Identifying an antique corkscrew is less about recognition and more about sequence. Most pieces can be narrowed to a country, a period and often a maker by reading four things in order: the type, the worm, the marks, and the materials. Once that sequence is disciplined, the field opens up, and the apparent variety of forms resolves into a manageable number of recognised patterns.
This guide is written around the corkscrews actually in our collection of rare antique and collectible corkscrews, which spans English direct-pull pieces from the 1730s, the main 19th-century English mechanical patents (Lund, Heeley, Wier's, Thomason, McBride's), French makers including Jacques Pérille and Lauret Siret, English Eyebrow corkscrews by Willetts and Hipkins, registered Continental designs, pocket and folding pieces, sterling silver vanity tools, a French dragon-head champagne tap, and a focused group of mid-20th-century figural pieces. Worked examples below are tied to those pieces.
It is written for collectors and first-time buyers who want to assess a piece accurately rather than guess at it.
How to Approach an Unidentified Corkscrew
Before reaching for a maker name or a date, read the object. Work through these four steps in order on any piece.
- Type and mechanism. What does it do, and how? Direct-pull, Eyebrow, frame, concertina, single or double lever, folding, champagne tap, figural?
- Worm (helix). Hand-forged irregular wire? Forged Archimedean (continuous flange)? Open auger thread? Modern mass-produced? The worm narrows period and quality.
- Marks. Maker's name, patent text, English Rd number, German DRGM, French Déposé, silver hallmark. A 10x loupe and raking light are standard.
- Materials and construction. Wrought iron versus forged steel versus cast brass versus cast aluminium. Bone versus ivory versus horn versus rosewood.
Only after those four do you start comparing against documented makers and patents. The most common mistake in the field is jumping to a maker attribution based on resemblance rather than marks or construction.
Direct-Pull and T-Handle Corkscrews
The earliest form, and the largest single category of straight-pull antique corkscrews in collector hands. The worm is driven into the cork and pulled out with no mechanical assistance. Handle materials seen in the field include wrought iron, turned steel, bone, horn, stag horn, rosewood, ebony, boxwood, hardwood, and silver. Many English Georgian examples retain a side brush in a turned ferrule, used to clear wax and cork dust from bottles.
Identification cues:
- Wrought-iron T-handles are the earliest English form a Western collector will normally encounter. The 18th-century English wrought-iron T-handle (c.1735–1765) currently in this collection is an example. The fibrous wrought structure of the iron is visible on close inspection and distinguishes these pieces from later forged or cast steel.
- Georgian English direct-pulls with cork grippers, small discs or buttons on the shank designed to grip the cork, are a recognisable category. The collection currently holds two: an English Georgian T-handle with cork gripper and brush (c.1790–1820), and an English Georgian piece with early cork gripper and side brush (c.1800–1830).
- Continental T-handles of the same period (often "possibly French" or "likely French") share the form but differ in detail: the brush rosette is usually larger, the worm is sometimes coarser, and the handle profile tends to be turned wood rather than horn or bone.
- Victorian English bone-handled corkscrews from c.1840–1900 are the largest direct-pull category. Look for original brushes (often missing on surviving examples), no cracks in the bone, and a worm that ages with the rest of the piece.
A worked example: the mid-19th-century bone-handled "speed-worm" corkscrew (c.1840–1870) in this collection is identified principally by its worm geometry, a coarser, more aggressive helix than the standard wire worm of the same period, which was designed to set into the cork in fewer turns. Speed-worms were a brief mid-century pattern; their condition in the collected market is usually a clear differentiator.
Henshall-type direct-pulls, fitted with a serrated guide disc above the worm to compress and stop on the cork, are a distinct English sub-form. The collection currently holds an English Henshall-type button corkscrew with serrated guide disc, turned steel shank and hardwood handle (c.1880–1900), which is a clean teaching example of the form.
Eyebrow (Finger-Pull) Corkscrews
Eyebrow corkscrews are an English category that often sits in the middle of typology charts and gets little attention. They are a clear strength of this collection and worth a section of their own.
