Topic: Kjellander Vase

[Pathfinder52]

Just found your site. Seems very helpful.
Today I unpacked a Kjellander Vase, it was last packed up in 1979 (per the newspaper in which it was wrapped).
It is a clear, crystal vase, footed and 6" tall.  On one side is a knight, slaying a dragon; on the other side is a damsel, praying for rescue.
the base is 3" by 4" and the top edge of the vase is 5/8" beveled and smoothly polished.

The signature is just Kjellander with the numbers: 376-282
I'd attach photos but, I am not sure they are the right size.

[KevinH]

Hi Pathfinder52, welcome to the GMB.

For help on resizing images to fit the Board limit, see TECHIE TIPS: Resizing images to fit the board

My recommendation for all new folk is to use www.picresize.com which is user friendly and set out in easy stages. All you need to do is upload an image to the resizer page, set the longest side of the image to be 700 pixels and click "ok", or just ignore, on all other stuff. The resizing will usually produce a good quality image at less than the the Board's 125 Kb limit. Change to 600 pixels if it is still too many Kb.

Have a go - you can't break it.

[Pathfinder52]

Okay, trying to post one image. . .
I want to know how to date this vase and what it might be worth.
I've never seen it before today.

[Paul S.]

Hi - welcome to the GMB.          We do have people here (Anne Tique, Ivo or Bill Geary) who have previously provided history and information on the Kjellander family engraving business, which I think is no longer  -  and if you use the Board's search facility you will find previous posts where these pieces have been discussed.        These members may be able to add further information for you.       

Regret to say that as a general rule, we don't discuss values of glass on the GMB  -  sorry if this seems unhelpful, but the variables involved in valuing are considerable  -  as you can imagine there are so many people with different ideas that it would be more confusing than helpful, and with Kjellander there is an extremely long production period making this a specialised field.
There appear to be considerable internet sites with information on these pieces - plus internet and old fashioned auction locations that will have 'valued' examples within their archives, and you might speak to an auction house who know doubt will be able to offer advice.

Sorry to contradict your first thoughts  -  ordinarily we consider ourselves very helpful:)     

[Ivo]

Maybe it helps to know that it is not just any knight but st. George slaying the dragon.

[Pathfinder52]

Hmmmm. . .of course it is! Why didn't I think of that!
Thanks for the tip!

So, I have a Kjellander vase with St. George slaying the dragon -- still, I'd love to know how old it is and what it might be worth!

[Paul S.]

sorry, I'd assumed that was obvious   -  how many other tales of daring do are there with a knight slaying a dragon and saving a fair damsel?
Unfortunately though, knowing which story it is doesn't help with deciphering the code or dating the piece - I get the impression that pieces were produced through much of the C20, although this one is going to be 1970s or earlier.

fingers crossed someone else will be able to help with that part of the request.

[Pathfinder52]

Thanks much.
I know it went into storage in 1979 and I just dug it out of the packing crate this week-end.
It has not seen the light of day for 35 years.

I just have to figure out what to do with it (I'm not a collector, so if it has value, I need to find a reliable way to sell it).

[Paul S.]

as a suggestion only, probably your easiest solution would be to contact a reputable auction house - preferably one that does sell glass, and ask for their opinion as to whether they consider this has sufficient value to make selling a worthwhile proposition - certainly in the U.K. auction commission charges are not cheap - and you maybe looking at losing something in the region of 20 - 25% of the value of the hammer price.
Glass can be unpredictable in terms of auction values  -  fashion can dictate desirability, so can quirkiness, and sometimes the most obvious of pieces don't sell. 

Wish you luck in your endeavours.

[Pathfinder52]

Thanks so much!
I'm going to start by looking for local vendors of current, similar products (glass, imports) to see if anyone knows more about the piece. As I said, this is not my familiar zone as a collector!

--P