Now, all is not lost for us. There is a possible cure for the "Letting Go of Beautiful Objects" virus. I'm not the kind of guy who would go on about this horrible condition unless I could also present a cure, which is really quite simple. Collect egg cups.
Hello, everyone! Our usual newsletter editor gave someone else the opportnity to edit the Gazette this month, so we have a "ghost editor" this time. Very appropriate for Halloween, wouldn't you say? I mention this for this reason: any rotten fruit should be thrown at the ghost and not our usual editor, wgpaul, who is known around GPSA as "Editor and Imperial Mysterious International Commander of Detection and Content."
Rbirdies has brought us a fun article on egg cups. After reading this article, I have to agree with his logic that egg cups may well be the perfect collectible! I think the "mod" egg cup is my favorite. How about you?
And what about those paperweights that 278stuff has brought us? Oh, maybe I've changed my mind, paperweights might be the perfect collectible, too! I can't pick a favorite, they are all fabulous!
Another GPSA member, marketpl, shares an incredible story that involves two women, incredible generosity and a marvelous plate...
And, month after month, Diantiques wows us with wonderful plates. This month's entry is a stunner!
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That's a great question, and one I know a lot of folks must be asking themselves, especially those baby boomers.
Americans just don't use them, as we don't eat nearly the amount of eggs as the rest of the world. We have been conditioned to believe that eggs are bad for us, with too much cholesterol, etc.,. So I've developed a short primer on the beauty of egg cups.
designed and signed limited
editions. This one done by
Matthias Bender.
The Dutch eat their soft-boiled eggs in Eierdopper. The Swedes an Aggkopp, and the French, a Coquetier. Whatever we call egg cups, they are an interesting, colorful and varied collectible that doesn't have to break the bank. They have been a morning staple on European and British tables since the mid 1600's, and they still are.
remains unknown as to
maker.
These figurative egg
cups are all in the form of bunnies, with the
cups being flowers and a
blast of water.
So how can egg cups help with the "Letting Go of Beautiful Objects" virus? The answer lies in the vastness of the egg cup world. If you decide that you just love EAPG but know you can't afford to keep a lot of it around, take a look at EAPG in egg cups. There are hundreds of egg cups in this highly collectible period of glass, and in all the major and popular patterns. Depression Glass, Carnival, and all the other glass collectibles are represented well. Glass not your thing? Most of the collectible ceramics are represented as well. In fact, all of the major dinnerware companies put out egg cups with many of their lines. Fiesta, Flow Blue, Jasperware and all other pottery is well represented. How about porcelain? You’re in luck Limoge, Royal Doulton and Spode are just three of the many names you will recognize, and they produce a nice variety, with Royal Doulton really setting the bar with their many great egg cups.
left, Bavarian shaped
chicken from Italy, gorgeous Footed Single in a
floral design from
Bavaria, lovely pottery Double from Sweden and
finally a great little
Single Bucket From Rorstrand Sweden.
I have shown in the accompanying photo how I can combine my loves of fishing and bird life with my love of egg cups. Egg cup collectors have a fun section called Personality Cups, each having the likeness of someone famous on the front of the cup, or in several cases, the entire cup makes up the head and face. Many of these are collections in themselves. Two examples might be the Royal family, or rock stars. You're not stuck with any standard shape, either. You could go with "Figurative" egg cups, in the shape of bunnies, birds, or boats. Or you could collect by shapes Singles, Buckets, Doubles, Bavarian and the list goes on.
So there you have it, egg cups at a glance. They come in more types of glass, and more pottery styles than I could mention here, and include Sterling Silver, pewter, wood, and plastic. For those of you who may be wondering if the glory days of egg cups are over, don't worry they will continue to be made and enjoyed for a long time to come. Oh, and by the way I'm not completely sure that collecting egg cups will help you, frankly it hasn't worked with me so far but I will let you in on a little secret that egg cup collectors have discovered, you can always move on to Egg Coddlers, matching salts, breakfast sets...
Need additional help, or any questions answered? Contact the author at Cornerstonecollectibles@juno.com
maker or country unknown, a
beautiful little Bing & Grondahl Seagull, A pair
of Love Birds hand
painted in Japan, wonderful Vasaline Glass Dove
with a great egg cup on
top, and my only fishing cup so far, a great
little German cup with a
little girl catching a big Carp.
