Chiff and Fipple Forums

Since there's a good deal of whistle bartering on the Board these days, this seems relevant. Today I received a knife catalogue which classified one particular knife as in "mint" condition. The descriptive paragraph however noted that the blade had some "light staining around the tip and edge of the blade." Although the knife is reputedly about 25 years old and in its original box, my thought was that it should be listed as "NM" (near mint) condition. I suppose the seller/writer thought that since the knife was in its original box and since the stag handle is apparently mint and perhaps becoming rare, a "Mint" label was appropriate. I disagree.

Not much of a problem with whistles because most of our good folks simply describe everything about the whistle in great detail.

BTW - To me "mint" denotes something that is as freshly minted or produced from the maker, or as new.

Opinions?

Philo

Bloomfield's mint condition.

I agree. Mint should mean like new.
Excellent to me means only slight signs of wear.
Good shows a good amount of wear.
Fair means it's ugly, but functional.
After that, I wouldn't sell it for anything other than parts.
Mike

Anyone for whom I have done business with on the board knows that when I am considering a purchase from a member of the board, I always as what is the condition of the whistle or rate the condition of the whistle. I place whistle conditions into three categories to keep it simple:

1) MINT: No scratches, no dents, looks like it was produced yesterday or rarely played.
2) EXCELLENT: Some surface scratches (That can be buffed out), no dents, has seen several hours of playing time.
3) POOR: Deep scratches, dents present, is a daily player.

Before ebay, there was no such thing as 'Mint' condition unless you obtained your item
directly from the manufacturer, though it was sometimes used casually (but not in any
serious ad or auction description) to mean 'Near Mint'. 'Near Mint' meant it wasn't coming
hot off the press / out of the mold / whatever, but that there was no visible indication
that it wasn't brand new. After that it kind of depends on the collectable, but probably it
descends through 'Very Good', 'Good', 'Fair', and 'Poor'. On E-Bay, 'Mint' is a marketing term meaning 'I really want you to bid on this!' and nothing more. I've seen photographs of 'Mint' books with scuffed covers, 'Mint' figurines without original packaging or certificates, 'Mint' you-name-it that is obviously -not- in pristine condition.

I'm not sure I'd bother trying to categorize these terms for whistles. Whistles aren't normally expected to be collected and preserved in the original packaging and all that, they're expected to be played. Even though we talk of collecting them, they aren't really 'collectables' in the usual sense. They're much more of an ordinary 'used' item when resold, the real value is in what they can offer to the purchaser, not in rarity or perfect surfaces. The real value is in how they -play-.

Ah Bloomy, I'm glad you're around, I really am.



Keith - I'm with you on the first two, but must beg to differ just with the second half of #3, as it doesn't necessarily go along with the first part of the definition. My everyday players are in absolutely wonderful (should that be a category "AW"? ) condition because I really take care of them.

Best,

Philo

Perhaps , PhilO , where something like whistles are concerned , we need to expand our definitions. As a player , cosmetics are not nearly as important as the quality of sound / tone that the instrument produces. Any "twice loved" whistle is going to show signs of use. Gouges , deep scratches , etc. are all signs of abuse. Guess it boils down to where we place our emphasis. Maybe a whistle should be list as:

Well worn ! Seen quite a few miles , but that upper register sure does sing !!!

Have a Great Day and Fun Whistling

Bloomfield wrote:
Bloomfield's mint condition.

Excellent Bloomfield

Submitted for your approval -- gonzo's used whistle rating scale

Mint -- Got it straight from Spillane.
Near-mint -- Played it once, couldn't stand it, chucked it in a drawer. Many Generations are near-mint.
Excellent -- Shows a few Guinness stains, but plays great. In fact, it plays so well, I think I'll keep it.
Average -- Has a small ding from being applied up side the head of a digeree player who wouldn't sit down and shut up, but plays OK. Awaiting return from local constabulary once it is no longer needed as evidence.
Below average -- Got shut in a car door during hasty retreat from pursuing digeree player but still plays up to second octave A.
Poor -- Upchucked in it and couldn't get all the chunks out, but you can still play the Kesh with it. Does smell a tad funny, though, but you can probably get that out with kerosene.
Totally unplayable -- Hand crafted in a third world country the US hasn't bombed yet and more fit for use as a plant stake or window prop than as a musical instrument. Watch out for splinters.

And the Copeland with the previous owner's name scratched onto it in extremely amateur fashion :roll: ??

Trisha

Actually the term "Mint Condition" did not come from Ebay. The term came from the coin collecting industry and it's been around for a long time.

Mint condition is better than excellent, it like the item has almost never been touched.