Author Topic: American, British and European Glass Fishing Floats (Read 14749 times)

seahermit · « **on:** January 30, 2006, 01:47:20 AM »

Hello,
This is my first post, and I am hoping that it will be interesting to some, and perhaps we can all be the recipients of some hard-to-find history.
I have been collecting glass fishing floats ever since I found my first float together with my wife, on Shi Shi Beach in 1977. The floats that we found that day, and for the eight years that followed, while living on and beachcombing the coast of Washington State, were all Japanese.
In 1985 we left Washington State, and moved across country to New Jersey. Since that time my passion for glass floats has changed from finding and collecting Japanese-made floats to being a collector of American, British and European glass floats.
I currently am researching the glass float history and the maker's of the floats using the floats' maker's markings as a guide, and am finding that the history and who their makers were is very difficult to find. Most all of the glass houses are now out of business, and their records while illusive, are hopefully, hidden away in some library or other archive. My collection is fairly large, and the float's themselves are beautiful works of glass art--an art that I am beginning to realize is practically unknown within the glass world.
I would appreciate some feedback from interested members if you care to know more about floats, or perhaps can add to the store of knowledge that exists about them. Thanks

Anne · « **Reply #1 on:** January 30, 2006, 02:08:59 AM »

I don't know anything about floats at all, but there is a picture of some on Chris Stewart's Davidson glass website here if that is any use:
http://www.cloudglass.com/davidsonpostwar.htm

Bernard C · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2006, 02:59:51 AM »

January 30, 2006 â€” Note that this information is flawed as it is based upon a possible error in the link cited below. See later in this topic for an explanation.

seahermit â€” I know only of one documented example of British-made glass floats, and that is at this Davidson link. This small range of floats, together with the ornamental fish, were introduced about 1960, made by Nazeing, and marketed by Davidson, possibly because by then Nazeing no longer had active links into the wholesale and retail fancy goods trade.

The fish are easy to recognise, with several characteristics that distinguish them from Murano fish. They are quite variable and often very attractive, so I like to maintain a small stock of two or three for my clients.

Attributing the floats is much more difficult, a problem that, to the best of my belief, has not yet been solved. One possibility is that rather than concentrating on the glass itself, it may prove more productive to attribute the netting in which they were supplied. This is where an enthusiastic collector like yourself can make a worthwhile contribution.

Warmest regards and welcome to The Glass Message Board,

Bernard C.

Oops, apologies Anne, I had not seen your reply when I wrote this.

Anne · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2006, 03:33:46 AM »

No worries Bernard. Good to read your extra info which I wasn't aware of.

seahermit · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2006, 04:11:02 AM »

Hi Anne,
Thank you very much for that site. I will email the site tomorrow, in the hope that I can get more information about their line of contemporary floats.
I have come across an occassional quote that stated that there was a design trend during the mid-1950's and 60's using glass floats in nautical themes in homes and businesses. Starting approx. 1955, the Japanese company Hokuyo, produced tourist trade floats using the back-to-back F's or Double F marking on 4.5 in. to 8 in. glass balls in brightly-colored red, orange, blue, green and yellow colors. The contemporary floats were made with commercial float quality thick glass, and were sometimes used for fishing. There is another series of floats stamped with the words, "Made in Czechoslovakia", that were also made in brightly-colored thick glass, that may have been made during the same time period. I have not been able to find the name of the company that made those floats or the exact time period in which they were made. One pattern that I have noticed on Ebay sales, is that almost every auction containing a "Made in Czechoslovakia", float comes from an East Coast seller from New England south to Maryland.

Bernard C · « **Reply #5 on:** January 30, 2006, 06:02:59 AM »

seahermit â€” thanks for your email.

To clarify:

1. The cloud glass / Davidson website is not a manufacturer website â€” Davidson closed over twenty years ago â€” but the creation of two enthusiastic collectors, Chris and Val Stewart, who have also written and published a book on the glassworks.

2. The Nazeing / Davidson floats were generally sold "with Net" as you will see from the old trade catalogue page reproduced on the website. The point I was making is that the net itself may help you distinguish between floats by Nazeing / Davidson and those by other manufacturers.

Bernard C.

roget123 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 30, 2006, 05:33:03 PM »

The diagram of the fish and the fishing floats is from the Nazeing Archives. There is a description of the floats and why Nazeing made them in my book "75 years of diverse Glass-making to the World", see page 36.

When I researched Nazeing Glass Works I was informed that the fish were made at Nazeing but sold by only by Davidsons, but the floats were made and sold by Nazeing, ONLY to the fishing trade at Grimsby.

I am not aware of a Davidson connection with Nazeing's floats. Of course that does not mean that Davidsons never made and sold floats to their own design!

If anyone wants a copy of my book I have just placed three on Ebay, search for Nazeing in the Potery and Glass Section

regards
Geoff Timberlake

Bernard C · « **Reply #7 on:** January 30, 2006, 06:47:52 PM »

Geoff â€” apologies for getting the float story wrong. I am guilty of the error of failing to check your book. As you will see, the information from Chris' website and your book is contradictory. A MouseOver on the illustration in Chris' webste reveals the texts: "Page from 1961 catalogue showing the hand blown fish" and "Page from 1961 catalogue showing the intaglio decorated glasses". As it is a Davidson reference website, the logical conclusion is that this illustration is from a 1961 Davidson catalogue, as Chris does not specify otherwise. His text in the preceeding paragraph emphasises this error. You will notice that Anne interpreted this material in the same way.

Chris â€” please would you clarify this material. You can see that it is being interpreted in a way that does not match Geoff's research.

... and apologies to everyone. I should have spotted this contradictory information a long time ago. I cannot think how I missed it!

Bernard C. :oops:

chopin-liszt · « **Reply #8 on:** January 31, 2006, 12:00:43 PM »

:D:D

My Grandfather was a mariner and I remember old fishing nets (with cork floats still attached) being used to drape over the blackcurrant bushes to save the berries from the birds, but I also remember several big green glass fishing floats being around the house. They had been used by Grandpa, well before the '60's. He retired in '51.
He was based in Edinburgh, working with Christian Salvesen, a Norwegian company.

I do not know where he got the floats.

I wish I knew where they were now!

Lustrousstone · « **Reply #9 on:** February 03, 2006, 08:34:06 PM »

Right Bernard, I've bought the book, so am I right in concluding that Miller's is completely wrong about the fish. They're not Murano and they're not Davidson, they're Nazeing but were sold as Davidson. They're very pretty anyway.