Cycling Whistles

December 24, 2011 by

–cycling whistles are on the docket today. Why isn’t more written on them ?? Well,  probably because not much is written on whistles at all !!! Just watched an Overman Wheel Company dual chamber whistle sell on auction for about 175.00 dollars US. — Hmph !!! Wasn’t even that good a shape !!! Dented…did I mention I hate dents ??? Well then, I will just have to list a perfect extra one I have and see what happens 🙂

There was a rather small window for cycling whistles in the course of history and thereby that makes them rather rare. Couple that with the fact that they were made light weight and it is hard to find them not all dented into steampunk hardware and there you have it…scarce as hens teeth to find one intact. Besides that what IS a cycling whistle per se ??? Seems to start with it should have something to do with cycling !!! ( der !! ) — on a stamping or a model number in an ad or catalog somewhere right ?? I mean sorta like police whistles ?? Yeah, you know how it goes. First you hear about cousin Emerus who worked for the police in ‘podunk outastate’ and carried this generic thunderer ( the name used for almost a century by whatever country wanted to stamp it on a whistle ) for  DECADES — so of course it is a GENUINE police whistle now right ?? — especially if it is for sale !!! Never mind the fact that it NEVER says anything about the police force he worked for OR even says police on the plain ole whistle at all.

Same with cycling ya think ?? Can’t just stick any ole whistle in your mouth and say ‘now I have a cycling whistle’ !!! Could do that with chewing gum for that matter.

Who made ’em ?? Overman made them of course, but also Hudson, De Courcy, F.L.Johnson, G&J made them, and of course there are siiiiiiirrrrreeeeeeens to consider…well they ARE a catagory and should be recognized and beyond that, think of all those cycling whistles going to those tough competitors of the cycling world ??? Whistle geeks — stand up for yourselves and snatch them back to where they belong. On the whistle boards and cabinets with the police whistles ….

Filed Under: Spotlight Research

Whistle Categories

December 20, 2011 by

got an interesting escargot in yesterday. I just love it when I get some whistles in and I am after one particular whistle in the bunch, but right NEXT to the one I want is a surprise !!! — Did that yesterday 🙂 — Just a plain looking escargot– kinda generic in the picture… but too plain maybe  ?? So I open the package and here is this escargot and it strikes me as odd….It has a brass knop ( as the plating is worn off from age ) but the front looks like steeeeeel ooooo……hmmm….interesting….. Then I turn it sideways and yup, steeeeel ( as you might have guessed I have been getting enamored with steel lately ) There is some plating still on ( very annoying really ), but as I glance it once over now I see that the entire escargot is steel – minus the knop ( ratz !! ) WOW !! Whata find !!! So next I trot ( well, almost ) over to the reference collection and scour the wall for steel escargots….nope, none. well maybe a couple candidates that are plated too well to see better. BUT I have only noticed plated brass myself !!! Not something one thinks about alot I admit. But I have been thinking about it a LOT lately, obssesing really. Yet isn't that how we learn ?? I mean obssessng and all ?? Anyway back to the surprise. That plating is bugging me so I steal over towards the shop and turn the electric wire wheel on and strip off the plating left. And now it is enitrely cleaned up. not polished though, I hate that, but just enough to soak and clean a little with WD40 and it is ready. I get a steeeel chain and hook to attach and it is ready for the wall !!!! so much to talk about –this subject of steeeeeel, but with who ????? Is anybody even listening ????

Filed Under: Collecting

Random Thoughts

December 19, 2011 by

getting down to the end of the year. I watched a couple rare triple dog whistles go to a whistle conneseur back east. He always has impeccable taste. Sure would like to show part of his collection and how it is displayed on the web pag, but ya gotta respect privacy and until permission is given,  then we wait 🙂 Closing out the year seems to be altering the whistle scene. Some are spending more and some less ( me less !! ) Getting ready for taxes makes one stare in disbelief—where did it all go ??? Oh well, gotta keep reminding myself, they are just whistles……getting ready for the next SPOTLIGHT — haven’t even made THREE available yet !!! BUT I am getting some help tomorrow night to make that web site findable 🙂 Yippee skippee !!!!

Filed Under: Spotlight Research

Website Making Headway

December 15, 2011 by

took a few days off recovering from the show in No. Cal. It went well. Back to work though. Finally got to a couple pages been wanting to get to for the website. First, was a really longtime goal — to show collections from everywhere. Granted my main interest is metal whistles, but who knows what will come in for posting ?? I was surprised already all the different styles of displaying. Some not at all, but stored in mulitlevel baxes with pull out drawers. I guess the hardest part  is to keep from duplicating. I can only imagine Whistle Willie keeping track of 10,000 whistles !!! Also we set it up to start showing what we have sold here and there,  to help keep the site going. What do you call your mania ?? Antique whistles ?? Rare whistles ?? Can’t just say whistles because inevitably you get asked–you mean like railroad whistles ?? —  then there is hand whistles and that sounds morose …. off to write some more….

