Topic: Glass Decanters - stars & ellipse cuts

[Alanladd]

Hi there,
I have two decanters which I got from a house clearance and was wondering if anyone could shed any light on them.
Both seem to be glass and not crystal, though being a novice here I could be completely off the mark.
One has a single row of ellipse shapes etched vertically on both the main body AND the stopper.
The 2nd has a single row of an 8 point star (not too uncommon to a compass) followed by an ellipse on the horizontal etched, again, on the main body AND the stopper.
Photos are attached below.

Any thoughts or ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Shane Mcd

[Ekimp]

Hi, they are Victorian style shaft and globe decanters, I would say they are probably late Victorian.

Although the style of the stopper on the top decanter matches the body, from the photo it looks like it sits far too low in the neck. The outside rim of the top of the stopper peg should line up with the inside rim of the neck. The stopper in the decanter with the star looks to sit at the right height. There might be small numbers etched into the neck and stopper to match the bottle with the correct stopper. It also looks like the top decanter might have white bloom inside (unless it’s the background showing through) which can be impossible to clean off.

Being more positive the decanter with the star looks clean and the star is reasonable distinctive so if the stopper fits well, I would say it must be the original, which is nice. The style of decanter is quite common but it’s harder to find a clean one that you can be confident has the original stopper.

[Laird]

My feeling is that these are late Victorian or Edwardian. Difficult to nail it without handling them.
If there is bloom, then try filling them with Coca Cola for a couple of days. The acid may improve the appearance. Also, I have used toilet cleaner, which contains hydrochloric acid. You can also try, dental cleaner, used for false teeth, which can be quite useful.

[Alanladd]

Hi Ekimp & Laird,

Thanks very much for your responses.
Very much appreciated.

I'll try to get them cleaner and maybe something might show up better.

Regards
Shane McD

[Alanladd]

Hi Ekimp,

I agree with you on the stopper of the 1st decanter.  It does sit below the level of the neck, so probably isn't the original.
However, on the flip side it probably does belong to the style of the manufacturer as it has the exact same design of vertical elliptical shapes.
Also, though not anyway a way of saying this is the original stopper or not, the markings on the inside of the neck of the decanter where the stopper "plugs" do not go below the stopper depth. This present stopper has been with this decanter for sometime.
Can't see any numbers on either the stoppers or decanters. Not sure if my eyesight could find them.🤣
I'm assuming that for either you couldn't put a ball park figure of value on them?
I probably need to bring it somewhere for evaluation.

Hi Laird,
I've had a couple of goes to get the inside of the 1st decanter clean but no luck so far. It looks like it gets  clean until it drys. 😒
Anyway, I've tried bread soda with vinegar,  vinegar on it's own but know I've gone for Coca Cola. I'll leave it for a few days and see what happens. 😁

[brucebanner]

I have been cleaning bloom from glass for about 2 years now. I started by watching a YouTube video (search ians polishing kits) using cerium oxide or pink (not red) jewelers rouge i can now pretty well clean any interior glass using a plastic rod with a hole in the end and sponge tied with string to fit. It takes a few goes to get it started. The YouTube video describes the basics. I have restored about 100 things plus so far. Softer the glass the better. It has to be badly pitted to be a total dead loss.

[Alanladd]

Hi brucebanner,

Thanks for that. Will have to look it up, though it is not too badly pitted, but obviously better without it.

Regards,
Shane McD

[Ekimp]

That’s interesting about removing the bloom, I’ll have to try it on something. I suppose technically that’s not cleaning but restoration or repair as I assume you are polishing away material.

I have a couple of nicely cut Georgian decanters that have some clouding inside or some staining in the bottom, but that is part of their history (for me). If the staining can only be removed by polishing, rather than cleaning something from the surface, then I will leave mine as they are . If I saw a sparkling clean decanter purporting to be Georgian, maybe even Victorian, I would be a bit suspicious. Maybe it’s different with bloom, or it depends what you want it for, or the item, or it’s just personal choice.

Shane, that type of decoration will have been used by many different manufacturers over a long period and isn’t very distinctive so you will find quite a few of them, you might even find a stopper with a better fit. There are lots of ‘matching’ glasses too. As for value, you can get a pretty good idea if you search for shaft and globe decanters in sold items on eBay or other sites (I don’t think we’re encouraged to give an opinion on value as it is subjective).

[Alanladd]

Hi Ekimp,

I thought it might be something like that, in that it was a 'common' design. And I understand the valuation stance - fair enough.
I actually found a similar one to the 1st one on Ebay last night. It didn't have the etching on the lower neck like mine has and it's stopper was obviously different.
Haven't found anything like the 2nd one with the stars - yet.

Regards,
Shane McD