Topic: Iittala 'Tsaikka' - Production Period?

[Pinkspoons]

Trying to figure out the age of a boxed set of two model 2007.023/07 'Tsaikka' glasses with cast glass saucers.

They both have gilt metal holders - references in McConnell and Iittala 125 only illustrate the white metal ones. The glasses (sans saucers) are illustrated in the 1990 Iittala pricelist, but no mention is made of the metal colour. They don't appear to be in production in either colour currently, but any sites selling brand new discontinued stock have them in white only, and without saucers.

All piece have labels - the saucers have the common triangular ones and the cups themselves have rectangular ones, which I'm not familiar with. I found a single reference on this site to the newer labels being this shape. But it seems odd there being two types of labels within one boxed set.

On the box is mentioned Ahlström which, I assume, means they pre-date 1990 when Ahlström sold the works to Hackman Group. The box does look fairly modern, using the smart sans serif font they currently have, rather than the flower-power-esque one they used on all their 1960s/70s packaging.

So I suppose I've answered my own main question, really - they were made in the 1980s. But for the sake of my picky obsession with dates, does anyone have a specific production period for the gilt metal holders?

[Martyn K]

The gold Tsaikka are called "Karaatti" and the glass inserts often don't have the indented waist, but are straight sided. I think they were introduced in 1983. The rectangular acetate labels are more recent though I don't know exactly when they changed from the triangular ones I would guess it was sometime in the 90s. I've never seen Karaatti with saucers and have had a number of boxed sets?

They're mentioned here maybe you can find the english version of the page or translate...

http://www.iittalagroup.fi/web/iittalagroupwww.nsf/pages/shownews_fi?opendocument&newsid=808FE19E9EB56AD4C22573860030CA7F

edit...
OK here's the google translation of the page that mentions that they do now sometimes come with a plate (saucer) and are still in production (original nickel plate, gold plate and red)

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fi&u=http://www.iittalagroup.fi/web/iittalagroupwww.nsf/pages/shownews_fi%3Fopendocument%26newsid%3D808FE19E9EB56AD4C22573860030CA7F&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=7&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Diittala%2Bkaraatti%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official%26hs%3DDc2

[Pinkspoons]

Thanks for the info and links.

Using my (very minimal) grasp of Finnish, aided by the Google translation, I think the article says that the 1990s-released gold-plated Tsaikka, although popular at Christmas, had only limited production because the cost of the end product was too high.

It's a little odd, then, that if the set dates from the 1990s, that the box should mention Ahlström - unless my set dates exactly from 1990 and just before the sell-off to Hackman.

I took a quick snapshot of my box (apologies for poor quality - my lighting is buried in the attic currently).

[Pinkspoons]

Finally got around to photographing the set properly...