Oldest Corkscrew @ The Old Corkscrew
by Jeremy Astfalck
| 3 January, 2006 |
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An example of the first patented corkscrew, patented in 1795 by the Reverend Samuel Henshall, an English clergyman.The festive season is a time of year when many a bottle of wine is opened and enjoyed. The basic tool that opens a wine bottle has been around for many years and the earliest corkscrews have their roots in the implements intended to unblock early gun barrels that had misfired. Antique dealer Jeremy Astfalck of The Old Corkscrew in Franschhoek has just obtained an example of the first patented corkscrew. This simple looking corkscrew was patented in 1795 by the Reverend Samuel Henshall, an English clergyman. Astfalck, a member of the South African Antique Dealers Association, acquired this rarity from the estate of a collector and says "These examples known as ‘Henshall button corkscrews’, are exceedingly rare and are a must have for serious corkscrew collectors." What made this corkscrew special was the addition of a concave disc mounted onto the shank that limits the penetration of the helical worm into the cork. Its purpose was to compress and turn the cork once the worm was fully inserted, thus breaking any bond that might exist between cork and bottle. Patented by Henshall and manufactured by Matthew Boulton in Birmingham, these corkscrews can be recognized by their Latin inscription found on the button "Obstando Promoves Soho Patent", which translates to "by standing firm one makes advancement". The price for this remarkable piece of wine related history is R45,000. |