The form: a cast frame (the "eyebrow") sits over the cork with a horizontal finger-pull above and a central worm below. The user winds the worm into the cork, then pulls upward through the frame against the bottle neck. Eyebrow corkscrews were trade tools, used by cellarmen, tavern keepers and hotel staff, and most surviving examples carry working wear. They sit alongside other antique frame corkscrews and wine openers in the collection.
Identification cues:
- Cast-frame quality. Crisp castings with sharp arises and clean cast-in lettering are the strongest pieces. Soft, rounded castings indicate later production or worn moulds.
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Maker mark, often in the cast body. English Birmingham makers represented in this collection include:
- C.T. Willetts Ltd (cast body, c.1910–1930)
- Willetts & Coneys Ltd with registered number 51221
- D.F. Hipkins & Son marked "Commercial" (c.1870–1910)
- G.F. Hipkins marked "Universal", a cellarman's cast frame with button
- An unmarked English Eyebrow (c.1890–1910) for type comparison
- Worm. Original worm matters as much as on a mechanical piece. Replacement worms on Eyebrow corkscrews are common because the worm is exposed and prone to bending or breakage.
- Finger-pull. Look for matching wear and patina to the frame. A bright, unworn finger-pull on an aged frame is a sign of replacement.
Hipkins (both D.F. and G.F.) and Willetts (both C.T. and Willetts & Coneys) are the most commonly encountered marked English Eyebrow makers. Marked, original-worm examples in unworn condition are the strongest collector pieces; unmarked examples are bought for the form.
Mechanical Corkscrews: The Main English Patents
Mechanical antique corkscrews use rack-and-pinion, double-action or concertina mechanisms to extract the cork without a separate pulling action. This is the category where maker attribution most clearly drives value, and where named patents matter.
Thomason (1802 Patent, English)
A double-action mechanism: the worm drives into the cork, then continued turning of the cross-handle lifts it out. Usually a brass barrel over a steel worm, with a turned bone cross-handle and a side brush. Often marked "PATENT" or "NE PLUS ULTRA" on the barrel. The collection currently holds a Thomason Patent corkscrew, c.1860–1880, a later production of the original 1802 mechanism, which is useful as a reference for what a working Thomason barrel and worm should look like at that date.
A patent date on the barrel does not mean the piece was made in that year. Date the construction, not the patent.
King's Screw (English, 19th Century)
A brass-framed rack-and-pinion mechanism with a turned bone cross-handle, a side winding handle, and a barrel enclosing the worm. The side handle is the visual tell. Genuine 19th-century King's Screws are scarcer than Thomasons and demand strong condition on the bone handle.
Lund of London (1855 Patent and Others)
The collection currently holds the TG 1.42 Rare Victorian Lund 1855 Patent Single Lever Corkscrew, London, England, a documented English mechanical from a respected London maker. Lund pieces are typically marked "LUND LONDON" or "LUND PATENT" on the frame; the lever pattern is the principal identifier and places the piece firmly within the antique lever corkscrews and mechanical wine openers tradition.
Heeley & Sons (Sheffield)
A core English mechanical maker. The collection currently holds three Heeley-related pieces:
- A Heeley & Sons barrel corkscrew (English, c.1880–1900), a standard barrel form by Heeley.
- A Victorian Wier's Patent concertina corkscrew, manufactured by Heeley & Son, c.1884–1895, Heeley's manufacture of the Wier's 1884 design (see below).
- A Rare James Heeley & Sons A1 Corkscrew under Burton Baker British Patent No. 2,950, dated 17 July 1880, a documented A1 reference piece.
Heeley & Sons pieces are usually marked clearly on the frame. The Burton Baker A1 is a recognised collector piece; the patent number is an unambiguous identifier.
Wier's 1884 Patent (Concertina)
A concertina lever mechanism, instantly recognisable by its stacked lozenge linkage. Marked variants include "WIER'S PATENT 12804 25 SEPT 1884". The collection currently holds an example manufactured by Heeley & Son, the canonical pairing, which is the version most commonly described in published references.
