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[MarkHayward]

I'm working on my new trading card and it's going to be top-themed. What's your favorite top trivia?

[ta0]

I'm working on my new trading card and it's going to be top-themed. What's your favorite top trivia?

One of my favorite is that a whip top was found in pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb:



At 3,300 years old it makes it the oldest top with a known owner.

[Kirk]

Clearly when making a whip top, one needs to be careful with the inlays. Otherwise the balance will be off.

[ta0]

Another of my favorite top trivia:

The first US national spinning top champion was 14 years old Rusty Steubing from San Antonio, Texas, who in 1963 won $5,000 cash, the equivalent to more than $38,000 in 2014 dollars.



Here is the poster for the following year (but this time the money may have gone into to a scholarship, while Rusty got a check with his name):



Actually, in 1964 Duncan went bankrupt so I am not sure if the winner that year saw any of the money (but he did get a humongous trophy).

[the Earl of Whirl]

I love the story around the first worlds championship.  I need to brush up on the details.  From what I remember, there was a three way tie which was broken by doing a continuous trick (what was the trick).  It sounded like Steve Brown was doing well until he got a phone call from his wife and went out!!!

Dick, weren't you there?  Can you share your memories of that event?

[Dick Stohr]

Yes Mike, they asked me to judge and things seemed to be going OK until Steve's pocket rang. Don't know why he didn't ignore it until after the tie breaker but he answered it and told her that he had just lost the contest.

[MarkHayward]

I heard that the ringing phone in his pocket distracted him enough to drop; then he answered and told his wife he lost. But I wasn't there.

The kind of thing I'm looking for is similar to the "sound-bites" that the news likes. There's not a lot of room on a trading card, so it has to be brief, and ideally should also be fascinating. I can edit stuff down to be shorter, I just want to see what you all think is cool.

The only one I'm sure I'm going to use so far is this one:
"In many countries (like Mexico, China, and Spain) spin tops are as popular as yo-yos are in the USA."

Does anyone know any numbers about how many people own tops in other countries vs. how many people own yo-yos in this country?

[ta0]

Of course, Steve was going to blame his ex-ex-wife!  I believe roller coasters were used to break a three-way tie between Dale, Steve and Jon (who won). Others competing that first year were Felix, Lao Alovus, Luis, Val?  . . .

When I visited the Cometa factory they were producing more than one million tops per month, the bulk of it for Mexico.

More trivia:
In the province on Kelantan in Malaysia they throw tops that weigh several pounds and can spin for up to 2 hours.

[MarkHayward]

Those are both great Jorge!

[poptop]

How about a trivia question?  e.g.

What is it called when you throw a top then catch it spinning in your hand?

BOOMERANG!

 

[the Earl of Whirl]

Rusty Steubing, Rusty Steubing.  He gets all the press.  But how about Jimmy Lucas?  He is one way overlooked individual!!!

[ta0]

Rusty Steubing, Rusty Steubing.  He gets all the press.  But how about Jimmy Lucas?  He is one way overlooked individual!!!

Is he the guy who beat Val's brother the next year at the Duncan spintop contest? Or is he the yo-yo champ (also from San Antonio)?
I'm pretty sure Rusty mentioned his name to me.

[the Earl of Whirl]

He is from San Antonio.  Yes, Rusty probably mentioned him.  Check out this gem of a video.  It is slow going for a bit but then it picks up steam and it eventually has a big surprise ending (at least it surprised me!!!).

[ta0]

Wow!   I was expecting a pure yo-yo thing but got lot's of top spinning! 
Great find, Mike!

I think Rusty mentioned that Lucas lives in Austin (and owns a bar). He may be worth contacting.
I know Rusty told me an interesting story about them. Perhaps that Jimmy was second in tops in San Antonio so he traveled to Houston to qualify in yo-yos for the nationals in LA? Or I may be remembering all wrong. I need to talk to Rusty again.

There must be something in the water of San Antonio . . . 

[the Earl of Whirl]

Special thanks to Rick Osbourne for this find.  I was looking for things about him when I stumbled on this video.  I really do like Rusty Steubing and in your interesting interview with him he spells Jimmy's last name as not Lucas but Lukacs.  Did you hear where Jimmy says on the show that the yo-yo is just his sidelight.  His real hobby is throwing tops!!!

[ta0]

I re-uploaded the one with Rusty (starts at 14:50):

[ta0]

After re-watching this, I'm going to start calling the behind the back trapeze (to exit around the back): San Antonio Twist! 

[the Earl of Whirl]

Thanks for reposting this.  It is a great segment and it is cool to know that he got to "meet" Groucho Marx!!!