Topic: Saint Louis Mushroom

[Krecik]

How do you determine if a particular design is common. I have looked at a lot of pictures and can not find an exact match to this weight. I see prices that wildly vary for similar looking weights? Is there a good book that discusses quantities and rarity of a particular design? What do you think of this paperweight?

[tropdevin]

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Hi Krecik.  The simple answer to 'are there any books discussing quantities and rarities of designs' is 'No'.  I don't think I have ever seen two Saint-Louis mushrooms that were the same - they were in effect one-offs, not some form of limited edition.  Regarding wildly varying prices, that sometimes appears to be the case, but it is important to distinguish between the asking price you might see, and what an item might have been sold for...and if it has not yet sold, there may be a message there about the asking price!

Alan

[paperweights]

Actually, Paul Dunlop's The Dictionary of Glass Paperweights an illustrated primer sometimes contains comparisons as to whether one design is rare and another is more common.  He doesn't do it for every design and every color.  But Alan is correct that there is no book that specifically sets out to define rarity. 

[Krecik]

Thanks for your replies.   Every mushroom I look at is different , I do not see a pattern to how people value them or the prices paid for them .   I see sales for similar items as low as $800 and as high as $6500 .   How can you tell if the price paid is good or if you overpaid? 

[paperweights]

You may not find an exact match.  My comment was not about mushrooms in general.  I was thinking about garlands, the garland pattern, the ground color, and the other features that we use to describe a paperweight.  Some combinations are rare, others are relatively common.  With mushrooms, it is color and execution that matters the most to me.  And whether there is a signature and date.  A perfectly executed St. Louis mushroom with a SL and date brings a premium price.

[alpha]

My general rule has been: Baccarat mushrooms are more common in the closepack format and rarer in the concentric designs. Whereas it is just the reverse for St Louis - the SL closepack mushrooms are rare and the concentrics more common.

[tropdevin]

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Hi.  I agree with Andy's point above.  In addition, Baccarat mushrooms are more common than Saint-Louis, and Clichy are the rarest. If I saw a Saint-Louis mushroom in decent condition at $800, I would snap it up (or at $1800, for that matter...).

Alan

[paperweights]

I agree with both of the two posters above about the relative rarity of SL and Baccarat mushrooms.  Below is a picture of my recent SL Mushroom addition.