McBride's Patent (English)
A less commonly encountered English patent, currently represented in the collection. McBride's pieces are worth examining for the mechanism design itself, which sits outside the more common Thomason/Heeley/Wier's lineage. Confirm any attribution against the patent text on the piece.
Armstrong Concertina (Pre-1902)
The collection currently holds an Armstrong Concertina Frame Corkscrew, double lever mechanical, nickel plated, England, pre-1902. Armstrong concertinas are related to but distinct from the Wier's pattern; the linkage geometry differs and the marks are different.
Mechanical Corkscrews: French and Continental
Jacques Pérille (Paris)
Pérille is the most important French maker for collectors of frame corkscrews, and the most prolific identified maker in our antique frame corkscrew selection. The collection currently holds three Pérille pieces:
- Helice Frame Corkscrew with Fly Nut, nickel-plated steel, J. Pérille, France, c.1900–1920, the classic Pérille Helice pattern.
- French "DIAMANT" corkscrew by Jacques Pérille (Paris), late 19th century, a named pattern in the Pérille range.
- Perille Clawfoot handle corkscrew with bulbed shank, marked JP, a distinctive Pérille variant identified by the shank profile.
Pérille marks are usually a clear "JP" or "J. PÉRILLE" stamp. Marked pieces are easy to confirm; unmarked Helice frames in Pérille style require comparison with documented examples before any attribution.
Lauret Siret (Rochefort, France)
A regional French maker. The collection holds a T-Handle Corkscrew with Stag Horn & Silver Coin Inset, Lauret Siret Rochefort France, c.1900, a maker-marked T-handle with an unusual silver coin inset in the stag horn.
Kirkby Beard & Co (Paris)
The Paris house represented in this collection by an early French "Ducky" cap lifter, documented in the 2002 Christie's corkscrew sale. Christie's catalogue records are direct provenance; for any piece with an auction-house catalogue reference, the catalogue number and lot number are part of the identification record.
W. Sommers Patent (Germany)
A German "Duck-Bill" patent type mechanism, c.1897–1905, currently in the collection. German patent pieces of this period are usually marked clearly; the "Duck-Bill" form is named after the shape of the cork engagement.
DRGM (Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster)
DRGM is the German equivalent of an English Rd number, a registered utility model. A DRGM mark gives a firm earliest registration date. The collection holds a Record Frame Corkscrew, steel with turned wood handle, DRGM Registered, Germany, c.1926, a worked example for what the German registration system looks like in practice.
Italian Gemelli Design Patents
Two pieces in the collection, the Aluminium Italian double-lever Barmaid corkscrew and the Aluminium Italian double-lever Clown corkscrew, both under Gemelli's design patent, represent the mid-20th-century Italian figural double-lever line. These are post-1945 design pieces, not 19th-century mechanicals, and should be assessed and priced as such.
Pocket, Folding, and Travel Corkscrews
A diverse group, catalogued in our antique folding and pocket corkscrews collection, covering:
- Bow corkscrews, folding pocket types where the worm pivots into a flat metal bow. Often combined with a blade, button hook, cheroot cutter or seal.
- Folding knife corkscrews, penknife-style folding examples. The collection currently holds a mid-19th-century folding knife corkscrew with forged Archimedean worm and silver handles, c.1840–1875, where the silver handle scales and the forged worm together place the piece firmly mid-century.
- Roundlet pocket corkscrews, capsule-shaped travel pieces. The collection holds a sterling silver roundlet pocket corkscrew with Art Nouveau applied decoration, United States, c.1890–1910.
- Multitool bow corkscrews, bow forms expanded to carry multiple tools. The collection currently holds an antique folding bow corkscrew multitool with eight integrated tools.
- Double-folder travel pieces, two halves that fold together over the worm. The TG 1.207 18th-century double-folder traveller is among the rarer pieces in the collection.
