistle too right ??

Yes, that means limiting what is out there for you to see on our website. However there are other sites that do this and you can go to them and see many more whistles that way. Keeps things simple.

As the collections page grows we are posting more contributions, please feel free to contact us to see how you display, catalog and access your collection.  Much of the internet traffic is looking at how to store and how to keep track. Sensible examples are so very helpful don't ya think ?? Hope so.

Building more material and ramping up the SPOTLIGHT section. Nothing showing right now obviously, but work is progressing in the back ground.

After a lot of thought we decided to integrate with Facebook too. Even at this early stage we are receiving over 200 hits a day. So to help things along the Blog will go directly to Facebook too and comments can be made and posted. As you may recall the site Blog was being attacked constantly by Bots with SPAM commenting and we had to disable the comments. Now we are freeeeeee ! No SPAM on Facebook. Emails have been trickling in already, so let's see where whistle collecting is going to go ??

A lot of enquiries about the For Sale section and we are working on it. We have a show to do next weekend in California so that will deplete us a bit. However, that project of pricing and listing is also moving on and we will be working on it this week. Trying to figure out a way not to be just a pricing guide for anyone to use. Hoping to be more than that. Probably will lose that battle !!!

Really though, more activity is better…. 

do you text message or even instant message??

Many are adverse to it. You see that the 'younger crowd' is prolific at it. And you ask yourself — WHY ?? …. Not me, why should I.

The answer ??? >>>>> you can be socially connected without actually admitting to it !!!

Yah, you get a text message and then you decide when to reply. That control keeps you at a distance and yet,  in a conversation. Best of both worlds, huh ??  Oh, I know you already are at a distance,  ergo the electronic device. But let's take a closer look.

 Let's say you are at work and actually in the very next work booth, you could stand up and look face to face  — Why might you still text your friend ( it happens a LOT !! ) ?? Almost like a 'slinky toy' conversation 🙂 Streeeeettttch it or condense it – your call !!!

…..you gain  >>> time, distance, privacy, thought, control……wow, the advantages just goes on and on don't they ?? A LOT different than a phone call right ?? Or God forbid, a personal face to face visit !!! Really, quite a different animal altogether now isn't it ?? 

However  many times those texts are abbreviated messages. Instead of crafting those 'conversations',  till they are just right, explaning, clarifying them, attaching pix, they are condensed so as to get right to the point and can even be quipped toooo short by accident !!

One wonders what this has to do with whistles ?? Good question….emails

Do we hesitate to write to other collectors ?? Are we afraid to connect ?? Fear not, control is the key…..

If you really want to learn about whistles, ya gotta CONNECT….. even if it is with two cans and string.

what is a bot ?? Something that has to be contended with if one has a blog – that is for sure. In fact we now do not allow commenting on our blog — specifically for that reason. We were muscled out.

Here's their motive as per wikipedia:

Adding links that point to the spammer's web site artificially increases the site's search engine ranking. An increased ranking often results in the spammer's commercial site being listed ahead of other sites for certain searches, increasing the number of potential visitors and paying customers.

So, after battling them with blog spam blockers and having loan pimps bombarding our site several times a day, we shut off the commenting. Yeah, LOAN adverstisers of all the spammers are the worst. You can't get them to stop.

You can email us if you want, but nobody gets to see all the activity that the site is generating.  

read and weep…

well, back in the saddle – almost anyway. The website is revamped in the back ground and now working on the foreground. Who knew ?? Thought to post something to all the early 'peekers' as we get ready for official searching. Interesting over 500 hits but no one writing in yet?? Are you out there ??

Got some real rarities in and sold a lot at the expo center in March. Next sale is in Alameda Cal. in May and hopefully the website when we find a compatable retail program.

C YA