Topic: Taking More Chances? An update on research

[David E]

I have been keeping this to myself until I was sure, but there is a lot more Chance glass out there to find. Much of this has not been identified because it was produced for third-parties. The most prominent was Crystalex of London, for whom it produced a set called 'Flora', and the details I found were in the pressed glass records. The items were fruit bowls, dishes, and a footless sugar bowl and footless cream jug. There may be other items in this range.

Another surprise was some "Star Footed Bowl" (and Fruit dish) produced for Jules Lang who I believe was a distributor and exporter. There must be a few about as the numbers produced was 98,000 and 155,000 respectively.

Many other items are 'fridge boxes, lids, drip trays for Electrolux, Kelvinator, and so on. But there were a few stock ash trays, including one 'Club' model (my words) measuring a mammoth 10-in diameter! The other ash trays are: Five-sided, Round and Square models, which also came with 'Pimpled' and 'Prismatic' bases.

Some were also used from stock and decorated to the clients' specification: sprayed with colour; transfers affixed; gold rims, etc.

Some of the descriptions are enigmatic to say the least: "Large Bowl. Blackberry Pattern" and "Drape Bowl", a Goblet for Kenwood(!), "Portman" bowls, sugar basin and jug... but what these are I have no idea yet.

Another oddity is the "Plain Jug" made for Lowit. note it is a "plain" jug, so we assume there is no identifiable pattern. However, this is decorated with these very precise instructions:
Apply 1 crinkle band to base 1¼" wide and 1 crinkle band ¾" above. ¾" wide. Apply one ¼" gold line between crinkle bands, 4 gold lines above crinkle and apply gold to rim

Perhaps we have been wafting past this jug before, assuming it wasn't Chance. One ounce of gold only decorated 30 jugs, so it should stand out - now I'm sure I've seen one of these before somewhere... Anyway, this is why I directed people from the Crinkle posting by Keith.

One surprising item was a Britannia Bowl. Platinum Rim - yup, it actually used platinum. The records even show a single ounce of platinum would decorate 600 bowls. Ever seen a Britannia "Jam Pot with Lid"? Nope, me neither... but there are/were 130,000 of them somewhere

This level of detail is a little, ahem, anal, I suppose, but it does help to form a much rounder picture than before. However, if anyone does spot any of these items, I would really appreciate a heads-up, or I will purchase them if found in a charadee shop, car-boot, etc. Please e-mail me privately. I am still compiling this list - it is long - but I think that's the main thrust of it.

Now you know why Chance Additions is taking so long

Oh, and I had lunch with Sir Jeremy Chance today, plus four others. Sir J made a presentation to Laura Brett, who has been doing the sterling work at the archives, of some Fiesta plates and bowls... all decorated in gilt on blue-flashed glass. The pattern was Roset!

[Anne]

David, that's fascinating, thanks for the update. It gives us something else to keep our eyes open for and wonder about whilst trawling charity shops and boot fairs!

Did you manage to take any pics of the gilt/blue flashed pieces from the lunchtime presentation?

[Ming]

David
Leave it to me. I will give one soon. I think l have seem one of Britannia bowl with silver rim. I thougt it was silver and wasn't in good condition and so l left it.

[David E]

Anne: One of the few times I didn't have my camera with me  I think Laura will charge me now! But I did pick up two Roset bowls, white on clear, some time ago.

But believe me, there are many new revelations to appear.

Ming: Thanks! However, there are some Britannia dishes (see p.22) with a metal (added on) rim - these are still quite scarce. The platinum rims are applied - painted if you prefer. Oh yes, the 'ovals' in the Britannia design were actually called 'lenticules'. I also stumbled across mention of the Lotus bowl with "Scallop Rim" and "Flared & Scallop" versions. They were pressed in Jan 1951, so the production run was a little longer than first envisaged. They were still calling them from stock in Apr 1953, to spray them with enamel.

[Anne]

I have a big Britannia bowl with a metal rim somewhere still - chrome if I recall correctly (is that the one in the book, I forget?!)

Also, I saw a set of Lotus with a wavy rim somewhere recently but can't recall where, I'll sleep on it and see if the brain can remember overnight!

[Lustrousstone]

I picked up one of the little oval "Gossamer" anomaly bowls on holiday, but I'm sure they're not Chance, as Gossamer is diamonds and this is squares like the little square box. I also saw the pen tray in an NT house. I think these two are not Chance animals but that there was cross-fertilisation of ideas somewhere.

[David E]

Anne: Ming posted a clear Lotus bowl with 'fluted' (wavy) rim and a pink one with 'flared' and 'fluted' rim recently. Perhaps it was these that you saw?

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,28764.0.html
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,29879.0.htm

Anyway, those are the examples that were never noted before.

Your Britannia bowl, metal rimmed, was featured in the book.

Christine: I have a small oval 'Gossamer' bowl that I'm undecided on. Anne B reckoned they could be butter dishes and I even recently bought a couple complete with plinth and lids in green and blue Lucite respectively. I'll post photos on this thread later. I would say squares was not Chance (or at least not one we've identified before/yet!) but a photo of it would help.

[Anne]

Hi David, no this was in the charity shop in the Midlands when we down there last month... told you sleeping on it would bring it out of my memory! It wasn't that style though, more like the ballerina edge on the Waverley bowl I have.

[chopin-liszt]

I'm sure I've got a deep green crinkled "plain" jug - (it's the shape of the jug which is very plain - a tapering shape, wider base than rim. It's banded - just all green from the bottom up, with gold bands and rim above.

I was grabbing crinkled stuff for a wee while, until I "found out" that only the spiderweb pattern was decorated with crinkle stuff -

I gather this is not right!

I was quite relieved to stop - I really, really dislike it.
We had chunky shaped little glasses with bands of crinkle and gold around them - harlequin coloured set - for juice when we were children.
They were really nasty to use - the crinkle stuff is so unpleasant to feel!


Pics. Jug and two lager glasses.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/chancyjug.jpg

Couple of hyacinth vases and a horrid small orange glass.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b227/chopin-liszt/chancybits.jpg

My brother's partner has a triangular decanter with white crinkle stuff, with a stopper which has CG moulded into the base. I gave it to him years ago. Have you seen that, David?

[David E]

It was a common misconception that Crinkles = Chance, but Chance was only one of several companies using this technique.  'Matthey Crinkles' was the decoration used during the 1950s (Johnson, Matthey & Co. Ltd was the supplier), although it is only assumed that Chance used this method, and not their own derivative. See p.16, Chance Expressions.

It would appear that your crinkling tastes were affected at childhood! But the items in the photos do not look like Chance, but still worth passing them by me.

I never saw the decanter when I was down there, but I'll ask about it. Thanks for that.