A specialist selection of straight pull corkscrews spanning roughly 290 years, from a mid-18th century English wrought iron T-handle to interwar Sheffield and Continental production.
The collection includes named English and French makers (Lauret Siret of Rochefort, Jacques Perille, C.T. Willetts and Willetts & Coneys of Birmingham, the Hipkins family of London, Firth of Sheffield, Cohen & Nathan), two hallmarked sterling silver perfume corkscrews, a documented Codd combination tool and a paired Sanderson's Vat 69 advertising set. Several pieces carry Egon Guenther Collection provenance and several are documented in published collector literature.
Worldwide shipping from the Netherlands. Private viewings by appointment.
Straight pull corkscrews are the earliest and mechanically simplest form of wine opener. The worm enters the cork by rotation, and the cork is removed by a direct axial pull on the handle. There is no lever, no rack-and-pinion gearing, no compound mechanism. The whole performance of the tool depends on the design of the worm, the security of the handle and the user's pull strength.
About this collectionThe most chronologically deep type in the corkscrew category
The form predates every other corkscrew family. Wrought iron T-handles with hand-forged Archimedean worms are documented from the mid-18th century. By the late 19th century the same fundamental design had absorbed the Henshall guide button, the Holborn ring shank, the integrated cleaning brush, the cork gripper, the perfume-bottle miniature variant, the advertising stamp and the cellarman's heavy-duty frame.
By the early 20th century the type had crossed into stainless steel (Firth of Sheffield) and Art Deco machine production. A serious straight pull collection traces that depth across roughly 290 years. The page sits inside the wider collectible corkscrews programme alongside the mechanical, folding and figural sister silos.
The straight pull is the most chronologically deep type in the corkscrew category, and a serious collection will trace that depth.
Main typesThe eight straight pull sub-types represented here
Together they cover most of the straight pull family as collectors define it.
T-handle corkscrew
A perpendicular crossbar handle on a vertical shank with a worm at the lower end. The dominant straight pull form. Handle materials in this collection include wrought iron (mid-18th century), turned hardwood, fruitwood, bone, horn and stag horn, with sterling silver appearing on the perfume sub-type. Shank construction ranges from one-piece hand-forged Georgian production through two-piece transitional early 19th century examples to lathe-turned baluster shanks of the late Victorian quality tier.
Eyebrow corkscrew
A cast or forged two-finger frame with arched arms that allow finger placement for a secure direct pull. Five examples in this collection, including the unmarked English late-Victorian example, the C.T. Willetts Birmingham piece (c.1910 to 1930), the D.F. Hipkins & Son London-retailed "COMMERCIAL"-stamped piece (French manufacture for English export), the registered Willetts & Coneys Ltd No 51221, and the G.F. Hipkins "Universal" cellarman's corkscrew with a button.
Henshall-type button corkscrew
A guide disc fitted above the worm prevents over-penetration and improves cork grip during extraction. The form derives from the 1795 patent of Reverend Samuel Henshall, one of the most historically significant corkscrew patents. Later refinements include serrated underside guide buttons, as on the English example in this collection (c.1880 to 1900).
Holborn-type corkscrew
A cast shank with an integrated finger ring just below the handle, allowing a secure two-finger grip for the axial pull. Associated with the Wolverhampton patent tradition. The example in this collection has a turned rosewood handle (c.1880 to 1900).
Perfume corkscrew
A miniaturised straight pull designed for extracting small corks from perfume and scent bottles, typically in sterling silver, supplied as part of late Victorian and Edwardian dressing cases. Two examples in this collection: a Chester-hallmarked piece dated to c.1895 by date letter "W", and a Birmingham-hallmarked Cohen & Nathan piece dated 1912 with an identical type illustrated in World-Class Corkscrews p.218.
Codd combination tool
A direct pull corkscrew with an integrated Codd opener for marble-stoppered carbonated drink bottles, derived from Hiram Codd's 1870 patent. The example in this collection has a turned wood handle housing the internal marble pusher and a square-section steel shank, c.1880 to 1900. Documented in the Christie's South Kensington corkscrew sale catalogue of 1997 and in World-Class Corkscrews.
