so it makes one think….were any whistles used in the civil war ?? Are reinactors using them today ??

The reason one wonders is that 1870 seems to be a threshold for whistles.

In the UK Yates put out a catalog of whistles in 1870, but before that ??? Well, Richard Porteous decades before – the Field Pipe, certainly for the military.

In the USA who made whistles prior to 1870 ??

True there is Banks and Brother ( Thadeus and Samual ) who invented the dual tube, thinwall. — 1864 ( right in the middle of the civil war time.

Perhaps another patent here or there.

However enough to supply the civil war ???

Perhaps wooden ones or horn or ???

Causes one to e-examine what was assumed. No other major whistle came on to the scene in the USA until 1881 when the BGI 601 bullet for hunters and the Bean police.

gotta look into this further huh ?? Your thoughts ??

been really busy putting things together for the spring show and wow it really is spring early !!! 60 degrees already !!!

But during this time it comes to mind…what is a Civil War whistle ??

Seems simple yeah, but is it ??

As soon as someone puts it in a book, it is so correct ??

Like the BGI pewter and even lead round whistles that are pictured and then repeatedly promulgated as Civil War whistles ???

The problem is that those whistles were made 13 years after the war ended in 1865 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmm……..

patina is always an interesting subject, I guess because it is so subjective 🙂

Watching on eBay there has been a run of whistles by a seller lising them as 'superb' and they are all cleaned and shiney and polished up.

They also have been very slow to sell. — Why ???

Perhaps because in the antique business people want age. However in many antiques dents and scratches are acceptable. Whistles are more like old coins though, we want them old but not worn.

Oh well, want, want, want. In the end just not polished up. Polish off all that patina and mostly the whistle is ruined. The exception being if you have to repair it, then you pretty much have to start over and hope the patina catches up quickly 🙂

Favorites ??

nickel silver when it has that silver, but shightly yellowish and cloudy look.

Copper. dark brown but without any green corrosion ( verdigree might be acceptible)

brass, dark brown but dark golden is great too

silver, dark grey

chrome — none

nickle plated over brass–tough one. Not much of a patina, but I will take what I can get ???

Then there is wood, horn, hoof, etc. love that old oiled, darkened, look and feel after the color has changed hue from fresh and shiney to faded and old starting at about 100 years old !!!

even the word patina sounds better huh ??

Are your eyes as bad as mine ?? Or is it hard to see those small letters at times?? Or even inside the windows at the innards of your whistles ??

Then you probably need help ??

That is where magnification helps.

But what kind ?? There are a lot of types and some are a waste of money aren't they ??

Plastic is usually a far cry away as it scratches 🙁

And magnifying glasses that are on stands are great looking at but not through, the stands can get in the way of the glass or be at tough angles it seems.

I really like those large old metal ones that swing around and are attached to the table with a spring lifted arm. The doughnut shaped light under the hood is strong and right on the whistle —– hands free. Well at least free to hold the whistle 🙂

Then again one always needs a portable, hand held onewith or without a handle and even a couple of different shapes or types are great. The optical higher end capability is really needed for all those small things to see.

Those little ones on a stand seem to be more looks than function.

Lastly my favorite is the headset. Just a simple binocular type optic headset that is rather cheap turns out great !!

However one day I would like to step up to a double or triple magnification … you know, like the surgeons use in those TV shows and movies…..someday