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[ta0]

After too many years I met again with Mike Owen a spinning top collector from San Antonio. Although he collects many types of tops, he concentrated on old peg tops and has a particular interest in those that show signs of use and battle, specially those that have been marked or modified by the players.
He started collecting years before Ebay, visiting antique shops, and has an extensive collection that is displayed throughout the house in different racks (egg racks, pipe racks, etc.)







We recently talked about bouncing tops. Here are three versions (at least the center and right are Gibbs):



We got to try the peg top with explosive caps.
He teaches at a high-school (years ago I made a spintop demo for his class), but now he is also an artist making fantastic mobile sculptures.
More later.

[Jeremy McCreary]

Between you and Mike Owen, San Antonio is a serious contender for top capital of the United States!

Did you get to try any of those spring-tipped tops? What was the action like?

[the Earl of Whirl]

He is very clever at displaying his tops.  How many people have "a particular interest in those that show signs of use and battle, especially those that have been marked or modified by the players?"  Very interesting. 

[jim in paris]

great collection and display !

in the 2nd photo , at the top shelf : what are these tops with vertical scars / marks ?

thanks , good day

jim

[CUPER]

Fantástica colección..wooo

[ta0]

Between you and Mike Owen, San Antonio is a serious contender for top capital of the United States!

And you forgot PrincessTrouble and her amazing collection of precision finger tops. And 1963 nats champ, Rusty Steubing. And then the "Los Trompos" painting by Joe Villareal . . .

Did you get to try any of those spring-tipped tops? What was the action like?

I did a little bit. And I also tried the one I have, which is similar to the smaller one on the photo (a Gibbs' "Hop N' Top").
They bounce nicely, between 3 and 7 times. The amount of bouncing seems to depend on the exact angle it hits the floor. Sometimes the second bounce is higher than the first one. From time to time you get a large bounce: 1 to 2 feet of the ground for a chest-high release.

in the 2nd photo , at the top shelf : what are these tops with vertical scars / marks ?

Those were very popular markings that boys in the US made to their tops using knives. I also have a few examples. Probably as a way to recognize them. They seem to be always spread around uniformly, so I don't think they were used to keep track of wins.

Mike has a ton of tops showing battle marks:

[Jeremy McCreary]

You got some very interesting action out of those spring-tipped tops. Will have to try some working LEGO knockoffs.

And that's not the only thing I'm stealing. With apologies to Princess Trouble, I'm totally stealing that as my Starbucks name.

[ta0]

Here is a quite large glass top Mike made with the help of a glass blower friend (the pro did the more difficult parts). A beauty, but I don't think it will ever spin 



Another beauty made from a mystery material. It almost looks like a top to hang from a Christmas tree, but from close inspection we believe it's meant to spin, although it's missing a tube on the axle to hold it while starting:



A bottle of Red Top beer with vintage top string:

[whippoorwill]

Howdy, you guys ... Mike Owen here! A quick history & trail to the present day ... I’m an Aggie, class of 77 ... a Wildlife degree, then off to Texas Tech to study peasants in Castro Country. Trained labs & competed in field trials all over the South then, amazingly, got married, started our family went to work for T. Boone Pickens on his 50,000 acre ranch on the Canadian River in the Texas panhandle.

From there, my wife, Vickie & I started a 15-year antique restoration business in SA.

 Collecting old tops soon followed ... I fell in love either battle tested & well worn wooden tops ... the more kid-modified, the better!

The 3 tops pictured may be the first tops I ever collected ... the middle one is still my most favorite!

Some 500 or so tops & 35 years later, here am I.

I started teaching sciences, mostly physics in ‘92 & have taught my students to spin tops ever since ... even this very day!

I am so eager to share with & learn from all you guys & gals here!

[whippoorwill]

Jim in Paris ... The scarred tops, my nearest best guess, is that kids would battle on the ground & the vertical gouges packed a better punch when they bumped into each other.

One of those, in the picture, has the kids name, “HENRY“ cut into it.

I spun tops in the 60’s ... we didn’t do tricks much but invented battle games. I remember secretly having a top that would make wise circles when first spun. I suggested a game, one day, that would award you the competitor’s top if your top would circle theirs! I couldn’t any of my Buddy’s to play that game with me after the first day I brought out my “circled”!!

[Jeremy McCreary]

Welcome aboard, Mike! You have wonderful collection. Looking forward to your input in our physics discussions.

[ta0]

Wonderful to finally have you posting here, Mike!

This is a top I have only seen in your collection:



I wonder if it was made by King Scientific. It looks very similar.

This old whistler is different to the ones I have:



I will leave the explosive cap top for another thread (although we should record it again with better caps).
I was very impressed by your pendulum mobiles. And your fish with bottle bodies look great too.





Of course, I am biased for the one made with tops and yoyos:

[the Earl of Whirl]

Fascinating mobile.  I think you have a lot of stories to share.  I can't wait to hear them!!