Cellarman's and tavern corkscrews
Robust commercial wine tools, typically with bulbous baluster shanks and integrated bristle brushes, built for daily commercial use in pubs, hotels and wine merchants' premises. The Continental European wooden-handled tavern corkscrew with intact original brush (c.1880 to 1910) is a quality example. The G.F. Hipkins "Universal" cellarman's corkscrew is the English trade equivalent.
Advertising and novelty corkscrews
Branded promotional tools supplied by spirit and wine brands to pubs and merchants. The Sanderson's Vat 69 pair in this collection is a documented Scotch whisky promotional set, surviving as a pair (most surviving examples are singletons). The walnut "Nut Family" set of three hand-carved nut-head corkscrews (Central Europe, c.1930s to 1950s) sits on the figural-novelty edge of the family, with each shell hand-carved, painted and dressed with glass eyes and a textile hat.
A small number of further variants appear: the clawfoot-handle corkscrew marked JP (attributed to Jacques Perille, France, early to mid 20th century); the bone-handled speed worm corkscrew (England, c.1840 to 1870); and the Art Deco cased nickel-plated brass corkscrew and bottle opener set (England, c.1930).
AuthenticationHow to identify a genuine antique straight pull corkscrew
Identification rests on four converging signals. None alone is conclusive. The combination is what matters. The wider category framework sits in the antique corkscrew identification guide.
Material. The material has to suit the period and the maker. Hand-forged wrought iron with no plating and no decorative treatment is consistent with mid-18th century English production. Hand-forged steel shanks with hand-wrapped off-centre worms are consistent with late 18th and early 19th century Continental and Georgian English production. Turned bone, horn and stag horn handles span the late 18th to early 20th century and are not, on their own, dating indicators (the surface and condition of the organic material matters more than the species). Lathe-turned baluster steel shanks indicate quality late-Victorian workshop production. Nickel plating with honest wear indicates late 19th to early 20th century commercial finish; chrome on a piece dated before the 1920s is a red flag. Stamped "Firth Stainless" indicates Sheffield steel production from c.1915 onwards. Sterling silver hallmarks (Chester, Birmingham, London, Sheffield, with date letters) provide independently verifiable dating on perfume corkscrews and other silver-handled pieces.
Surface. Original surfaces are valued. Replated, repolished and refinished pieces lose much of their collector appeal. Honest brass and nickel patina, not polished bright. Even oxidation and patina on hand-forged iron and steel pieces, not cleaned bright metal. Bone and horn should show natural age toning; pristine bone or horn on a piece dated before 1900 is suspicious. Wooden handles should show consistent wear at points of long use. Sterling silver should show light surface wear and natural age toning.
Marks and stamps. Look in the places makers actually marked their work. "Firth Stainless" on Sheffield stainless steel shanks (c.1915 onwards). "C.T. WILLETS LTD", "WILLETTS & CONEYS LTD No 51221", "Universal" trade marking (G.F. Hipkins) on Birmingham eyebrow and cellarman's frames. "COMMERCIAL" trade-grade stamp paired with retailer marks ("D. F. Hipkins & Son, London") on French-for-English-export production. "JP" on Jacques Perille French clawfoot handles. Sterling silver hallmarks (lion passant, town mark, date letter) on the handle or shank of perfume corkscrews. "SANDERSON'S VAT 69" stamped or cast on advertising corkscrew handles. Coin-set terminals (e.g. Belgian Leopold II .835 silver issue on the Lauret Siret stag horn corkscrew) are themselves identifiers of French workshop tradition. Some genuine pieces are unmarked: an unmarked Georgian wrought iron T-handle is correctly described as such, with no maker claim beyond what physical evidence supports.
Mechanism and worm. The worm itself is one of the most reliable dating tools on a straight pull corkscrew, and is treated separately in the callout below. A genuine period worm is straight, with a defined point. Bent, blunted or visibly modern worms are structural faults on a piece offered as serviceable.
