Enough is enough!
Hi, my name is Peter Borrett. I live in a small village in Berkshire, England. I've been collecting corkscrews since 2002 & have a comprehensive collection, mostly based on English pieces, but with some notable French, German, Dutch & American pieces too.
It was clear when I started to collect corkscrews I would have to find a strategy to buy the better pieces as the family budget just about covered the normal household expenditure. My sales background saw an opportunity to buy & sell corkscrews to generate some cash to collect. I have been very fortunate that this approach has worked for me & my collection has totally been financed through my wheeling & dealing.
I have been very lucky over the years to avoid buying many fake corkscrews. My skeptical nature means I normally believe something is wrong unless I can prove it is right.
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Here I am with my girlfriend Teresa
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However, like most collectors I have been caught. I once bought a fancy folding bow, shown in the Ferd Peters & Bert Giulian pocket corkscrew book. Unbelievably, Ferd Peters bought it from me on ebay & sent it back as a fake! It's in your book Ferd - really! That's how bad it can be - Fakes referenced as correct in notable books.
I have bought box lots where corkscrew marriages have been included. Old brass ornaments with a period worms added or worse.
Over the years I have handled in excess of 10,000 corkscrews & during that period I've been lucky enough to only buy a handful of wrong pieces but only because I am a skeptic.
THE TROUBLE IS: Many collectors are overly trusting & take things on face value. If it's advertised as antique, old, 19th century, etc, they just believe it. Buying fake corkscrews, buying marriage corkscrews & also buying new corkscrews, sold as old, often aged to deceive.
Unfortunately, we will never stop fakes or the rogue sellers, we can however make it more difficult for them to operate & this is my intention with this Corkscrew Beware guide. I would strongly urge YOU to digest the information available here & to keep checking this guide for updates.
Get involved! Join the Facebook group "Corkscrew Beware" where collectors can discuss fakes listed on auction sites like ebay to help each other. Experienced collectors - PLEASE join the group & help others with your knowledge.
So you unintentionally buy a fake corkscrew & you immediately become part of the problem. The fake is in the system & you own it! The fakers & rogue sellers caused this problem & then give me or YOU the dilemma as to what we do.
Clubs should be at the forefront here. I don't belong to the major clubs & one of the reasons I don't is this: A UK collector I know in the overly trusting category, went to one of these meetings a few years back & spent £20,000 on fake corkscrews. The rogue seller had a table full of very rare patent fakes & was allowed to do so! Really? This is where I will no doubt get other collectors annoyed at me putting a negative spin on a positive, the positive being - corkscrew clubs. I say - look out for your own!!!
I could waffle on but I won't. Corkscrew Beware! Keep checking this guide for updates. Read & digest the many corkscrew reference books. If you are unsure about a corkscrew - avoid it or ask an experienced collector for advise. Join the facebook group, post pictures of anything that troubles you, comment & get involved.
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