Corkscrews in London - 1998


After ballooning with Alf, Bonnie and I went to London for the 1998 annual meeting of International Correspondence of Corkscrew Addicts (ICCA). Here's what I brought home (and a few more):


Left: Our welcome package for the meeting included this fabulous multi-coloured double lever corkscrew in original packaging! The vibrant blue, red, green, and yellow colors make this a most memorable piece (!).

Two gifts from founder member Paolo DeSanctis were a pleasant surprise: A silver plated corkscrew and a plastic corkscrew / cap lifter with a built in lighter.

Guests speakers at the meeting gifted us with a "Gondola" waiter's friend and plastic "Thirst Aid" picnics.
At top center was another great surprise. Host Frank Ellis had this silver version of Hugh McBride's 1888 English patent made and engraved "ICCA 1974 - 1998."

Representatives of some modern corkscrew companies set up at a morning buy-sell-trade session offering, among other things, a screwpull knockoff "PowerPull" by Leopold, Vienna, a brass lever, and a brilliant Lazy-Tongs called the "Leaping Frog Corkscrew."
In the ICCA auction I bought the two stag handle knives at lower left. The first has a locking master blade and was produced by Anton Wingen Jr. in Germany. The second was produced by the Grafrath Brothers in Solingen.

The unusual banana shape French advertising knife was found in Portobello Road.

The knife with steel handles is called "Two-Way" Crown Cork Opener and has a 1929 English registration number.

The heads with worms sheathed by Scottish clothing were purchased from another ICCA addict.

The Monopol Bacchus corkscrew came with instructions in German.
I had never seen the cast black head before. I got bid up in the ICCA auction to a higher price than I really wanted to pay but, now that I'm home, it really is quite good and worth the price, I guess.

I traded for the 1930s Scandinavian drunks.

The champagne tool is by Ed Wüsthof, Solingen, Germany.

The other three corkscrews are modern.
I have several wall racks from ANRI, Italy which I use for displaying small corkscrews. These two I found in Portobello Road. The upper one has two hooks and the lower has five holes for pipes - I will put corkscrews in them.


The Leg Pull is currently marketed in Europe and North America. The English set includes a Scotsman, Rugby Player, Cricketer, Jockey, Gardner, Golfer, and Fisherman. There are also several soccer players showing logos of various teams.
The Leg Pull sold in the United States includes Basketball Player, Football Player, Baseball Player, Hockey Player, Golfer, and Fisherman. The packaging for the Fisherman is different than the English version.
Household Articles Limited is also producing the Bull Pull which is described as "The Ultimate Corkscrew. The design of this beautifully crafted corkscrew was inspired by the original 'Empire Double-Lever' of 1890. An ingenious combination of levers and links uncorks the bottle with minimum effort and maximum style." It does, indeed, work well.

Coming home and going to the mailbox has been rewarding in the past. Although there were no boxes filled with corkscrews, there were some bits and pieces that were of minor interest:
A Mouse with corkscrew tail.
A Champagne bottle champagne knife.
Two pixies for my pixie collection.
A composition golfer direct pull.
A bear sheath for a cap lifter with corkscrew.
One box that did arrive full had this ANRI barset. The waiter has a cap lifter, the seated men have corks, and in the top of the lampost is a corkscrew. The ballerina dances while the music box plays. A nice homecoming.


So it was slim pickin's but better than nothing!

email: corkscrew@bullworks.net

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©1998 Donald A. Bull