One of the most easily recognizable ceramic ware, transfer printed earthenware known as "transfer ware", has broad appeal and is highly collectible. Many of the finest early transfer printed ceramics were manufactured in the English Staffordshire potting district that included towns like Burslem and Stoke-On-Trent. The development of transfer printing on ceramics began in the late 18th century but the true zenith of production, the so-called "golden age" of transfer ware ceramics occurred in the 1st and 2nd quarter of the 19th century. The term "transfer ware," describes the process of transferring the design by paper from an inked metal plate to the unfinished biscuit item, which was then glazed and fired. There were dozens and dozens of companies that built their business around the manufacture of transfer printed tableware. Although names like Adams, Clews, Davenport, Ridway, Spode, and Wedgwood, just to name a few, are fairly well known, there were other manufacturers that produced some of the finest quality transfer ware made. With hundreds of patterns and an array of beautiful colors, a collector can choose to focus on maker, motif or color. What's more, experts and aficionados alike distinguish the styles further, with terms like "historical," "scenic" or "Romantic" to delineate by design and era.
One rather obscure company produced earthenware at Burslem, Staffordshire for only a few short years. Job and John Jackson used pink, sepia, purple and black in addition to the more common blue to color their ware. Like other English makers, Jackson's produced 'series' ware which included scenes from exotic faraway places and included fantastic combinations of design elements including buildings with domes and turrets, costumed characters, lakes and even unusual animals like elephants. Romantic scenes can also depict the more domestic English countryside, but the allure of the Near and Far East had an obvious impact on choices for the Victorian consumer.
"Asiatic Scenery" is certainly a quintessential early 19th century pattern. Jackson's used beautiful floral and scrollwork to adorn the rim of this 9" ¼" dinner plate in a glorious hue of purple that is really more an amethyst in color. The mark is a typical cartouche style of the 19th century, and the rim is scalloped. There is a slight flowing effect to the design, which gives a softness not found in hard porcelain paste ceramics.
Collectible Romantic transfer ware has a mystique and appeal because of its inherent beauty and mingles well with almost any décor. Enjoy!
The Mystique of Paperweights
In 1999 after hearing a friend talk about eBay, I turned over one of the plates my other grandmother had left me. Red Wing? Hmmm, wonder what that means? And that is what started my paperweight collection. Wait a minute, from Red Wing to paperweights? Yes, while searching to find the pattern name of the dishes I had always called "Granny's watermelon dishes" (Tampico, but that's another article), I stumbled upon the paperweight category. "A whole section for paperweights, just how many different kinds of little glass things can there be?"
Ohhh, I couldn't believe my eyes. Four different paperweight categories: contemporary, studio, vintage, and other. Instantly I remembered the awe I felt as a young girl upon gazing into the depths of the inexplicable glass orbs. As a beginning collector, I easily fell victim to the quantity is more syndrome. It took me a while before I realized I had certain favorite styles (millefiori, especially Perthshire) and colors (purple, purple, and more purple). I'm now more selective in my acquisitions and can actually pass up a paperweight at an estate sale!
This article will show some of my favorite paperweights. I'll also throw in a few oddballs (why in world did I think I wanted that from eBay?).
I'm often teased when someone finds I collect paperweights. "Just how much paper do you have anyway?" I show a picture or two of one of my more intricate Perthshires and usually the teaser is astounded at the minute details of the paperweight.
The first paperweight I purchased on eBay was a Perthshire pressed daisy, about 2 inches in diameter. This started my Perthshire collection, which also includes several Perthshire paperweight doorknobs.
Perthshire Paperweights was founded in 1968 by Stuart Drysdale in Crieff, Scotland. Their weights used a "P" signature cane, although some earlier Perthshires are not marked. Perthshire also had a paper label on the bottom. Perthshire Paperweights closed its doors in January 2002.
Phoenix Paperweights operates out of the Manson works in Perth, Scotland, where William Manson Sr. has joined forces with three former Perthshire Paperweight artisans. The group was formed in part due to Manson's concern for losing significant talent and experience in the field when Perthshire Paperweights decided to close its doors.
In response, Phoenix Paperweights rose from the ashes of Perthshire, with the talents of David McNichol-maker, Duncan Smith-lampworking, and Gordon Taylor, glasscutting. They bring over 55 years of combined paperweight making experience to Phoenix Paperweights.
Phoenix uses a "PP" signature cane. Joyce Manson, spokeswoman for Phoenix Paperweights, announced in June that both Phoenix Paperweights & William Manson Studio would close at the end of August 2003. Early indications are William Manson Sr. will direct his attention to teaching his MasterClass Program which has grown in popularity over the past year.
