I am not sure why they had taken an already made Screamer Whistle and inserted a wooden dowel center making it a top, but that is how these were made (not afterwards). I guess if you got tired of playing with a top you could pull the center out and have a whistle. The dowel is in the hole tightly. The whistles were made in several sizes and this is one of the smaller versions. This Screamer Whistle is made of two silver colored tin halves and they have a hole in each for air to pass through and whistle loudly. The whistle has embossed lettering that reads as follows: