Most who pick up a corkscrew to open a wine bottle are focused on the delights of what’s inside the bottle, but there are those who delight in the corkscrew itself. While the basic corkscrew seems simple enough, there is an amazing array of different corkscrew designs with various hinges, buttons and other contraptions for getting the cork out of the bottle, as well as corkscrews in novelty shapes like birds and swords. No one knows who first came up with the idea of the corkscrew, but it was mentioned in various publications during the 1600s. The first patent for a corkscrew was taken out in England in 1795, and since then inventors all over the world have been patenting their improvements to the corkscrew.
Corkscrew enthusiasts and those interested in learning more about collecting corkscrews will enjoy visiting The Virtual Corkscrew Museum website. This site has a little bit of everything, including corkscrew jokes, corkscrews in the movies and corkscrews in poetry. There are postcards with corkscrews, linens with corkscrews and corkscrew neckties. These guys are REALLY nuts about corkscrews. There is also an extensive list of reference books about corkscrews as well as plenty of photos of unique, collectible corkscrews. To top the site contains the archives of their newsletter, The Weekly Screw, which includes all sorts of information about corkscrews.
Another great site is Corkscrew.com, which has a gallery of antique corkscrews, a list of corkscrew clubs and organizations, books, and tips for identifying a collectible corkscrew. There is also Corkscrew.net, where you’ll find more corkscrew societies from around the globe, as well as tips for classifying and caring for corkscrews.
