Davide Chionna's Corkscrew Story.

In 1987, when me and Pauline got married, we spent our honey moon in Maldives islands.

There we met a couple and start spending time together.
One day, while friendly talking on the beach, this friend told me he was a collector of corkscrews.
As you can imagine i have not been impressed nor suddenly involved but, been an extimator of antiks, i wondered which feeling can be transmit collecting just a simple tool such as a corkscrew!
How could be possible for a man to be involved in a so simple and classic tool.
I honestly told him i really guessed which kind of interest he was founding in a simple tool, considering they are mainly all the "same", very "similar" and "poor"!!!!

I imagine i was not the first to give a so stupid consideration!!!! Anyway, he kindly put efforts to try to explain me but, sorry to say, he didn't succeed in convincing me!!
I suggeted him to consider collecting other items than corkscres if he really liked antiks!
I was really young and not yet touched!!!

When we went back to Italy, we promised to stay in touch.

After few days, he phoned me and invited us for a dinner at their home.

When we went to see him, I didn't remember about corkscrews but as soon as i went in, i saw at the entrance, a very nice wood show panel with many corkscrews hanged on!
And many others within the house.
Of course, as soon as i saw so many corkscrews together, i started realizing the reason of his "Illness"!!!!

At table we went deep in the matter and spent time on this matter.
You must know that i am a business man, travelling often for business.
At that time, flights where very expensive but fare reduced if you were going to spend out the saturday night.
I was used to do it before to marry and to spend my saturday along antik market, and not being a collector, mainly just for the plaisure of my eyes and knowledge.
But, as a business man, in my blood, there is a "gene" that make me considering it as an opportunity of earning money.
I the remember what he told me and offered him to search and buy corkscrews for him.
I asked pictures, istructions and an average price.

So, with my "holy books" i started buying and bringing pieces to him.
Sometime he was really excite for my purchases and explained me why, with the result that, i started giving him some and keeping for me the ones that were meaning "something" for me!!

The result, he progressively lost his supplier and i got the virus!!!!

After several years he had to sell his collection because divorced from his first wife and the second one "asked" him to cut with his past included hobbies (corkscrews) and friends (except me!!!!)
So he proposed me to buy the collection, what i did, increasing the quantities and quality of my collection.

I am collecting corkscrews manufactured by the main countries but always gave attention to 18th century ones and italian ones as i love iron, wood and brass!!!