Belle Époque novelty folders are a distinct sub-group. The German "Ladies' Legs" folding corkscrew (c.1900) and the Ernst Lesser folding shoes corkscrew are both in the collection. These pieces are recognised collector forms and should be retained under their historical names.
Champagne Taps
Champagne taps are tapered threaded shafts fitted with a small valve. They were used to pierce a cork without removing it, allowing a partial pour and a re-seal. A distinct sub-category that some collectors specialise in.
The collection currently holds an antique Dragon Head Champagne Tap with valve, late 19th-century French style, original case, ex-Thomas Guenther Collection. The original case is a value point, most surviving champagne taps are bare, and the dragon-head decorative form is a recognised pattern.
Identification cues:
- Threaded shaft, not a helix worm
- Valve mechanism in the body
- Often ivory, bone, silver-mounted, or decorative-handle
- Frequently sold as part of a cased set; surviving original cases are uncommon
Bar, Cellarman, and Combination Tools
Bar-mounted and cellarman pieces are the trade end of the field, built for daily use in hotels, taverns, and wine cellars rather than domestic display. The dedicated antique cellarman's corkscrews and wine tools selection groups these pieces together.
The collection currently holds:
- TG 0127 Victorian Wooden Handle Bar Corkscrew with Brush, Continental Europe Tavern Wine Opener, c.1880–1910, a working tavern piece with brush retained.
- Codd Bottle Opener Combination Corkscrew, turned wood handle, direct pull, England, c.1880–1900, a transitional piece tied to the Codd-neck bottle (a 19th-century soft-drink bottle sealed with a glass marble), often combining a cap lifter or marble tool with a corkscrew.
- The G.F. Hipkins "Universal" Cellarman's Corkscrew with cast frame and button, already covered under Eyebrow corkscrews above, but functionally a cellarman's tool.
Bar and cellarman pieces should be assessed for working wear, completeness (brushes, lifts and clamps frequently lost), and original finish.
Reading the Worm
The worm is one of the most reliable period indicators and is often overlooked. Three main forms are found on antique corkscrews:
| Worm type | What it looks like | When it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Wire worm | Simple round wire twisted into a helix. | Common on early direct-pull, Georgian, and pocket examples, and on many Victorian mechanical pieces. |
| Forged Archimedean (flanged) worm | Continuous flat flange wound around a central shaft. Looks solid. | Standard on quality 19th-century pieces, including the Mid-19th-Century Folding Knife Corkscrew in this collection, described specifically as "forged Archimedean worm". |
| Open auger-type worm | Proper screw thread, often with a sharper point and cleaner pitch. | Found on more engineered late 19th and 20th-century pieces. |
A replaced worm is one of the largest single value hits on any mechanical or early piece. Check the join at the top of the worm under raking light: an uneven ferrule, a different patina, or a solder line are warnings. Original worms age with the rest of the piece; replacement worms usually do not.
Marks: Patents, Registered Designs, Hallmarks
Marks are the shortest path from a piece to a confident attribution.
Maker's marks. Stamped into frames, shafts and handle mounts. Often faint. A 10x loupe and raking light are standard. Pérille (JP), Heeley, Lund London, Hipkins, Willetts, Sommers, Gemelli, and Lauret Siret are all clear stamps when present.
Patent text and dates. A patent date is the earliest possible date of manufacture, not the actual date. A piece marked "THOMASON PATENT 1802" could have been made any time the patent was being exploited. Use construction details, hallmarks and registered numbers to narrow the actual date.
English Rd numbers. Between 1842 and 1883, English registered designs carried a diamond-shaped "Rd" mark encoding day, month, year, and bundle. After 1 January 1884, designs carried a sequential "Rd No." mark. The collection includes a worked late example: the William Arthur Willetts Registered Bell-Frame Corkscrew, nickel plated steel, England, 1922 (Rd No 692453). An Rd number gives a firm earliest registration date, a piece cannot be older than its Rd registration.
DRGM (Germany). Equivalent to the English Rd system. A DRGM mark gives a firm earliest registration date for German pieces. The Record Frame Corkscrew, c.1926, in the collection is a worked example.
