Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. > British & Irish Glass

HELP - Can you identify this Richardson England decanter please?

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RichTee:
Hi folks,

This is my first post, so hello everyone!

I have always loved antique glass and got a bit lucky the other day when I came across this cut glass decanter in a charity shop. - I paid £14.99 for it.  ;)

There is a makers mark ( acid etched I think) on the underneath which reads - Richardson England and has the little Union Jack flag.
W.H.B. & J. Richardson (manufacturers) ? circa - 1850's approx

The decanter does not have a single chip on it anywhere, and it pretty heavy. Also there is a little number 2 engraved into the stopper plug, which bodes well for genuine?

However I cannot find another picture of this kind of barrel shaped decanter made by Richardson.

Either this is a rare example of work from this manufacturer, or it is not genuine and a copy - Though I doubt this.

Can any of you help please.

Paul S.:
hello and welcome the GMB :)

I suspect that technically your decanter isn't an antique, in the usual sense of being more than 100 years old -  however a very nice piece, and one that deserves to be filled.

It is the acid backstamp showing the Union Flag which shows this to be a C20 piece  -  it would seem that their mark incorporating the flag started some time in the 1920's, and continued in use after they were taken over by T/Webb and then on until around the 1960/70 period, I think, although not too certain of the finish date.              This one might be anywhere during that entire period, and a rough idea of when might be indicated by amount of wear, internal staining and whether the cutting is sharp or not.               But your bottle is most definitely Richardson.

You should find a corresponding '2' somewhere on the lip or neck of the body, assuming this is the matching original stopper  -  stoppers often go missing and are replaced with substitutes although these rarely fit well, and then the Nos. either don't match, or one part lacks a No. completely.              These Nos. don't say anything other than that, if identical, then probably both parts started out life from the factory together.

Richardson glass is perhaps less common than much other C20 glass, and I wouldn't expect you to readily find another with the same design.                   In view of the lack of damage/wear, I'd suggest this one was made post 1945, and shape wise possibly a 'Prussian' - a shape common in the C19, and copied widely since.

If you go on line and punch in Richardson, you should find quite a lot of information regarding the mark and other history of the company. :) 

ahremck:
Interesting I have the same decanter base but my stopper is different.  That suggests that one of us (or perhaps both) have the wrong stopper.

Ross

Paul S.:
hi Ross  - we need the OP to give us some feedback on this matter of matching Nos. - and then we'll know, possibly, which of you has the correct stopper :)

RichTee:
Hi guys

Thank you so much for your help.
I have checked the decanter stopper and inner neck and I'm sorry to announce that the numbers definitely match.
Sorry Ross it looks like you might not have the original one for yours.

So it appears that for under £15 I might have got a lucky find then.
Do I give it to my granny or do I sell it to a collector, that's the question.
Or maybe i should start my own collection. It must be worth over £50?

Thanks again

Richard

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