whistles that are collectable

November 11, 2014 by

you know this blogging is harder than it looks. Is it because there is a dearth of things to talk about when it comes to whistles….well antique ones anyway ??

Noooo, that’s not the problem at all !! It’s staying with it daily. Just got back from an antique fair and talked a LOT about whistles. However didn’t get to write much and now here we are re organizing the leftovers 🙁

Unfortunately that IS work !!!

As things go back and forth ERRORS are spotted. Imagine that ??

What is amazing is that the more one learns  the more errors one finds in the collection. Weird huh ?? Yah, it  all starts with those tags we talked earlier about. Gotta keep them well recorded so that when you learn more you can make corrections — SO believe it or not, write in pencil !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ACH, ACH as the Martians say….

Filed Under: Uncategorized

antique whistle restoration

November 7, 2014 by

restoration of whistles ?? Oh really ??? Who bothers ?? EXACTLY !!! The field is wide open 🙂

So here is a great tip. Vinegar ( white of course )

You are no doubt addicted to steel chains, and whistle combinations now after all the latest SPOTLIGHT stuff —– really drove it into the ground right ??

It appears that white vinegar removes rust !! Who knew that it worked so well ??????? Not me anyway, perhaps everyone else did already and I just caught up.

Anyway…

Been trying it on various chains and getting better at it. SUPER !!!

AND the patina comes back right away ( well fairly soon ), all one needs is a little oil — but what kind of oil…. hmmmm…

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

vintage whistles – steel and brass

November 7, 2014 by

well, now this SPOTLIGHT really took a lot !!! Not just the writing though. BUT yeeeeeears of collecting.

I mean who else but a whistle geek would search everywhere for combinations of steel and brass whistles from the early 20th century ??

Then taking all the pictures, photo shopping out all the lint from the background, cleaning the whistles from dirt and rust–but not toooo much to ruin the patina.

Then there is the thought that goes into them. What qualifies and what doesn’t ? Which to picture and which to leave out.

Oh, I know — just whistles right ?? Yeah, guess so.

Then again all the activity on the web page says that there are other whistle geeks out there.

Now the challenge is where to find them there steel and brass whistles ….

Filed Under: Spotlight Research

whistle jewelry

November 5, 2014 by

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 🙂

Filed Under: Shows

collectable whistles

November 5, 2014 by

what makes something collectable ?? Some say that there has to be some sort of emotional connection when we grew up. Then we amplify that connection to higher levels as we research deeper and wider making more emotional connections. Well, we can stop there as it only gets more sensitive and uncomfortable after this !!!

So let’s jump ahead to whistles. Where is the attachment ??

Do we recollect one from our childhood and it strikes a fancy ? Or perhaps it is something else and it hops over and fills that void ? I know that metal whistles are a lot like coins.
Could be plastic whistles though ( really can’t identify with thooooose — Sorry Willie !! )

One thing I have seen over the years that the oddest sense is involved — know what it is ??? The sound you say ???????? ——————- NOPE.

It’s FEEL — YUP, it is how the whistle feels in your hand. Seen it time and again. Put a heavy whistle in someone’s hand and it is … well we’re not going there either.

Suffice it to say that an impression is made that a light tin whistle, although elaborately made, does not cause.

Good news for the antique show this next weekend in Puyallup. Lot’s of whistles to weigh and feel    🙂

Bad news for selling on the internet from here !!!  What are we to do ????    Oh well, who cares ??

Thought it was about LEARNING ????

Less neurosis and more fun.

 

Filed Under: Collecting

rare whistles for sale

November 2, 2014 by

If you are thinking that there are a few rare whistles these days, you may be right !!!

BUT why ?? —- Just the time of year is all. Be assured,  there is a plethora— abundance— scads— of antique, rare whistles out there !!!! Perhaps more than we would possibly imagine, even for the advanced collectors.

Yet there are lulls, like right before the highest spending holidays of the year ????

So what to do ??

Take a breather and reorganize !!!!!!!!!!!! Go through your collection better for labeling, displaying and maybe just —— stand back and see where you are ??

ASK YOUSELF —-

Am I toooo crowded in planning for the future ??? Your display and storage….

Have I dangerously committed too much to memory and losing track ????

Should I redefine where I am going with my collecting ???

