Collectable vintage corkscrews

Cork seals have been topping bottles of wine since the early 1700s, at the same time of the proliferation of glass bottles for storing wine. The history of collecting corkscrews can be traced back to the 19th century, when corkscrews began to be produced in large numbers due to the growing popularity of wine. The earliest corkscrews were simple devices, such as the T-shaped corkscrew and the basic worm corkscrew, which were used to extract cork stoppers from bottles.

As the popularity of wine grew, so did the diversity of corkscrew designs. In the late 19th century, more elaborate corkscrews began to appear, including folding corkscrews, lever corkscrews, and combination corkscrews that incorporated other tools such as knives and bottle openers.

The first known corkscrew collector was Henry Bouchet, a Frenchman who amassed a collection of over 3,000 corkscrews in the early 20th century. Bouchet's collection inspired more... other collectors to pursue corkscrews as a hobby, and by the mid-20th century, there were several hundred collectors worldwide.

In the 1970s and 1980s, interest in corkscrew collecting surged, as collectors began to appreciate the historical and artistic value of corkscrews. Many collectors focused on specific types of corkscrews, such as those made from silver, ivory, or unusual materials.

Despite many wine bottles now having screw top closures, corkscrew collecting remains a popular hobby. The most valuable corkscrews are those that are rare or unusual, such as those with elaborate designs or those that incorporate unusual materials. Corkscrew collecting has become a specialized field, with collectors publishing books and articles on the subject and developing online communities to share information and trade corkscrews. less...