Topic: Huge numbered doorstop? Paperweight?

[ckscot]

You'll gather I have no idea quite what to call this, as I've never seen one quite like it before, but I'm sure someone on the board has.  It looks like a paperweight but it's about 6" tall (15 cm) and according to my bathroom scales it weight around 3 kg.  I've also just noticed for the first time that it has a number - C5844a.  From the state of the green beize on the base it has a bit of age.  Can anyone point me in the direction of a maker, country, age etc? Many thanks, Iain

PS. If a moderator thinks this should be in the Paperweights section maybe that kind person could move it for me? Thanks.

[antiquerose123]

Very pretty - that is quite the size 6" tall......any bigger, it would have been a bowling ball.

Very nice, I am sure someone with much more knowledge than me will be able to help 

[Alfies Dad]

hi, as you are right up there in scotland and the marks start with a c, maybe this is Caithness but never seen a weight this big,

[kane_u_pain]

Gorgeous...it probably is an oversized paperweight. Years back I saw 3 huge ones in an antique shop. Probably about the same height if not larger than this one. Can't help you with maker though as my knowledge of paperweights only goes as far as noticing chinese ones  :usd:

[antiquerose123]

These are just guesses from this link:  Sort a similar a bit (but just ignore them as they are guesses.. :huh:)
http://www.rafa.com/graphics/zl640barker.jpg
http://www.rafa.com/graphics/zl553nourot-cmb.jpg
http://www.rafa.com/paperweight.htm

Or these Caithness ??:
?? Click here

Talks about a 7 pound PW here:  Click Here ??

[ckscot]

Thanks to everyone for your input.  Although I see lots of Caithness glass around here it somehow didn't cross my mind that this might be from there, so I'll do more ferretting around their output, particularly to see if their numbering system matches this bowling ball.  The reference to a 7 pound Strathearn paperweight is interesting, so I'll follow that up too.  I'll probably take it to the Antiques Fair in Edinburgh in August and see if it catches anyone's eye.

[chopin-liszt]

I've no idea if Caithness made them this size - it would certainly be unusual, but it has a very, very, very Caithnessy look to it, and they do use a lot of neodynum glass.

Have you checked/trawled Frank's site?

[ckscot]

I've started to trawl Frank's site, but there are almost 5000 images of Caithness paperweights alone, and a search of 'huge paperweight', or 'heavy paperweight' brings up lots of lovely but irrelevant images, so I'm struggling  :huh:. I'll keep at it.  I notice that there a forum on the site so I'll join up when I have a moment and ask on there too.

[chopin-liszt]

 

Another reason for just avoiding pws as much as is humanly possible for a glassie!  :ooh:

(although by definition I "collect" Caithness pws - I do, somehow, have more than 3 of them  :pb: )

I'm honestly not sure about records for Caithness, I do visit the factory in Crieff fairly regularly and I'm afraid the staff know very little indeed about any of it. I don't suppose it's in the remit of a salesperson's work, but it's very frustrating. I bought a nice collection of cards showing photographs of various glassmakers at work, and they couldn't even tell me their names.....

However, the number on it should help. It being there means it's an official design and not a second, I think the number refers to the actual number of pw that was made in it's year?

and could it read C 58442? and are there initials after it? Might be an idea to clean the green stuff off it to get a better look.....

[Lustrousstone]

I'd definitely remove the green stuff, because it will likely have Caithness and the design under there as well.