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Corkscrews and Drinking Paraphernalia


Guest Smiling-Knife

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Guest Smiling-Knife

Birmingham was a major production centre for 19th cent and early 20th cent corkscrews. However, some of the Sheffield knife makers also made corkscrews. This pocket version was made by Christopher Johnson and Co, Western Works.

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... Christopher Johnson and Co, Western Works.

Kelly's 1893, Western Works, Portobello Street. Steel, file and Cutlery manufacturers.

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Guest Smiling-Knife

This maker is one I haven't heard of :o Have you got any more examples of his work?

Hi zorro. I have a few knives made by CJ. Will see what I can find and get back to you.

Thanks very much for the information Richard.

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Guest Smiling-Knife

Hi Smiling-knife

Did wonder why it says Champagne corkscrew surely you dont use a corkscrew on Champagne :wacko:

Sue

Hi Sue.... you are correct. The last 1/3 of the attachment is dull but ridged and was used for breaking the wires holding champagne corks before they became twist-off. This one shows a wire breaker a little more clearly.

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This has been on another thread, belongs here. Joseph Haywood, without a serrated doodaa. lol

Come into a nice little Thomas Turner of similar design, will post pics when able to, still got probs with camera :( :(

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Guest Smiling-Knife

This has been on another thread, belongs here. Joseph Haywood, without a serrated doodaa. lol

Come into a nice little Thomas Turner of similar design, will post pics when able to, still got probs with camera :( :(

Very nice zorro. Thanks for adding those to the collection. I found another Christopher Johnson bartender's knife.

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Still no joy with new camera :angry: got old faithfull out and fiddled with my exposure :rolleyes: managed to get this pic:-

T Turner & co ENCORE . Would estimate year of manufacture aprox 1903!!!!!!!

Edit. anyone know why my pics appear so small?

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Guest Smiling-Knife

Still no joy with new camera :angry: got old faithfull out and fiddled with my exposure :rolleyes: managed to get this pic:-

T Turner & co ENCORE . Would estimate year of manufacture aprox 1903!!!!!!!

Edit. anyone know why my pics appear so small?

That's a nice one zorro. I like that style. Here are a couple of adevertising from the 1920s I think. The Schwepps is a William Rodgers and the Fulham Crown Cork Works an unspecified Sheffield maker.

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Guest Smiling-Knife

I recently acquired these champagne nippers made by Thomas Turner & Co Sheffield circa late 1800s. They were used for cutting the wire cages holding champagne corks before they became twist off. If anyone else has any old wine-related items please feel free to post them.

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Hi Smiling-knife

Did wonder why it says Champagne corkscrew surely you dont use a corkscrew on Champagne :wacko:

Sue

The "Champagne corkscrew" shown in post #1 is different from the others shown in the way it is used, it is a levered cork extractor and not merely a cork "puller". It is built to a French design, common in France's 4 main wine regions Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne (the region, NOT the bubbly wine it produces) and Cote de Rhone so the name "Champagne corkscrew" probably owes more to the place of origin of the design than the drink it is designed to remove corks from.

To use the others you screw the corkscrew in, hold the bottle firmly and pull upwards using the body of the foldaway device to pull on. The leverage is zero, it takes a fair bit of force to get the cork out.

To use the Champagne corkscrew the screw is wound into the cork and the bit on the right hand side has 2 lugs (clearly visible) which sit on the glass rim of the bottle. The left hand part of the tool (the handle) is then pulled up. The lugs on the glass rim act as a fulcrum allowing the cork to be levered out of the bottle with considerably less force than the other designs shown.

The little short knife, often serrated is used to remove the shrink seal fitted over the cork and neck of the bottle.

The more common design of levered corkscrew in Britain today is the one with a circular collet around the screw to seat on the glass rim and 2 lever arms to push down on in order to lift the cork.

I have a French corkscrew from Bordeaux similar to the one shown in post #1 and I find it the quickest and most effective way of opening a wine bottle.

Now with all that talk of wine I must go and open a bottle!

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Guest Smiling-Knife

The "Champagne corkscrew" shown in post #1 is different from the others shown in the way it is used, it is a levered cork extractor and not merely a cork "puller". It is built to a French design, common in France's 4 main wine regions Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne (the region, NOT the bubbly wine it produces) and Cote de Rhone so the name "Champagne corkscrew" probably owes more to the place of origin of the design than the drink it is designed to remove corks from.