Featured makersThe named producers represented in this collection
Lauret Siret (Rochefort, France, c.1890 to 1910)
Documented French workshop maker. The example in this collection has a stag horn T-handle with a Belgian Leopold II .835 silver coin set into the terminal, a French workshop decorative tradition.
Jacques Perille (Paris, France, late 19th into early 20th century)
The most collected name in French corkscrew history. Pérille appears in this silo through the JP-marked clawfoot-handle corkscrew with bulbed shank. Pérille's mechanical pieces appear in the Mechanical Corkscrews silo (Hélice and DIAMANT).
C.T. Willetts Ltd and Willetts & Coneys Ltd (Birmingham, England, c.1910 to 1930)
Recorded Birmingham eyebrow corkscrew manufacturer. The C.T. Willetts example carries a sharp legible "C.T. WILLETS LTD" stamp and was originally nickel-plated. The related Willetts & Coneys piece carries the registration number "No 51221", which is traceable in UK design registration records.
D.F. Hipkins & Son and G.F. Hipkins (London, c.1870 to 1910 / England, early 20th century)
D.F. Hipkins & Son was a London wine and spirits merchant who retailed eyebrow corkscrews under their own name. The example carries the dual stamp "COMMERCIAL" (French trade grade) and "D. F. Hipkins & Son, London", a documented French-for-English-export commercial pattern. The related G.F. Hipkins piece is a cellarman's corkscrew with cast frame and "Universal" trade marking on the button.
Edwardian Birmingham silversmith. The example is a sterling silver perfume corkscrew with hallmarks for Birmingham 1912; an identical piece hallmarked 1916 is illustrated in World-Class Corkscrews p.218.
Firth of Sheffield (Thomas Firth & Sons, Sheffield, c.1915 onwards)
Sheffield steelmaker historically associated with the development and commercialisation of stainless steel in Britain. The "Firth Stainless" stamp is a documented brand mark. The example in this collection is an early stainless steel-shanked horn handle T-handle (c.1915 to 1935).
Sanderson's (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Producer of Vat 69 Scotch whisky, one of the most recognised Scotch whisky brands in history. The pair of Vat 69-branded advertising corkscrews in this collection are surviving promotional tools from late Victorian or early 20th century pub and wine merchant supply.
Unattributed Georgian English and Continental European production
The c.1735 to 1765 wrought iron T-handle is offered without maker attribution. Unmarked status is consistent with pre-hallmarking, pre-patent era English manufacture, and comparable examples are documented in the published corkscrew literature. Several other pieces are offered without firm regional attribution and described accordingly ("possibly French", "likely French", "Continental European"), which is responsible cataloguing where physical evidence supports a broad placement but no mark allows specific attribution.
ProvenanceThe Thomas Guenther Collection thread and published references
Most of the pieces in this collection carry Thomas Guenther Collection provenance, with original catalogue references (TG-prefix numbers). The collection is a documented private collection of antique corkscrews, formally catalogued with reference numbers. Pieces have already passed through specialist research and cataloguing before reaching the present catalogue.
Several pieces carry additional published documentation. The Codd combination corkscrew is documented in the Christie's South Kensington corkscrew sale catalogue of 1997 and in World-Class Corkscrews. The Chester-hallmarked perfume corkscrew is documented in The Ultimate Corkscrew Book and in World-Class Corkscrews. The Cohen & Nathan Birmingham 1912 perfume corkscrew has an identical type illustrated in World-Class Corkscrews p.218 (hallmarked 1916).
Independent verification of a piece in published reference literature is the trust gold standard for this market.
