Topic: 1980 whitefriars paperweights

[Millefiori]

Are 1980 dated whitefriars paperweights more valuable than the other ones,
As 1980 marks the end of whitefriars glass company?

[Tony G]

Hi,
      as a keen Whitefriars' collector I would not pay any more for a weight with a 1980 date than any other. HOWEVER, many of the most desirable weights were only made in 1979 and 1980. In addition some were confined to 1980 e.g. the Christmas Bell. This would make the average price of a 1980 weight higher than other dates but not necessarily for e.g. a standard P1 concentric.

Cheers,

[chopin-liszt]

As a matter of curiosity, (I'm not a wfs or a pwt collector), does a theme such as "christmas" or "anniversary", or engraved/filled with some company logo or suchlike not drastically reduce the value?
It's the sort of thing that might be "scarce" but such an undesirable feature, surely affects its popularity?

[RAY]

I'm sure there was a Wf weight with an 1981 cane in

[Wuff]

I'm sure there was a Wf weight with an 1981 cane in

There were (at least) two - but already made by Caithness: "Snow Crystal" and "Royal Wedding (Charles&Diana) Millefiori Crown".

[jamalpa36]

Hi.........There are Whitefriars weights after 1980 but made at Caithness without the Button base.........Roy

[Tony G]

Hi Sue(M),
                 I'm not sure what you mean by undesirable features in themed weights. The Christmas weights from Whitefriars were all based on Christmas topics (some religious, some not). The last two, of the Partridge in a Pear Tree and the Christmas Bell, were viewed as excellent technical examples and desirable in their own right as well as being scarce. This boosts their market value as does the fact that many collectors would buy the others and then want to have the complete set, thereby increasing the scramble for the scarcer ones.

Cheers,

[flying free]

I love that partridge in a pear tree....incredibly pretty and delicate.  Did they do all the twelve days of Christmas?

m

[Tony G]

Hi Flying free,
                     unfortunately not, only the Partridge. It was first thought of in 1976 but not issued until 1979 as they had the other bible scenes in the pipeline. (1975 - Host of Angels; 1976 - Three Wise Men; 1977 - Manger; 1978 - The Road to Bethlehem)

As other recent postings have compared artists proofs with issued weights, I have attached the 1976 proof for comparison.

Cheers,

[jamalpa36]

Hi ....... The Partridge weight contains 9469 rods of glass. I know because I counted them!!........Roy