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Author Topic: Anyone have a good source for spin top history?  (Read 3208 times)

MarkHayward

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Anyone have a good source for spin top history?
« on: February 05, 2010, 12:37:17 AM »

I have D.W. Gould's book The Top but it is a little sparse on the history.  I am doing a presentation at a library next week, and I thought a little history would be nice.  Of course I can just parrot all the facts that we all tell each other, but I was hoping for a little more detail if I could get it.  One of the things I want to know is whether spin tops really are the oldest toy after the doll, or if that's just another popular fallacy like "the yo-yo was first invented as a weapon."
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Neff

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Re: Anyone have a good source for spin top history?
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2010, 12:53:06 AM »

You've probably seen Valerie Oliver's work, but here's a link.  Lots of information on there...

History of the Top
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MarkHayward

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Re: Anyone have a good source for spin top history?
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2010, 11:05:48 AM »

Thanks Chris!  I had forgotten about that one.
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the Earl of Whirl

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Re: Anyone have a good source for spin top history?
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2010, 01:31:08 PM »

Of course, there is also ta0.
« Last Edit: February 05, 2010, 03:04:15 PM by ta0 »
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Dick Stohr

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Re: Anyone have a good source for spin top history?
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2010, 01:45:46 PM »

Oh come on Mike, if Jorge was there when the top was invented that would make him older than both Jeffs and me.   ::)
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ta0

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Re: Anyone have a good source for spin top history?
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2010, 03:32:44 PM »

The oldest toys according to ta0 (I was not there but I can guess):

1- Food (berries, insects, nuts, etc)
2- A stone
3- A stick
4- Food still alive (moved to carnivore diet)
5- Sticks in the shape of weapons
6- Beads, paints, teeth and other decorating things
7- Water toys (flat stones, wood, leaves)
Thousands of years later:
8- Dolls
.
.
.
1000- yo-yo

Spintops depends what type. Some nuts can spin well, so I subscribe to the idea [1] that the first tops were finger food and thus the first toys  ;)  Now, throw tops probably around number 500  ???

 :P

[1] Prof. Robert Greenler, "Why does a spinning top stop?"
« Last Edit: February 05, 2010, 04:02:21 PM by ta0 »
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