The Virtual Corkscrew Museum's Weekly Newspaper

The Spielbauer Twins

Josephine M. Spielbauer applied for a patent for a "Cap Remover" on September 15, 1913. United States Patent Number 1,116,509 was granted on November 10, 1914. The combination corkscrew and cap remover also includes a screwdriver and a Prestolite key.

Witnesses signed on the patent drawing were Robert M. Sutphen and A. I. Hind. Witnesses signed on the application were E. M. C. Stewart and A. Amundsen. The patent attorney was Watson E. Coleman.

Note the different worms on the twins. The web helix closes and fits inside the opening. The wire helix folds against the side keeping the point out of harm's way.

Examples of Spielbauer's patent have been found advertising "Rainier Beer" and marked "Pat. Pend". Rainier Beer was brewed by the Seattle Brewing & Malting Company.

An inquiry to the Seattle public library brought this response: "Attached are pages from two Seattle City Directories---1914 and 1910 including firm abbreviations and general abbreviations. It would appear Josephine Spielbauer worked as a stenographer and lived in a household with a relative (father? uncle? brother?) who worked as a bartender. The 1917 Polk's directory lists her as a bookkeeper for the Roesch Motor Car Co."

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House

On the April 11, 2007 television broadcast of House, House and Cuddy are boarding a plane at the airport in Singapore. They have come through security and House is in a wheelchair being pushed by a porter. Cuddy walks beside him. Behind him a mother carries a small crying child. House is unhappy and the following dialogue ensues:

House: It's an antique vintner's cane and it cost me 900 dollars.

Cuddy: It has a corkscrew in it.

House: Ahh, that would explain the 'vintner' reference...

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Empire Results

The closing price on the corkscrew using the description "Vintage Mechanical Corkscrew The Empire Patent Bottle Opener. Good condition. Several markings" from Belarus shown last week as a "Buyer Beware" was $335.11.

The auction was conducted as a Private Auction so the high bidder was not revealed.

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Amazing Wine Opener

This video has been around for some time. It is a must see. If you haven't seen it, click here.

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The Wedding Corkscrew

This article appeared in Australia's Whitsunday Times on April 13, 2007:

Man arrested after island stabbings

An idyllic island wedding turned into a nightmare this week after an guest allegedly stabbed his elderly mother with a corkscrew then smashed a bottle of wine over her niece's head.

Whitsunday police said a 36-year-old Victorian man has been charged with two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of unlawful wounding, after an outburst at a wedding reception on Hamilton Island last Wednesday.

Police said the man, who was believed to be drunk at the time, became involved in a domestic argument with his 73-year-old mother which escalated to physical violence. He allegedly stabbed the woman in the shoulder with a corkscrew then punched her in the face.

The man then allegedly turned on the woman's niece who had tried to intervene in the altercation, smashing a bottle of wine over her head. The 27-year-old woman sustained a gash to her head and required stitches.

Police said security officials on the island moved quickly to detain the man. The man appeared in Proserpine Magistrates court on Thursday and was given bail on condition he report regularly to police in Melbourne. He will return to the Whitsundays in the coming weeks for further court appearances. Meanwhile the two alleged victims have cut their Whitsundays holiday short and have also returned home to Victoria.

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