Clear crystal Fruiting Vine is an unusual and interesting pattern as it relates to today's marketplace. As it was made in reasonable quantity, it is not too difficult to find examples today. I buy singles, pairs or any quantity I find, as it is such high quality it will always sell well. Note that the number of flake cuts in the rings under the fruiting vine pattern can vary considerably. I once bought a set of five sherries where this number varied from five to eight on individual glasses. About all you can say about such a set is that it was probably not purchased through a top London store such as Fortnum & Masons.
My undertaker, or at least he probably will be when the time comes, has inherited a magnificent family collection of Edinburgh "Thistle" pattern decanters and glasses, much of which looks Victorian to me. This is used on special occasions. The main advantage of this pattern is that he and his ancestors have replaced broken or damaged items on a regular basis. So the set is still complete, but from a variety of periods.
I know of at least two collectors who are taking a similar approach to Walsh "Fruiting Vine". They start by buying anything in the pattern. Then by trying to build up complete sets. One told me that he will continue to buy Walsh Fruiting Vine as long as it is less than roughly half the price of new items of similar quality. And both use their Walsh Fruiting Vine for special occasions.
So, I believe there will always be a demand, and prices will relate to shop prices of similar quality items. At some time supply might get more difficult as the pattern gets more popular, tending to push up prices. So those collecting today will find themselves owning a very pleasant appreciating investment.
Some collectors are taking this approach with all Walsh glass. It is actually very difficult to find examples of Walsh glass that are not of the highest quality. The elegant simplicity of their patterns did not allow any room for error. And their base stars are always perfect. In cut crystal I only know of one example, a very rare bowl that Eric and I discussed about a year or two ago and one of only two known examples of the pattern. Pompeian is perhaps the most obvious range to check carefully - for lopsidedness and for burst bubbles.
The website that Eric referred to is
http://www.glass.co.nz , the home of the first version of this message board. You will find his illustrated article on Walsh there.
... and I strongly recommend Eric's excellent book, together with a good quality magnifying glass. It is one of the most cost-effective books I have ever purchased, easily paying for itself on my first (unmarked) Walsh purchase after buying it.
Bernard C