Topic: Georgian/Victorian Custard Cups

[ju1i3]

It seems to me that not many people are interested in custard cups anymore. I see most (all?) of them going unsold on ebay. Is anyone interested in these anymore?

I have a couple that are heavy and seem very high quality which I bought a few years ago when I thought I might start collecting them but now what I'm trying to thin my collections I was thinking of selling them. Any ideas? or not to even bother?

thanks,

[neil53]

Hi Julie, as you know, like any other old piece of glass the value depends on rarity, quality, condition etc.  There are a lot of custard cups around and most of them are pretty much the same, so collectors don't value ordinary pieces very highly.  I recently sold a set of four early Victorian ones on eBay for the princely sum of £5.00.  However, rare items do command quite high sums.  A double B handle custard cup recently sold at Bonhams Oxford for £562.00 inclusive of buyer's commission.  You can see this cup at http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/21728/lot/40/.

If you post your cup here we can give you an idea of rarity.  If not rare then I would suggest using them.  They are as useful today as they were then and at the price they command can even go in the dishwasher afterwards!

[ju1i3]

Thanks for the info. Sadly mine wasn't like that one! More like http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SET-of-3-HEAVY-VICTORIAN-ANTIQUE-SLICE-CUT-CUSTARD-CUPS-SHOT-GLASSES-/301086146814?pt=UK_Art_Glass&hash=item461a2200fe or http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Jelly-Glass-Cup-superb-quality-Custard-Glass-Cup-Georgian-or-Victorian-/301087660485?pt=UK_Art_Glass&hash=item461a3919c5

I need to take some decent pics of mine. It's been so dark with all the rain, difficult to take natural light photos.

[neil53]

Hi Julie, he'll be lucky to make the £12.00 he is asking for them.  Having said that, they are nice things in their own right, hand-blown and well made.  If you are intent on selling them then you'll get the best price if you can make them up into a set of six or eight.  Sets tend to get a premium.

[Paul S.]

and I'm the other collector of custard cups

I've been picking up the odd piece for a few years and now have 50 - 60 different designs  -  and after you've been doing this for a few years you begin to think they'll never end - and they probably don't.           Same with jellies, they seem to go on for ever with limitless designs, and are possibly older than custards.
I think that like many examples of social/domestic glass they have their moment of fame and then become less fashionable  -  unless it's pieces as Neil suggests such as the double B handles, Lynn or diamond moulding.
It's when you see pieces from the Tim Udall collection, for example, that you begin to realize how appealing they can be  -- but then you need a mortgage to buy them!

Must admit they have been rather quiet on the Board in recent times  -  but that may reflect their absence from usual buying sources, possibly.

Can't really think what you could use them for, other than small desert containers - they're too small really for anything practicable  -  could mix Polyfilla in them I suppose              Probably older if they have snapped pontil scars, and pressed examples are possibly of less value than cut examples, with coloured pieces  -  cranberry or amber of greater interest.

I hope you do get something for yours Julie