Peter McDougall, formerly with Perthshire, is well acknowledged as one of the premiere paperweight makers working today. The G1 design is a miniature close-concentric millefiori weight in a "pressed" or "cog" shape with flutes all around the perimeter, and is made on four different colored opaque grounds. The weight is 1-3/4" in diameter and 1-1/16" high, and is signed with a "PMcD" in four separate canes in the second ring. This one is on opaque orange.
John Deacons was the master paperweight maker at Perthshire Glass and before that he trained with Strathearn Glass in Scotland. He formed his own company, J-Glass in 1977, and in 1983 set up his present studio next to his home.
This delightful blue-shaded millefiori on upset muslim paperweight was made by Deacons, one of Scotland's leading master glass artists, and is signed with John's signature "JD" cane in one of the florettes. It also has a label "Handmade in Scotland by John Deacons" on the base.
The Deacons end-of-day paperweight is made of bright colored ribbons, millefiori canes, the word LUCY and even a bird silhouette. It is signed with Deacon's "thistle" cane. This is an attractive modern treatment of a truly classical millefiori design, created to the very high standard of craftsmanship which is associated with John Deacon's work.
Frit paperweights are basically created as flat-type powdered-glass paperweights. This design was often produced at the Millville factory in South New Jersey: "In the so-called flat paperweights, clear glass was placed over a plate of colored design. Then the plate was withdrawn, leaving the colored glass adhering to the clear." I have no idea where my Frit paperweights are from, but I like them nonetheless.
The "God Bless Our Home" weight looks in remarkably great shape. The "Dallas Times Herald" attracted my attention because the Herald was a long-standing newspaper in the Dallas area. It closed its doors in December 1991. I have other Frit weights, notably "Sweetheart" and "Best Friends".
Purple is the color I gravitate towards, so many of my paperweights are from that color spectrum. One of my favorites is this large lampworked lizard draped over the top of a weight by Michael Hunter of Twists Glass Studio in Selkirk, Scotland. It's considered a large paperweight, with a diameter of 3.5 inches.
Signing up for a glass course in college proved to be the path that Scott Kempton has followed. After his course work he heard from a friend that Leslie Wilton was looking for an apprentice. As a female glassblower Leslie felt sort of left out and thus the name "Blacksheep". After eight years as Leslie's assistant, Scott bought the business when Leslie retired in 2001. The two of them work together in Kempton's state of the art studio with Scott as the principal artist.
Caithness Glass paperweights and artglass are known throughout the world for their colors, themes and styles and every piece is hand made in Scotland.
A fanciful interpretation of our Tic Tac Toe by master designer Colin Terris, now retired. This mid-sized, low-domed weight (2.5 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches in height) is criss-crossed with glass lines, pieces of dichroic glass and small millefiori canes. The effect is dramatic. Originally created in an unlimited edition in 7 colors, they are no longer being made.
Hmmm, I think I'll let these paperweights speak for themselves...
I'm a member of the national Paperweight Collectors Association, Inc. and the webmaster for the Paperweight Collectors Association of Texas, Inc. I invite you to learn more about paperweights by clicking the links below and viewing a wonderful presentation by the president of PCA Texas, Inc., Art Elder. The first link is for high-speed connections and contains the entire document. The second link is divided into smaller portions for dial-up connections.
PCA Texas Presentation
PCA Texas Presentation - Dial Ups
In the early '70's I worked for an International Electronics Company. It was a family business that started in Switzerland and eventually opened up an operation in New Jersey. The boss, his wife, son and older sister were all very active in the business.
One day, while in my office with the sister, a package arrived for me. It was a plate from one of my co- workers who had gone to Spain and brought it back for me. The sister questioned me about it and I told her I collected plates from around the world. She said "I have a very special plate". She then proceeded to tell me this story.
During the early part of WWII, her husband was an executive of Royal Dutch Shell Oil Co. in the Netherlands. He, and several others in London initiated a fund drive to raise money for the war effort on behalf of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, husband to Queen Wilhelmina. A plate was made and it was to be shipped to the United States and sold as a fund raiser. Sample plates were given to 5 people involved and the whole production left England for the US by boat which was ultimately sunk. They never reproduced the plate. She has one of the 5 known to exist.
I told her how special that plate is and she must really treasure it. She said she did.
A few months later I found a package on my desk. There was no note, just a very special plate wrapped in brown paper and string.
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