Perhaps it is the time to cull out some of my whistles and upgrade the collection in the process ?? ( you will feel reinvigorated afterwards !! )

What kind of research can I do with this time off.

Could I put some effort into my records and computer instead of whistles ?? — It will pay off later !!!

————-take a breather………..

Filed Under: eBay News & Updates

whistle nuances

November 1, 2014 by

NUANCE-–a subtle difference or distinction in expression.

How might this apply to collecting whistles ?? Appreciating and learning about the variations or nuances in them can expand your activities with whistles.

Take one whistle and split it ten ways, then take 100 whistles and split them the same or in other words a 1000 whistles can come from appreciating the variations ( just as well as the totally different models. ) in a hundred whistles with 900 variations !!!

Now you’ve multiplied your hobby so as to never get bored, hemmed in or even broke :-), despite not always seeing completely new whistles.

Great huh ??

Worked well today in getting another DeCourcy escargot on auction. Rather cheap too. No big deal really, but real time fun.

—square top knop like a couple others here, really not that rare, however not seen a lot. Unusual stamp, but just another stamp after all is said and done. However the stamp also has MADE IN ENGLAND and his rarely do…so whyyyyyyy ??

Don’t know—-need a closer look, then sell it off I guess.

This studying is work…

Filed Under: Collecting

whistle chains

October 31, 2014 by

The thing about whistles is that the more you think about it the more impossible it is to separate them from their chains, lanyards, button straps, strings or whatever !!!

Sure there are a certain few that had not hole in the knop to put a string, but then these elaborate knots were used to tir around the top ‘holeless’ knop.

In fact, of all the whistles we have ever had here, there is only ONE that you could not put a string around the top.

Unless you count all those extractor whistles

and those multipies with no rings

and those tin sirens

and those roundlets, compass combinations, escargots without knops, slide whistles

Now wait a minute, what were we talking about ?? Oh yeah, how one carried their whistle around….

Filed Under: Uncategorized

whistle show-another

October 30, 2014 by

why yes – 2 shows in a row !!! We are going to Puyallup 🙂   ….. next weekend, the 7,8,9th

Gotta admit, 3 days off and away from home is almost better than three days of whistle talk.

Got a live in house sitter so can’t worry toooooo much.

Really been working on necklaces lately. You think WHAT ?? That’s not whistles !! But WHOAH, yes it is !!!!!

Here’s the direction we are taking just for fun. Our entire necklaces will be purely vintage whistle stock !!

Try this on for size—-Bent and Parker 1894 patented plural whistle in mint condition. You KNOW how hard they are to find. Perhaps one every year pops up. ( I LOVE the design of this particular whistle and its totally unique approach — and nobody has ever followed it up ) Combine this great whistle with a long continuous BELCHER chain purloined from  a nickel silver military presentation whistle. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE belcher chain.

WOW what a combination !!! TOTALLY vintage and TOTALLY whistle created, even the small rings are from antique whistles

How about this ???

circa 1910 COPPER siren out of the USA with darkened steel patina top knop. Then add to this partial very darkened patina ‘ship link’ steel combined with another unique link incorporating a snaffle bit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WAY COOL — no way there will be another one of these !!! And created purely from vintage whistle stock. ALL created by TWG from yeeeears of collecting.

Next will ne nickel silver variations of chains, rings and hooks….Oh and a whistle to die for 🙂

Pix ???? Hmmmmm….

Filed Under: Buying & Selling

whistle use

October 29, 2014 by

Took a whistle with me to work today. I’ve been wondering, perhaps you too… How in the world did anyone carry around and use those giant KING whistles made by Hudson ?? This one was circa 1885 plus.

At FOUR inches long they are definitely not lightweights !!! So I skipped the chain and button hook. Then I put it in my pocket where it quickly sank to the bottom and leveled out sideways. I had a couple of ear plugs for the jobsite in there too and use them when those terrifically loud pile drivers are going on. So they of course interfered with beach other.

Uncomfortable with that I separated them. Then the challenge of what to do with my keys. Habits must have been different 125-130 years ago !!!

So far this experiment wasn’t revealing much at all. Then it dawned on me !! I need a chain and button hook, Not just any button hook, but one of those special whistle button hooks like no other.

Now which button do I choose ….

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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