French Déposé. Indicates a registered design in France. Often paired with a maker's name (e.g. Le Couteau Clé "MULTIPLE" Déposé in the collection).
Hallmarks on silver. English silver corkscrews carry a hallmark set giving city, date letter, standard mark (lion passant for sterling), and maker's initials. The collection includes two worked examples: the TG 1.1923 Victorian Perfume Corkscrew, sterling silver handle, Chester, late 19th century, and the sterling silver scent / perfume bottle corkscrew by Cohen & Nathan, hallmarked Birmingham 1912. The Chester and Birmingham assay offices are the most commonly encountered for silver-mounted English corkscrews. For collectors who pursue the same hallmark discipline across mechanical objects more broadly, the horological antiques and watchmaking collectibles selection follows the same documentary approach.
Materials Seen in This Collection
Material identification matters both for value and for legal compliance on cross-border sales.
- Wrought iron on the earliest English T-handles (c.1735–1765 in this collection). Fibrous structure visible under magnification.
- Forged steel and cast steel on Victorian and later mechanicals.
- Brass and bronze on frames, barrels and figural pieces. Brass is yellow and softer; bronze is warmer-toned and harder.
- Nickel plating on late 19th and early 20th-century English and Continental mechanicals (the Armstrong concertina, the Pérille Helice, the Willetts Bell-Frame).
- Cast aluminium on mid-20th-century Italian Gemelli figural pieces.
- Sterling silver on hallmarked English vanity pieces (Chester, Birmingham).
- Bone, stag horn, rosewood, ebony, boxwood, hardwood for direct-pull and T-handle handles.
- Cast white metal on mid-century US figural pieces (e.g. the Rubal English Setter).
- Walnut on hand-carved European novelty figural pieces.
Collectors who follow precision-engineered mechanical objects across categories will recognise the same construction discipline in our antique scientific instruments and watchmaking tools: brass, steel and silver worked to high tolerances, with maker marks read in the same way.
Reading Mid-Century Figural and Novelty Pieces
Mid-century figural and novelty corkscrews are a distinct part of the field and should not be confused with 19th-century antiques. The collection groups them clearly: pieces dated 1930s onwards are explicitly labelled as such.
Identification points worth knowing:
- Hagenauer-style Austrian brass. The Vienna firm Hagenauer is the canonical reference for stylised cast-brass animal forms of the mid-20th century. Pieces "in Hagenauer style" without a Hagenauer mark are exactly that, stylistically related, not confidently attributed.
- Norwegian O.S.P. (Østlandske Sølv og Plett). A Norwegian silver-plate maker; pieces are usually marked.
- Syroco (USA). A wood-flour composition material moulded into figural forms. The "Old Codger" sculptural figure with hidden corkscrew (1940s) is a defining Syroco type.
- Rubal (New York). US white-metal cast novelty pieces of the 1950s–1970s.
- Sanderson's Vat 69. Promotional whisky-brand corkscrews, recognised collector items in their own right.
- R.M.M.V. Cape Town Castle. Union-Castle Line shipping memorabilia, c.1936 launch.
- CANFER (Industria Argentina). A South American combination tool, vintage rather than antique.
Condition, Originality, and Reproductions
Originality is heavily weighted in this field. Strong pieces share:
- Original worm (matched age and patina with the frame)
- Original handle (no repair, reattachment, or replacement)
- No cracks in bone, horn, or ivory
- Matching patina across all parts
- Clean mechanical action without play, slippage, or stripped teeth
- Original finish preferred over re-polish or re-plate
Re-plating is common on bar-mounted and figural pieces. It is not fatal to value but must be disclosed.
Reproductions to watch for:
- Late 20th-century cast brass figural handles sold as Victorian
- Thomason-type double-action pieces without genuine maker marks
- "King's Screw"-style pieces with crisp modern castings and suspiciously bright bone
- Mid-20th-century figural pieces sold as 19th-century
Telltales: castings with soft detail and visible mould lines, fasteners with modern fine-uniform threading, fresh-looking bone or stag on aged frames, worms that don't match the frame age, marks that are rolled or pantograph-cut rather than stamped.
