As tradition goes, at the end of each year, corkscrew collectors are to put together a selection of their most prized 6 corkscrews acquired for the year.  Some people email it to their clubs, some post on their websites or blogs, and some never do.  Well, I've come to a decision.  My Best 6 of 2009 are:

1.  1888 Fairchild's Patent - 14k gold and marked PAT. AUG. 21, 88
2.  1917 Brady Patent - Marked U-NEEK PAT'D
3.  Syroco Tramp - most would say this is more rare than the Golden Knight
4.  Sterling Pocket Corkscrew - Makers marks unknown
5.  Syroco Indian - Full bodied painted version
6.  1886 Woodman's Patent - Marked WOODMAN'S PATENT PAT'd JAN. 6. 1886



Not a bad year if I do say so myself!

I've been a fan of Syroco for about 5 years now.  No, not of their bookends, wall hangings, or BSA plaques.  Just the corkscrews, openers, and "go-with" related items.  AND of course any advertising items for the Syroco company itself (catalogs, print ads, retail signage).  These company items are the hardest to find.  About 2 months ago I found a seller who had an interesting piece that I've never seen before.  It was a 1963 Syroco calendar with "Syrocowood Syracuse Ornamental Co." across the top.  How cool?!  After numerous emails and an Auctioneer appraisal, I've finally got the piece in the mail.  A rare find to add to the Syroco collection.

From blogs to old catalogs ads, and quarterly newsletters to the Weekly Screw, corkscrews have been found in all types of publications.  For us corkscrew collectors, bout any "corkscrew news" is exciting.  Well while scouring Google for hidden treasures, I came across this article that was published yesterday.

 CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

Though there was no picture of the corkscrew weapon, I sure hope it wasn't an antique!

The "Name Your Poison" set arrived!  The set is complete and in pretty good shape.  Some minor finish loss on one of the cross bones, but everything else is great!  If you didn't know, the corkscrew is behind the skull and in perfect unused condition.  Original box and top too!  Just in time for Halloween!

It actually opened on Thursday night....  The auction committee upped the number of listings from 480 to 650!  Goodness that's a lot of premium corkscrews!  It's so fun to practically go through each listing.  And you know you are sure to see a few corkscrews you've never seen before or even knew existed!  I've only got a few listed, but my watch list has got more than a few on it!  Click on the link to check'em out!

http://www.auction.icca-corkscrew.com/index.asp

One usually has to sift through hundreds if not thousands of "common" or "hardly collectible" corkscrews on ebay to actually find a few worth bidding on.  Thank goodness for custom searches!  Well, I recently came across a listing that caught my eye.  It was for a 4 pc golf club corkscrew set.  I do try to avoid even looking at these types of sets as they don't quite do it for me.  BUT the holder is what was intriguing.  It was a Syroco German Shepherd Head mounted on the stand (it's actually a pipe rack, not a bar set holder).  (I saw this exact holder at a show in Portland several months ago, and couldn't bribe the dealer with enough cash to sell his "family heirloom".)  Anyways, it's a good example of what I classify as a true Syroco "go-with", as this exact figurine was produced as a corkscrew.  I was happy to pay 9x more for shipping this piece, than the actual winning bid!


If anyone else has a true Syroco Corkscrew "go-with" item, (clocks, clothing brushes, bottle openers, wall hangings, molds, tie racks, cigar holders, towel racks), drop me a line at syrocokid@gmail.com

It wasn't until recently (past 2 months) that I ever saw the skull and bones opener / corkscrew on ebay.  First the white one, then the black version.  THEN a full bar set was listed!  That was pretty cool and really got the bidders going.  Needless to say, I didn't even make the loosing bidders list with my snipe.  Well, all these sleepless nights have paid off!  This set is in route to the island!  Sorry for the bad pic.  Hopefully it looks better in person, than the photo they used in the listing.  But for the hammer price I got it for, who cares!

There is a seller on Ebay who actually CREATES Corkscrews, made to replicate an antique style or with a vintage look, with the intent of selling them off to Corkscrew Collectors at a premium.  He even uses authentic Walker Patent Fancy Shank Corkscrews to make his pieces look even more authentic! 

The seller name on Ebay is LUNDEBERGBRO.  They even have 2 websites where they sell these corkscrews. 

http://lundbergbros.com/corkscrews/index.html
http://www.canesandcorkscrews.com/corkscrews4sale/index.html

My biggest problem with this is that a real Collector may assume these to be real, and end up spending big money on these pieces that are not authentic.  Or one might discover them, second hand, at an antique venue, where they are being offered as antiques.  BUYER BEWARE!!

Admittedly, I've been off my game lately.  I've been one of the lucky ones to catch the flu this season!  It SUCKS!!  The doc says I should be back to normal by weeks end, but I'm hoping for sooner. 

  These days are hardly like the good ol' days of '08....  The only goodies I've been picking up are the occasional Flash here and there.  There have been some desirable pieces online lately.  A Strait Patent, a Woodman's, an Italian Zig-Zag thingy, a Golden Knight, and even a Royal Club!  Hope you boys are cleaning up while I'm down for the count!

Though not corkscrews, I came across this listing,  that I thought was pretty funny.  The listing is for 7 bottle openers.  The seller states that some of them may have celluloid handles, and that "A major undesireable characteristic of celuloid is that it is flammable.."  He then goes on to offer a demonstration of proving how flammable celluloid is by torching and opener on his grill!  Pretty funny!  I think I might make my next offering to the Corkscrew Gods this way....