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[the Earl of Whirl]

I just received a very nice package in the mail.  To many other people they would just see this as a bunch of paper.  But to us, this is a treasure trove.  Thanks, Dick!!!

I will have fun sharing some of what is in this package with everyone.  The first page is a large cartoon of a guy walking into Joe's Top Repair.  He has laid his top on the counter and is telling the owner "It's not running like it should."

Also included are copies of ITSA newsletters, some freestyle results, some ladder results, the Toycrafter newsletter, some pictures of large tops and a special picture of Dick with Alan's creations from 6/8/2011.  Was that when you were in Italy?

[Dick Stohr]

Was that when you were in Italy?

Yes, and you are very welcome. I came across them as I was trying to find places to put STUFF that should not have made the move and thought of you. Enjoy!

[the Earl of Whirl]

In May of 1999 Byron T. Watts put out an ITSA top newsletter.  This is one of the items Dick sent me.  It included some instructions (spinstruction), information about peg tops, how to get started spinning and collecting.  Here is the section about top collecting.  It sure makes us appreciate how life has changed thanks to the internet and forums like buttons and string, topspinning.com and itopspin:

Top Collecting (where did all the spinning tops go?)
Each of our experiences in top collecting varies.  It has been difficult for me to find spinning tops where I live in the Midwest, USA.  I've dug through antique stores for an occasional glimpse of marginal quality spinning tops.  One I bought was stashed away with some fishing bobbers.  Others are very similar to the ones I already have.  Some simply aren't that interesting to me.  Since 1996, I've scanned eBay for spinning tops.  I have purchased several spinning tops from antique dealers there.  But internet auctions aren't for the naive, or the squeamish. 

Do you have some neat spinning tops in your collection?  How about letting others know about them.  Perhaps you'd consider writing a brief article to be included in a future ITSA Newsletter.

[ta0]

Congratulations, Mike! That is a very neat collection! I wish I had it! I specially would like to have those newsletters from the old ITSA.
The Toycrafter had a newsletter?  I don't recall seeing one at Don's lair.

Top collecting changed completely with the internet and Ebay. I would say it is 3 times cheaper (per top) and 50 times easier now. Not that I know first hand as I am from the ebay generation of collectors.

Mike you should read this post from the past: link. You have been looking for that cartoon for the last 5 years!  (alas, the image was moved. I need to find it).

[Jack]

if you were a cookie mike........u'd be the luckiest @-@

[the Earl of Whirl]

It is a rainy and a gloomy day here in Miamisburg, Ohio.  A good day to post something from Dick's envelope of top lore.  But first.........

ta0-I forgot all about that attempt to get Joe's Top Repair.  That is pretty funny.  Thanks for reminding me.  How did you remember?

I have the scores from the compulories for 2004 worlds.  The winner that year was........Matt Ritter with 37 points.  Val had 35 and Jorge 31.  That must have been quite a year as there were nine contestants.  The list of required tricks looks very familiar except for #7 - the Atom Smasher.  I do not remember that trick being a part of the ten.  Was that replaced by behind the back trapeze to lasso?
 

[ta0]

The "Top Repair Shop" just sounded familiar, so I searched the forum. But Jeff took it down and I could not find the picture in my files or the internet. Can you take a photo?

That was my first ever spintop event! Of the 9 contestants only the top 5 on the compulsories qualified for freestyles, what left some big names out.
None of the spintop players liked Atom Smasher, which was derived from the yo-yo string trick, so it was replaced on following years.

[the Earl of Whirl]

For some reason, I love hearing some of the old history of worlds.  I am guessing that is mainly because it was such a large part of my life for seven years.  Thanks for filling me in on some of this.

Yes, in 2004 there were some big names left out of the finals including Dave Bazan, Alan Gray, Takeshi and Robert Gray.  Amazing.  It seems that those left out would have been a tremendous final most any other year.

OK......Dick, I am stumped by the alphabet you have included.  It appears that all the letters are close to top shapes and that they might all spin!  I saw the address http://behance.vo.llnwd.net at the top of the page.  I looked behance up and he/she has other illustrated alphabets.  Could this be a spinning alphabet?  And is the heading to this (deciphering it from the spinning alphabet) be TATKOMOCAT?  Mysteries, mysteries!!!

[johnm]

the spintop font was introduce by Ludo in this post

link = write spinning

[Byron Watts]

Wow....1999 I created that newsletter with grandiose visions of the future...and hoped I would create a group of people around it to help me work on the articles in future issues.  Who really wants to read only one guy's thoughts on spinning tops.  The stories run out far too quickly.  With small children and other outside issues screaming for my attention, the group never materialized.  I made a few T-Shirts and managed to delegate the process to someone who didn't have quite the same vision of what it should be.  I held a competition to create a logo...which Gregory Cohen made the best submission for (correct me if I err).  It wasn't quite pre-Internet in 1999, but the level of activity was very low.

The main lesson...I have several things to learn about putting organizations together...and I'm still learning them.

I really appreciate the shout out!

In May of 1999 Byron T. Watts put out an ITSA top newsletter.  This is one of the items Dick sent me.  It included some instructions (spinstruction), information about peg tops, how to get started spinning and collecting.  Here is the section about top collecting.  It sure makes us appreciate how life has changed thanks to the internet and forums like buttons and string, topspinning.com and itopspin:

Top Collecting (where did all the spinning tops go?)
Each of our experiences in top collecting varies.  It has been difficult for me to find spinning tops where I live in the Midwest, USA.  I've dug through antique stores for an occasional glimpse of marginal quality spinning tops.  One I bought was stashed away with some fishing bobbers.  Others are very similar to the ones I already have.  Some simply aren't that interesting to me.  Since 1996, I've scanned eBay for spinning tops.  I have purchased several spinning tops from antique dealers there.  But internet auctions aren't for the naive, or the squeamish. 

Do you have some neat spinning tops in your collection?  How about letting others know about them.  Perhaps you'd consider writing a brief article to be included in a future ITSA Newsletter.