A Simple Workflow for a Piece You Are Considering
- Decide the type and mechanism.
- Examine the worm. Original? Which form? Does it match the period?
- Search every surface for marks under raking light with a loupe. Photograph what you find.
- Read the marks: maker, patent, Rd or DRGM, hallmark. Date the piece conservatively from the latest mark.
- Identify materials, including any CITES-restricted components.
- Check condition and originality, including the joint between worm and frame.
- Compare against documented examples in published references and collector catalogues.
- Price against recent sold comparables, not asking prices.
A careful collector with this framework will consistently outperform a confident buyer without one.
Further Reading and Collector Resources
Active collector organisations include the International Correspondence of Corkscrew Addicts (ICCA) and the Canadian Corkscrew Collectors Club (CCCC). Both maintain research archives and member catalogues that are widely used as attribution and dating references. Auction-house catalogue archives, for example the 2002 Christie's corkscrew sale, which includes the documented Kirkby Beard "Ducky" cap lifter currently in this collection, are useful for comparable sales and provenance records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Eyebrow corkscrew?
An Eyebrow corkscrew is an English finger-pull cellarman's corkscrew with a horizontally extended pull above a cast frame and a central worm. It was a working tool for cellarmen and tavern keepers. Marked Birmingham examples by C.T. Willetts Ltd, Willetts and Coneys Ltd, D.F. Hipkins and Son, and G.F. Hipkins are recognised collector pieces.
How do I identify a Pérille corkscrew?
Pérille corkscrews are usually marked JP or J. PÉRILLE on the frame or shaft. Jacques Pérille was a Paris-based maker active from the late 19th to early 20th century. Recognised Pérille patterns include the Helice frame with fly nut, the named DIAMANT, and clawfoot-handle variants with bulbed shanks.
What does DRGM mean on an antique corkscrew?
DRGM stands for Deutsches Reichsgebrauchsmuster, a German registered utility model. It is the German equivalent of an English Rd number. A DRGM mark gives a firm earliest registration date for the piece.
What is a Wier's Patent corkscrew?
A Wier's Patent corkscrew is an English concertina lever mechanism patented in 1884, instantly recognisable by its stacked lozenge linkage. Genuine examples carry the patent text and were most commonly manufactured by Heeley and Son between 1884 and the mid-1890s.
Does a patent date tell me when an antique corkscrew was made?
No. A patent date is the earliest possible date of manufacture. Pieces bearing a patent mark could have been produced at any point while the patent was being exploited, sometimes decades later. Use Rd numbers, DRGM marks, hallmarks and construction details to narrow the actual date.
What is the most valuable type of antique corkscrew?
Named patented mechanical examples in original condition (Lund, Heeley including Wier's Patent and the Burton Baker A1, Thomason), 18th-century English wrought-iron T-handles, English silver corkscrews with full hallmarks, and rare folding novelties such as the Ernst Lesser folding shoes typically command the highest prices. Maker, mechanism, originality and provenance drive value more than age alone.
Apply This to a Real Collection
Our collection of rare antique and collectible corkscrews is documented using the same framework set out above. Each piece is described by type, mechanism, maker (where identified), marks, material, period, and where applicable provenance. Several pieces carry "TG" prefixes denoting Thomas Guenther Collection origin. Particular strengths include English Eyebrow corkscrews by Willetts and Hipkins within our frame corkscrew selection, named English mechanical patents (Lund 1855, Heeley & Sons including the A1 and Wier's, Thomason, McBride's), French Pérille frame corkscrews, 18th-century English wrought-iron and Continental T-handles, and Belle Époque and mid-century figural pieces. Companion objects appear in our rare antiques and curated collectibles selection.
Private viewings are available in the Netherlands by appointment, and we ship worldwide. Detailed additional photography of marks, joints and worms is available on request before purchase.