For the past 7 days, many of us were watching closely on a rarely seen Frary Patent Corkscrew.  Although it just hung out in the $200 range, final sale price estimates were frary broad at $500 up to a whopping $3000!  Well truth be told, it ended at $901.  Sorry JL, maybe next time!


And then...
Several Syroco corkscrews were listed in the last couple hours!  2 Painted Waiters, 1 Stained Waiter, AND a Large Head Black Bull Dog!  Beware.....Snipes are set!

And then...
I received a very special package today.  Inside was a Syroco Full Bodied Indian corkscrew!  This is a duplicate for me, so if you need one, email me at SYROCOKID@GMAIL.COM.  And to boot, included were 2 Chicago World Fair Corkscrews!  A very pleasant and unexpected surprise!  I love freebies!  Thanks SB!

I did fail to note that Mark did in deed recognize the Red Balls as Fire Grenades!  How he knew, I don't know!  BUT I wouldn't be surprised if he was in Bellingham, WA trying to beat me to the next shop last week!  Good Job Mark!  

Last week I struck a deal for a Syroco Clown.  He has arrived on the Island safely.  Although he has only been here less than a day, "De Master Gardener" has already made a substantial trade offer!  It's too soon to make any quick decisions, but it's fun to entertain!

It still seems to be a "Buyers" market!  Good deals are slipping through all over.  A Colonial Pigs Butt went for $22 and a Diamant sold for only $86!  I'm sure someone is happy today!  I did manage to score another full bodied Syroco Indian though.  :-)  Pics when he arrives.

As for me, my listings ended pretty bad.  I let a Small MOP w/sterling go for only $123 and my T&C only hit $113.  Both to the same bloke in Canada!   Errrrrr!  Guess I should have put in some reserves!

Now for the UGLY!  Well, it's actually a BEAUTIFUL piece!  A Thomason w/ Gothic Windows was listed today.  As luck would have it, I was the first collector on the listing.  "Sweet!" I thought, "Josef is out of town, Mark is busy watching his NYC Stein gain bids, it's past Robert's bedtime, and who knows what time it is in Europe!  I've got the boys beat on this one for sure!"  No sooner than it had appeared, it then disappeared!  It wasn't ended early, but simply just removed.  This is the only proof I could uncover, that it did appear.  Rat!!!

The Red Balls are actually "Fire Grenades".  They are made of glass, and painted red.  There is a white liquid inside.  Fire Fighters used them way back when.  It was a 6-pack case, but only 4 grenades left.  Tempting @ $69 but what would I do with them?  Worth a free picture though!

Here is the latest arrival to the island!  A "Schlitz Globe" Corkscrew.  This is a very unique piece that has a rather large wooden ball in the middle of the handle and a very cool bell.  The bell rounded like a globe with "Schlitz" across it.  Just like the Schlitz Beer Logo!

Over the past several years, corkscrew reproductions are becoming more abundant in the market place.  They are small, look cool, look old, and a real potential for fast cash!  BUYER BEWARE!

Here are some that are currently listed on my favorite auction site.


There is no doubt that they are beautiful corkscrews.  Heck, I almost set a snipe for one!  But, I emailed a fellow collector about the seller, and was informed that they are indeed "Very Good reproductions".  Please don't be "that guy" and buy one of these!  If nobody bids, there will be no reason to continue making more FAKES!  So BEWARE of the seller LUNDBERGBRO.  He is out of California. 

Better yet, just save your PayPal for the ICCA Auction!  These are all screened listings for authenticity and quality pieces.  The next auction is in April. 

A real surprise arrived on the Island today!  A Golden Syroco Waiter!  No, this is not a prototype, or even a corkscrew for that matter.  A fellow collector has taken his passion for Syroco to the next level!  The Waiter is by far the most common Syroco corkscrew, and the Golden Knight is one of the rarest Syroco Corkscrews.  Well if you put the two together, this is what you get.  A fantastic gift, perfect for any Syroco Collector!  Thanks Blood!

Well.....15 antique shops / malls later, I've only got 3+1 corkscrews to show for it.  AND they all happen to be at the same mall.  First is an odd direct pull, which is assumed to be German, considering there is a spring on the shank! (do those springs even work?)  Next was a Harper Clough w/ cap lifter.  The third is a Williamson, with a kinda long helix.  About 1/2 an inch longer (don't we all wish our worms were a 1/2 inch longer?).  The +1 is that crappy corkscrew hanging from it, as I would never actually pay for that one!

A little challenge for all of you!  When ever you go out hunting, you're bound to see something interesting that you've NEVER thought you'd see or even knew existed.  Well, you tell me.  Anyone know what these red balls are?  HINT:  They could save your life!

It may be early, but I've got a 3 hour drive ahead of me!  I'm heading towards Canada to untapped territory.  Hopefully Wayne and Noel have not crossed the boarder any time recently! 