Era & tradition290 years of straight pull design at a glance
Era
Tradition represented
Example in this collection
Mid 18th century (c.1735 to 1765)
Pre-industrial English wrought iron blacksmith production
Wrought iron T-handle with early Archimedean worm
Late Georgian / early 19th century (c.1790 to 1840)
Pre-industrial domestic English and Continental production
Fruitwood handle with original brush; ribbed-handle hand-forged Continental T-handle; horn-and-bone Continental T-handle
Mid 19th century (c.1840 to 1870)
Refined Victorian domestic production
Bone-handled speed worm; bone-handled corkscrew with serrated worm and original brush
Late Victorian (c.1880 to 1900)
Named English maker production, Henshall and Holborn refinements, Codd combination tools
Henshall-type with serrated guide button; Holborn rosewood; Codd combination
French workshop (c.1890 to 1910)
Stag horn with coin-set terminals, French trade manufacture
Birmingham named makers, Sheffield stainless steel, French clawfoot, Art Deco bar accessories
C.T. Willetts; Willetts & Coneys; Firth Stainless; JP clawfoot; Art Deco cased set
Mid 20th century (c.1930s to 1950s)
Central European folk novelty
Walnut "Nut Family" set of three
Materials & surfaceCondition expectations across the catalogue
Hand-forged iron and steel: even oxidation, no plating, no decorative treatment.
Wrought iron Georgian pieces: hammer-finished surface, irregular Archimedean worm, one-piece handle and shank construction.
Bone handles: natural age toning, possible incised ring decoration. Crack-free bone on Victorian pieces is a quality indicator.
Horn handles: translucent amber-brown to dark brown, light surface wear, occasional pale bone end caps in French workshop tradition.
Hardwood handles: consistent wear, lathe-turned profiles, no factory-fresh appearance on pre-1920 production.
Nickel plating: honest wear at high-contact areas. Replated pieces show uniform brightness.
Sterling silver: full hallmarks (lion passant, town mark, date letter), light surface wear, natural toning.
Worms: straight, defined turns, sharp points. See the worm-by-era callout above for the dating sequence.
Original brushes intact on Georgian and early Victorian corkscrews are exceptional condition points. Most surviving brushes are absent, which is normal and is not a deduction beyond what the listing specifies.
Cork grippers fitted above the worm on Georgian pieces: a documented period feature, not a modern addition.
Antique straight pull corkscrews are typically collected and displayed by one of five logics:
By type. Building a Henshall collection, a Holborn collection, an eyebrow collection, a perfume corkscrew collection or a cellarman's collection. The technical-collector approach.
By worm evolution. Tracing the development from Archimedean to hand-wrapped to hand-forged spiral to machine-wound to early stainless. One of the strongest educational angles in the field.
By maker. Building a Willetts, Hipkins, Firth, Perille or Cohen & Nathan collection.
By era. Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, interwar.
By national tradition. English versus French workshop traditions. The two dominant national lineages produce visibly different objects.
Most pieces in this collection are functionally serviceable. Where a piece is offered as display only because of condition or age, the listing states it.
AuthorityWhat sets this catalogue apart
Four qualities distinguish this catalogue from the broader market for antique straight pull corkscrews.
Date span. Pieces from c.1735 to the 1930s, demonstrating roughly 290 years of straight pull design history within a single collection.
Named maker and assay-level cataloguing. Lauret Siret, C.T. Willetts, Willetts & Coneys (registered design 51221), D.F. Hipkins & Son London, G.F. Hipkins, Firth of Sheffield, Cohen & Nathan (Birmingham 1912 hallmark), Chester c.1895 hallmark, Sanderson's Vat 69 advertising. None of these are vague "Victorian English" placements.
Published documentation. Pieces explicitly cited in the Christie's South Kensington corkscrew sale catalogue of 1997, in World-Class Corkscrews (with a specific page reference for the Cohen & Nathan type) and in The Ultimate Corkscrew Book. Independent verification of a piece in published reference literature is the trust gold standard for this market.
Exceptional condition pieces. A late Georgian fruitwood T-handle (c.1790 to 1820) with the original brush still intact at approximately 200+ years of age, and a mid-Victorian bone-handled corkscrew with serrated worm, fixed disc and original brush all preserved together, are both unusual condition outcomes for the type.