To use the others you screw the corkscrew in, hold the bottle firmly and pull upwards using the body of the foldaway device to pull on. The leverage is zero, it takes a fair bit of force to get the cork out.

To use the Champagne corkscrew the screw is wound into the cork and the bit on the right hand side has 2 lugs (clearly visible) which sit on the glass rim of the bottle. The left hand part of the tool (the handle) is then pulled up. The lugs on the glass rim act as a fulcrum allowing the cork to be levered out of the bottle with considerably less force than the other designs shown.

The little short knife, often serrated is used to remove the shrink seal fitted over the cork and neck of the bottle.

The more common design of levered corkscrew in Britain today is the one with a circular collet around the screw to seat on the glass rim and 2 lever arms to push down on in order to lift the cork.

I have a French corkscrew from Bordeaux similar to the one shown in post #1 and I find it the quickest and most effective way of opening a wine bottle.

Now with all that talk of wine I must go and open a bottle!

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Guest Smiling-Knife

Hi thanks very much for your post. I agree... the name Champagne Corkscrew does not refer to pulling corks on Champagne bottles. The notches rest on the lip of a wine bottle to provide a fulcrum to ease the lifting of the cork similar to many waiter's-friends corkscrews. What is unique about this one is that the surface of the attachment from the notches to the tip is serrated, but not sharp, and thus was designed to break the wire holding champagne corks before the cages became twist-off. Hence the name Champagne Corkscrew. It is a wine multi-tool or a multi-wine tool.

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Hi thanks very much for your post. I agree... the name Champagne Corkscrew does not refer to pulling corks on Champagne bottles. The notches rest on the lip of a wine bottle to provide a fulcrum to ease the lifting of the cork similar to many waiter's-friends corkscrews. What is unique about this one is that the surface of the attachment from the notches to the tip is serrated, but not sharp, and thus was designed to break the wire holding champagne corks before the cages became twist-off. Hence the name Champagne Corkscrew. It is a wine multi-tool or a multi-wine tool.

My French one from Bergerac has a seperate knife tool built in which has similar serrations along its length. Never used it on a wired champagne stopper but regularly use it to cut the seal off from a conventional corked wine bottle, - works a treat.

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My French one from Bergerac has a seperate knife tool built in which has similar serrations along its length. Never used it on a wired champagne stopper but regularly use it to cut the seal off from a conventional corked wine bottle, - works a treat.

Thought I'd post of picture of it while I have it on my computer desk in front of me

Also have a bottle of 2008 Dergerac red, - cheers! :blink:

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Thought I'd post of picture of it while I have it on my computer desk in front of me

Also have a bottle of 2008 Dergerac red, - cheers! :blink:

Dergerac :blink: , sorry, I mean Bergerac...Hic.. Oops, too much wine ;-)

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Here's mine also Made in France,

these images were created on my scanner

Definately a French design, this one is from a different wine region to mine.

Notice the knife is more curved on this one and not serrated, - clearly designed for cutting the plastic seal from around the cork this time.

Interestingly marked Moet Champagne on one side (a champagne from the Champagne region in eastern France)

But marked Courvoisier Brandy on the other (a Brandy from the western side of France)

Brandy is a spirit not a wine and is usually fitted with a push fit reusable cork stopper as it is unlikely that anyone would want to drink a full bottle of spirit in one go :blink:

So apart from cutting the seal the corkscrew would have little use here.

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I'm guessing that on that last one G.R. and a crown picture that it will mean

George Rex (King George)

This would date it to reigns of , most likely, George VI 1936-1952, the current queens dad

or possibly George V (1910-1935)

The crown symbol means that technically this item is "property of the crown" and is owned by the Government, - it is Government property, - but as anyone who works in a government department, - like the armed forces, equipment which is issued usually carries this mark.

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Thanks DaveH, that was my thinking re the GR but which George? No clue to the maker either, though it could have been Brum of course. Did many of the Sheffield makers contract for WD or government work?

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I'm guessing that on that last one G.R. and a crown picture that it will meanGeorge Rex (King George)This would date it to reigns of , most likely, George VI 1936-1952, the current queens dador possibly George V (1910-1935)The crown symbol means that technically this item is "property of the crown" and is owned by the Government, - it is Government property, - but as anyone who works in a government department, - like the armed forces, equipment which is issued usually carries this mark.

The ARROW MARK is the Government mark, everything that was made for the Government has that mark, even today. I used to work in the old Christopher Johnsons Western Works but at the time I worked there it belonged to John Donnelly a Cutlery manufacturer.

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