Filed Under: Website

Heading to the Shows

December 2, 2011 by

Getting ready to take off for No.Cal antique show in Alameda. It is amazing what can be stuffed into a Saturn car !!! I get asked why such a small uncomfortable car ?? Well if one is going to live off whistle sales then he has to get 100 miles to the gallon, well 30 or over anyway. Time to dump a bunch of whistles — hopefully. Didn’t get the pictures taken over,  with WHITE backgrounds for the T Shirt order, but at least got the whistle prints back in time to take. Squeezed them into their shipping tubes — we’ll see if they are received well by the public. Do you know how HARD it is to take pix of a whistle display and still bring out the best from chrome to black oxidized brass ?? 2 YEARS on and off of bouncing light till most of the shadows are gone from the little hanging fellas and yet the high points of reflection minimzed. Thank goodness for digital !! Off to the races….

Filed Under: Buying & Selling, Collecting, Shows

It’s Showtime!

November 30, 2011 by

FINALLY got confirmation we can sell at the one day show in California ( Alameda naval base ) HUGE traffic there for one day and it IS an antique and collectable  show. FINALLY get to sell off whistles !!! Can’t believe what one has to buy just to peer  inside of a whistle and then have to sell off to keep from going broke in the process. Problem is that if you sell off, then the minute you do so, you need THAT one for your comparison research ARGH !!!!  Finished SPOTLIGHT 5 today ready for posting ( well proofing anyway ) still writing but going to a relatively invisible website !!! Oh well, one day soon. Going to get our whistle T-Shirts ordered tomorrow that should be fun. FINALLY things are rolling. But will whistle collecting ever take off ??? Do you know what the first two comments are evey time we do a show now ( done three ) first — WHISTLES !!! then…. WHO WOULDA THOUGHT ??………………………………………….. I’M DECOURCY’D out !!! short blog…    frazzled

Filed Under: Buying & Selling, Collecting, Shows

Alfred De Courcy

November 29, 2011 by

Wow, tackled a rather large topic this time !!! I am going to open up things with Alfred and a couple whistles that surfaced of his. So I thought to do a SPOTLIGHT on him first. Well then,  it is taking two articles — and then some. Just can’t get together enough variety from the reference collection to do him justice. BUT I certainly don’t want to pirate other peoples pictures and have no idea about the actual whistle to talk about do I ?? What do you think ?? Is it too far a reach to refer to Martyn’s books,  as if everyone has or will get them ?? He DID set the bar for whistle literature though didn’t he ??

Oh well, the ball is rolling now. I have almost half of PART one done. Early De Courcy whistles scattered all over my computer desk right now and as OCD as I can get it is killing me !!!! ARGH !!!! Can’t wait to show you what popped up and from Pakistan !!! Who’da thunk ??? Not me ( but there is probably a logical reason … or not ) So back to ‘feelin my pain’ here. He was a real craftsman and I will venture to say one of the top manufacturers. Of course collectors can be sooooo arrogant now can’t we ?? Wait till China opens up with all that history and craftmanship, or Germany comes more to light. But I digress…. back to Alfred.  Check out the SPOTLIGHT and let me know if I missed anything, or stepped out of line ??

Filed Under: Spotlight Research

Beginnings

November 27, 2011 by

Been writing for what seems a month now. In reality, more likely a week. Turns out it takes about five hours on average ( so far ) to write up one SPOTLIGHT for ‘the website’. I am into my 5th article now, so you can do the math. I ask myself why do I DO it anyway ?? Bottom line is that I have only a very few collectors to talk to about whistles ( and they are rather reticent most of the time), so my guess is that I have created a mirror image to visit with, sorta like when my father developed alzheimers and used to have random conversations with himself in his room ( i.e.office ). It has helped me a lot more than I thought it would though, collecting my thoughts and all, making me verify things that I thought I knew more about, really pinning down  missing information and what not. So here goes my first blog. Getting the website going has been no easy task either. Can’t afford to pay top dollar of course ( who can ? ),  so after several tries my daughter baled me out and is building The Whistle Gallery.com. Still getting to the For Sale section and that will probably be next year before I can start loading that up. Finally have our prints ordered and they will be here this week. I loved the print so much I have one framed and matted for the pool room here !! After all it was arranged from the different cabinets in the reference collection and doesn’t exist here anywhere now….except in the framed print. Now I have to learn about  watermarks and copyrights — ARGH !!!

Hope you like the website. Suggestions welcome.  It has a been brainchild for YEARS !!!! Finally a place where whistle collectors ( sorry, metal only, no tin 🙂 can cross paths at. We trade in a lot of whistles each year. But if you are serious about learning, it is like the woman said, “you have to kiss a lot of frogs” so we have to sell off regularly. We started selling at the Portland Expo and at Alameda naval base in California and that has helped to keep the collection down. Always a goal we work on. After 5 years of serious collecting we are proud to say we have no more than 700 in the reference collection. Compare that to Whistle Willie who has over 10,000 !!!! Well, makes us feel better anyway.

Back I go  to SPOTLIGHT 5… ( looks to be well over my average time )

Filed Under: Collecting
« Previous Page