Buying from Esteemed Antiques
Private viewings and condition detail
Worldwide shipping. Private viewings by appointment in the Netherlands. Catalogue notes, additional photographs and worm-and-mark detail on any piece on request.
A straight pull corkscrew, also called a direct pull corkscrew, is the earliest and mechanically simplest form of wine opener. The worm is entered into the cork by rotation, and the cork is removed by direct axial pull on the handle. There is no lever, no rack-and-pinion gearing and no compound mechanism. The entire performance of the tool depends on the worm design, the handle and the user's pull strength.
What is a Henshall corkscrew?
A Henshall corkscrew has a guide disc fitted above the worm. The disc prevents over-penetration into the cork and improves grip during extraction. The form derives from the 1795 patent of Reverend Samuel Henshall, one of the most historically significant corkscrew patents. Later refinements include serrated underside guide buttons.
What is a Holborn corkscrew?
A Holborn corkscrew is a straight pull corkscrew with a cast shank carrying an integrated finger ring just below the handle. The ring allows a secure two-finger grip for the axial pull. The form is associated with the Wolverhampton patent tradition in late Victorian English production.
What is a speed worm?
A speed worm is a tightly wound helix designed to penetrate cork faster than an open helix wire worm. Speed worms appear on bone-handled English corkscrews from roughly c.1840 to 1870. The closely wound turns are the diagnostic visual difference.
What is an Archimedean worm?
An Archimedean worm is the earliest form of corkscrew worm, derived from auger-making technique. Archimedean worms have open, irregular spirals and are found on pre-industrial 18th century pieces. The presence of an Archimedean worm on a one-piece wrought iron T-handle is a strong indicator of mid-18th century production.
What is a Codd bottle opener corkscrew?
A Codd bottle opener corkscrew is a combination tool that incorporates a direct pull wine corkscrew and a Codd bottle opener for marble-stoppered carbonated drink bottles. The form derives from Hiram Codd's 1870 marble-stopper bottle patent. The internal wooden plunger depresses the glass marble inside the bottle to release the contents.
How do I read a British silver hallmark on a perfume corkscrew?
A British silver hallmark identifies the standard (sterling, marked with the lion passant), the assay office (Chester, Birmingham, London or Sheffield, each with its own town mark) and the year of assay (the date letter, which cycles through the alphabet on a known schedule). Together these allow a hallmarked piece to be dated to a specific year. The Chester perfume corkscrew in this collection is dated to c.1895 by date letter "W". The Cohen & Nathan piece is hallmarked Birmingham 1912.
What is the Thomas Guenther Collection?
The Thomas Guenther Collection is a documented private collection of antique corkscrews, formally catalogued with reference numbers (TG-prefix). Pieces from the collection have been previously researched and recorded by a known specialist collector. Most pieces in the present catalogue carry Thomas Guenther Collection provenance.
What does it mean for a corkscrew to be documented in World-Class Corkscrews or The Ultimate Corkscrew Book?
World-Class Corkscrews and The Ultimate Corkscrew Book are canonical reference works in the corkscrew collecting community. A piece illustrated or described in either work has been independently identified and catalogued in published reference literature. Documented pieces command a premium and are independently verifiable by any collector with access to the references.
Why are some antique corkscrews missing their brushes?
Many late Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian straight pull corkscrews were originally fitted with side or shaft-mounted natural bristle brushes for cleaning bottle necks or removing cork crumbs. Brushes were vulnerable to wear and breakage, and most surviving examples have lost their original brushes. A surviving original brush on a piece dated before 1900 is an exceptional condition outcome and adds value.
Are antique straight pull corkscrews still usable?
Many are, provided the worm is straight, the handle is secure and the shank is sound. Each individual listing states whether the piece is offered as serviceable or display-only. Eighteenth and early 19th century pieces are typically reserved for occasional rather than daily use.
Do you ship antique straight pull corkscrews internationally?
Yes. Esteemed Antiques is based in the Netherlands and ships antique corkscrews worldwide. Private viewings can be arranged in the Netherlands by appointment.