Hopefully pictures later.

I'm sure you've all seen the Schlitz Globe Corkscrew with the starting price of $100.  No bids obviously for the last 2 weeks.  SO, this seller decided to list it with a BIN or BO starting at $150!  Goodness!  Well, I wasn't having any of that BS, so I started working it.  A couple offers later, and BAM!  I love saving "66.66% off the BIN price"!  Hopefully the pics are VERY BAD PICS. 

As mentioned yesterday, I have secured a Syroco Clown for the collection!  Thanks to a friend of a friend (now a friend) who was offered it by some dude whom he turned down, but I heard about and then got a referral, which resulted in making friends with dude and then negotiations, which ended in everyone's favor, but most notably a clown for me!  Thanks to all involved!

I had a few listings end yesterday, SO I figured I'd battle the Monday Blues and ship everyone's loot on time for a change.  Little did I know the post office is closed today for "Presidents Day".  And then I realized that there wouldn't be any screws in the box today.  RAT!  I hate Mondays!

To boot.....

Me and JL were chatting a bit and we arranged to go halves on an auction of misc corkscrews.  In the lot was a Walker button AND a Goodyear Patent.  Too bad I forgot to set the sniping elves!  Kudos to Wineleopard for picking up my slack!  Errrrr!  Mondays!!!!


And that's not all....!

As soon as I got home, I hit the watch list.  There it was, as German Double Spring at a mere $182 with 5 min left!  I quickly placed a strong bid.  High bidder!  Then came the sniping elves......  Kudos to Bxantiques.  Errrrrr.....Mondays!


Anyone got this?  Drop me a line at syrocokid@gmail.com  Let's make a deal!

 Chalk it up!  Another flash arrived on the island yesterday.  It's from "Chicago's New Zoo at Brookfield, ILL." and has 2 monkeys pictured. 

Been working a deal for this little guy.  The deal is just about complete.   I'm almost excited!  Will be when I have him in hand....

The other day I was clicking through my searches, and there it was!  Ladies Legs for $25!  The knee high stockings too!  Click click click!  Got'em!  Score!  Now lets look at the listing.....oh, they are the reproduction pair.  Rat!  BUT, they are the 1970's version, and come with the box.  So, still an ok buy. 

I'm sure most of you guys were able to attend, but I wasn't born for another 43 years.  The 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair was a spectacular event celebrating "A Century of Progress".  There were many souvenirs sold at the show, including CORKSCREWS!  Here is my latest addition to the collection.  Anyone got some other pieces with the advertising plaque?  Email me at Syrocokid@gmail.com

 

The past few days I've been scouring the coastline for untapped territory.  I headed down to the tip of Oregon, and then up US 101 to Aberdeen, WA.  I must have hit about 14 "new" malls and shops along the 450+ mile trip!  There were plenty of nautical items, and TONS of antiques from the orient.  Since there were only 2 corkscrews to find, I decided to gamble on a Mah Jongg set.  Also, I was able to score 3 antique condom packages.  Not that I need them right now, but as entries for a little challenge amongst the guys.  Recently one vintage tin sold for $3500!  Hence the challenge was born.  Wish me luck!

Early this morning, I received an email offering me a carved tusk corkscrew with an Elephant on it with sterling accents.  I'll take that over coffee any day!  Too bad there weren't any pictures attached.  I quickly requested some pictures and waited patiently.  I could only imagine what the seller had in mind for a price.  Since I got a 7" Carved Elephant w/Sterling in December for CHEAP, I was hopeful for a CHEAP asking price.  "Sure!  I'll pay $100!  Heck I'll give you $20 for shipping and insurance too!"  Way to get your hopes up Tommy!  I must have checked email about 50 times today!  Nothing.  Well, it's obviously late at night, but I'm happy to finally see some pics and not happy to see the price.  It's a beautiful piece, with a price tag to match.  Anyone got an extra $925 to spare for a carved elephant?

The NFL Superbowl is the #1 viewed program throughout the entire world.  Yes, even I put aside my corkscrews to watch the game.  At first it looked to be an easy win for the Steelers.  Numerous mistakes were made by the Cardinals, but towards the end they were actually ahead.  Then came the classic touchdown pass, with only seconds left in the game.  The Steelers became the only team in history to have won 6 Superbowl titles thus far.   Kudos to the Steelers.

Now for a small note worthy of noting.....

Anyone interested in a 1934 French Serre Folding Bow w/prongs for under $329?  How bout a Nickel Plated King's Screw for $177?  Or a 6-Tool Faceted Bow w/case for $165?  YES!  There are many deals to be had!  Too bad the hammer dropped on these items over recent weeks, and not in my favor.  Kudos to the winners of these pieces.