Topic: Davidson (?) Glass match striker Rd No 570646 (not 670646)

[bungie60]

I have seen these in the past advertised as Davidson but i am not sure the Rd mark dates to 1910, i know that's when design was registered not when the item was made as they could have been made for 50 years after. The metal ware is not that old probably 1940/50s. What i am wondering is was this always made in this form, as the striker just seems too small to be used on its own as its diameter is only 1 7/8". And is it Davidson, if you could throw any light on this (excuse the pun) i would be most grateful. Yours Mark. It stands 6 1/2" high.

[Anne]

Hi Mark, that RD doesn't appear in the Glass Association's Blue Book or on the Great Glass site, neither is it in the listing of Davidson's RD nos. in Davidson Glass, a history, by Chris & Val Stewart.

(My misleading twaddle deleted!)

[Paul S.]

across the centre of the striker Anne  is the number quoted correct - i can't see too well

[Bernard C]

Mark & Anne — It's 570646, September 1910, and it's not in the blue book.

Bernard C.  

[Anne]

across the centre of the striker Anne  is the number quoted correct - i can't see too well

OOOOOPS! I missed it in the picture, thanks Paul!  

Thanks Bernard, Mark has 670646 in the title which is what I was going by.  :thud:  I'll go correct the title and remove my nonsense.  :thup:

Mark, could we add the pic of the RD no. to the RD Nos. album on GlassGallery please?
http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/thumbnails.php?album=763

Edited to add: See here for a piece about this item on Christ Stewart's website:
http://www.cloudglass.com/NewsLetters/June2003.htm  :rah:  (scroll down)

[bungie60]

No problem Anne and thanks for everyone's help, the link provided is were i had seen it before. Must start bookmarking instead of relying on the old grey matter lol

[Anne]

Thanks Mark.  

For the sake of others who may come searching for this info, I'll add here the facts that Chris Stewart gives, for ease of reference, that this design was registered to "James May Farnel of 19 Hill Street, Birmingham". The registration only refers to the horizontal striking lines and not to the intermediate pattern which does match a known and registered Davidson pattern. Full story is on the June 2003 newsletter link above.

[bungie60]

So it does make sense that the glass part was probably made by Davidson for Farnel the metal basher from Brum to make these objects. By the way if it was a little factory it is now long gone as hill st is right in the center of Brum by the holiday inn. Must of made way for redevelopment in the early 60's cheers Anne yours Mark

[Bernard C]

Mark — I'm (mostly) from your patch.   My first proper job was in Cannock, just over 40 years ago, and I've lived in Hednesford, Cannock, Stafford and Lichfield.   Last Saturday week I was at my great nephew's wedding in Short Heath, and I have family in Willenhall and New Invention.

Please be careful.   You sound like an ebay seller looking for a good story to hot up your ebay listings, like many of us.   Please treat carefully researched information with great respect.   It is not there for anyone to extract the bits they like, discarding the rest.

Take Farnel, for instance.   The Stewarts only found his name, and the address he used for that registration.   That's all they found and all we know.   We don't know that he was a metalbasher.   He could have been an inventor, a designer, or just someone that the accountants sent in once a week to deal with any complicated paperwork.   Equally we don't know what was at that address in Hill Street.   And we don't know that Davidson made the glass — it's just a possibility.

Now, imagine that you hot up the story a little.   The next ebayer tweaks your story, then the next, perhaps with a spelling error, and so on.   Before the year is out we will have Farnell & Co of Mill Street, Birmingham, a giant factory specialising in unmarked metal ashtrays and other smoking requisites, barware and hotelware.   Let's have a model village like Bournville around it, as anything is OK in ebaymakebelieveland.   Ridiculous?   There are plenty of examples already there on ebay.   For instance, apparently all British unmarked handmade glass (according to most American and now some British ebay sellers) was made by either Stephens & Williams or Thomas Webb.   Isn't it amazing that all the glass made by the other fifteen or twenty glassworks was mysteriously smashed.  

Finally, thanks to your excellent photograph, Mark, I've been taking a close look at the numeric punch font used by the mouldmaker.  Unfortunately there are no particular distinguishing characteristics that bring one mouldmaker immediately to mind, but I would start with Greener, Molineaux & Webb, and Burtles Tate mouldmakers at the top of my list of English possibilities, with the Davidson mouldmaker closely following in fourth place.

Bernard C.