The Weekly Screw and The Occasional Screw and The Daily Screw from The Virtual Corkscrew Museum

The Virtual Corkscrew Museum's Weekly Newspaper

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Number 537

From the Desk of the Editor

This issue is about corkscrews you won't see on the International Correspondence of Corkscrew Addicts auction website (http://www.auction.icca-corkscrew.com/). You won't see crap like this because there is a committee of experts who review each listing for authenticity before it goes live. You will see things like this on eBay because they are clueless. Even if you tell eBay, the listing stays until the finish. They don't care - they are just after $$$, €€€, £££, and other currency. The ICCA auction committee on the other hand wants to weed out the fakes, frauds, and fantasies to make sure corkscrew collectors get a fair and honest deal.

We've discussed this problem many times in previous issues and shown numerous photos of fakes, frauds, and fantasies. No, we can't stop it. But at least we can try to educate our regular readers so they don't throw their money to the wind. Unfortunately, however, there will always be people who do. People who don't care to learn about what they are buying. People who support the sellers who offer this new merchandise as old by bidding like nut cases on their stuff.

There are modern reproductions of rare patented corkscrews and there are productions where someone takes a worm and sticks it in some sort of handle and dubs it a rare corkscrews. Which it ain't!

What really got my dander up this time is the number of "vintage bone carved corkscrew" offered by one seller over the past month. The seller is in Hong Kong and offers not only corkscrews but bone carved letter openers, needle cases, pie cutters, sniff box, toothpick holders, napkin rings, rulers, and much more. Search seller gogocrafts completed sales on the eBay advanced search page or check the feedback page. Look at all the listings. Can one really think this person is selling old stuff? I guess some do because they are buying! And ... they are leaving 100% positive feedback!

Go back and look at this issue published in April of 2003: http://www.bullworks.net/daily/gallery.htm. See all those bone carvings? Well, now, this gogocrafts has evidently discovered the Mother Lode. Let's have a look at just a handful of the many pieces gogocrafts has sold:

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CORKSCREWS CARVED TWO WAITRESSES AND A COOK , WITH BRASS SCREW , IN EXCELLENT CONDITION , THEY ARE VERY USABLE AND RARE WHOLE SET TO COLLECT. "

There were six bids. The trio sold for $455.00 with a shipping charge* of $50.00.

*Shipping charges range from $30-50 from this seller!

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED TRACERY CORKSCREW WITH BRASSSCREW .IT IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION , IT IS A GOOD ITEM TO OWN."

There were seven bids. It sold for $56.

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED OWL CORKSCREW , VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED MAN WINE STOPPER , WITH FINE DETAILS , IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, THEY ARE VERY USABLE , GOOD ITEMS TO COLLECT."

There were four bids. It sold for $112.50

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CORKSCREW CARVED FROG HEAD AND WITH BRASS SCREW . IT IS VERY USABLE AND A GOOD ITEM TO COLLECT.

There were nine bid. It sold for $108.50.

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CORKSCREW CARVED HORSE HEAD AND WITH BRASS SCREW."

There were eight bids. It sold for $97.00.

Described as "OLD IVORY COLOR BONE CARVED HAND CORKSCREW , WITH BRASS SCREW."

There were seventeen bids. It sold for $202.50.

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CORKSCREW CARVED THREE HORSE HEADS , WITH BRASS SCREW."

There were seven bids. It sold for $66.55.

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CARVED DICE CORKSCREW, WITH BRASS SCREW."

There was one bid. It sold for $29.99.

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED COOK & WAITER , WITH BRASS SCREW."

There were four bids. The two pieces sold for $109.16.

Described as "WONDERFUL VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED DUCK HEAD & WHEAT , WITH BRASS SCREW."

There were 2 bids. It sold for $51.55.

Described as "VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CORKSCREW SCRIMSHAW MAP & SHIP , WITH FLOWER PATTERN AT THE BOTTOM AS DECORATION , WITH FINE DETAILS , IN EXCELLENT CONDITION ."

There were six bids. It sold for $89.00 plus a $40 shipping charge.

And how about this one!!!:

Described as: "THIS VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CARVED DOG CORKSCREW , WITH FINE DETAILS , IN GOOD CONDITION , IT IS VERY USABLE AND A GOOD ITEM TO COLLECT."

There were 31 bids but only 3 bidders. It sold for $565.00 plus $30 shipping.

The common denominator in these "bone carved" corkscrews is the crappy worm. If you like them, you might want to put a couple examples in your collection but don't pay a lot of money. There will, I'm sure, be many more to come on eBay. I must admit that I have several of them in my own collection. I paid too much when the first ones came to light several years ago. Since then a bought a couple when they were dirt cheap.

For the good stuff at auctions, I'll stick to the ICCAuctions.

Thank you for reading my tirade!

Don Bull, Editor

News Index

The Virtual Corkscrew Museum

	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CORKSCREWS CARVED TWO WAITRESSES AND A COOK , WITH BRASS SCREW , IN EXCELLENT CONDITION , THEY ARE VERY USABLE AND RARE WHOLE SET TO COLLECT. " There were six bids. The trio sold for $455.00 with a shipping charge* of $50.00. *Shipping charges range from $30-50 from this seller!
	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED TRACERY CORKSCREW WITH BRASSSCREW .IT IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION , IT IS A GOOD ITEM TO OWN." There were seven bids. It sold for $56.
	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED OWL CORKSCREW , VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED MAN WINE STOPPER , WITH FINE DETAILS , IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, THEY ARE VERY USABLE , GOOD ITEMS TO COLLECT." There were four bids. It sold for $112.50
	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CORKSCREW CARVED FROG HEAD AND WITH BRASS SCREW . IT IS VERY USABLE AND A GOOD ITEM TO COLLECT. There were nine bid. It sold for $108.50.
	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CORKSCREW CARVED HORSE HEAD AND WITH BRASS SCREW." There were eight bids. It sold for $97.00.
	Described as "OLD IVORY COLOR BONE CARVED HAND CORKSCREW , WITH BRASS SCREW." There were seventeen bids. It sold for $202.50.
	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CORKSCREW CARVED THREE HORSE HEADS , WITH BRASS SCREW." There were seven bids. It sold for $66.55.
	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CARVED DICE CORKSCREW, WITH BRASS SCREW." There was one bid. It sold for $29.99.
	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED COOK & WAITER , WITH BRASS SCREW." There were four bids. The two pieces sold for $109.16.
	Described as "WONDERFUL VINTAGE IVORY BONE CARVED DUCK HEAD & WHEAT , WITH BRASS SCREW." There were 2 bids. It sold for $51.55.
	Described as "VINTAGE IVORY COLOR BONE CORKSCREW SCRIMSHAW MAP & SHIP , WITH FLOWER PATTERN AT THE BOTTOM AS DECORATION , WITH FINE DETAILS , IN EXCELLENT CONDITION ." There were six bids. It sold for $89.00 plus a $40 shipping charge.