hello - we've had the Richardson type with lead seal previously - see this link ........
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,49321.msg278172.html#msg278172 ...
and that one which I still have is stamped crown - E.R. - 35 ..... the letters signifying (I believe) Edward Royal (Edward VII 1901 - 1910), and the figure denoting Glasgow (supported by the Verification data).
Immediately preceding this would have been V.R. 1879 - 1901 .... E.R. 1901 - 1910, and G.R. 1911 - 1920 (after which, apparently, these measures ceased being made).
My example carries the Richardson Patent No. B 623, but I don't know if all of the Couper Glasgow lead seal type measures do so - I'd imagine they probably do.
You don't mention what Nos. if any are on the seals of your Couper examples. According to Brian Brooks, Nos. 34 and 36 were also allocated to Glasgow - whether this means that Couper pieces might equally be found showing any one of these three Glasgow Nos. I'm not sure, as I possess only the one example showing No. 35, but I notice that Brooks comments ...."amongst the most common Nos. are 34 and 36 for Glasgow"" - why 35 should be less common I've no idea. Presumably these same Nos. remained in use for all measures produced - in Glasgow - between 1879 and 1920, the only variable being the letters denoting which Monarch.
Quite why Glasgow should have been given three different Nos. I don't know - I had assumed that 'one city - one No.' - perhaps it depended on the size of Are there examples of other cities possessing more than one Verification No. ??
It's tempting to think that your mystery piece might pre-date 1869 (the date of Richardson's Patent), although my opinion would be that the rough pontil and imperfections in the glass don't on their own suggest a date pre 1869, but I take the point of your argument that your mystery item doesn't match one of Couper's Registered designs for measures, although again this doesn't necessarily imply old age.
Brian Brooks footnotes the three designs that he does show, as specifically having been Registered with the Board of Trade i.e. these have Rd. Nos., the details of which are provided at the end of the booklet.
With many C19 glass manufacturers there existed a situation where they both Registered some designs but not others, and there is no reason so assume that your mystery item may well not be simply a design that Richardson/Couper - for whatever reason - chose not to Register - thus consigning its designs to obscurity.
Your mystery piece does have a lead seal, and as such can only refer you to Brook's comments where he says that "a measure with a lead seal cannot date before 1870 as the date of the patent was 31st December, 1869" .... and he seems to be quite dogmatic with that statement.
My suggestion therefore would be that your unknown item was unregistered, and therefore dropped off the radar, but the fact that it incorporates a lead seal means it falls into the date line of other designs shown in Brooks booklet, and contrary to your hopes is not pre 1869.
However, don't know that I'd agree with Brooks comments that "design and style of a measure is helpful in dating" - the three Richardson/Couper designs he shows may well have started life in 1869, but at least one was still going strong after the turn of the century, so hardly a reliable system for even approximate dating. You may well be able to see this better since you appear to possess several of Couper's pieces.
It's likely that provided the piece in question could meet a given capacity then aesthetics may well not have been an issue. I dare say that the Glasgow pubs/taverns/hotels in which these measures spent their lives didn't care too much about looks.
Just my opinions you understand, let's see what others think
Topic: Mystery Richardson Patent Measure (Read 1531 times)
