The very resourceful and persistent researcher at the Corning Museum of Glass, Paul Chasse, contacted Selman paperweights and today provided additional information regarding the current location of the 1853 L'Eglise Baccarat paperweight:
I did hear back from one of the major paperweight companies I asked, Selman. They confirmed that the weight is in the Baccarat Museum and that there may be a different date than popularly that it was discovered. Here is her response to me below copied and pasted:
Hello Paul,
It is such an interesting story. There are some conflicting dates on when the Church paperweight was really discovered, and it seems to be a topic of conversation right now, as some say it was discovered on Oct. 3rd 1951. If so, the anniversary would have been yesterday.
As far as I'm aware, the original 1853 Church Weight is currently in the collection of the Baccarat Museum, although I do not believe it's on display.
I hope that this helps! Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist with.
Kindly,
Molly