Topic: Help with18th century baluster glasses

[Mackeysm813]

Hi, any input on these would be much appreciated. I THINK I know what I’ve got here but looking for some feedback from someone more knowledgeable than I am. Fortunately I was just lucky enough to have known these were very old xwhen i found them. Any ballpark value would also be helpful, though I’m aware no one can give me any official valuation. Thanks so much! I’ve also got plenty of high quality photos if anyone needs a closer look. Just message me.

[Ekimp]

Hi, welcome to the forum. I wouldn’t like to say whether these are as old as you think or not, it can be a bit of a minefield. My first impression was that the bowls look quite thick and you were lucky to find a pair. Do they ring nicely when flicked (indicating lead glass)? Are there black bits and white bits in the glass? It looks like they have folded feet, is that the case?

It is worth searching the board. For example, have a look at these two posts:

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,62618.msg351577.html#msg351577

http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,55787.msg316330.html#msg316330

[Mackeysm813]

Thanks. Yes they are folded foot. They do ring nicely and I saw a few white bits in the glass. I really wish the platform would upload high quality images. The bowls are quite thick. They are uneven. Or not exactly identical shall we say. Thanks for the help. Here are a couple more photos where you can more clearly see the white specks and folded foot. 

[Lustrousstone]

Can't help you with the glasses but images can be up to 125 kb each; yours are much smaller.

[NevB]

I'm not an expert but I would say early to mid 19th. century. The glass is fairly clear and the horizontal striations from where it was worked can be seen, I can't see the pontil clearly. You should aim for the first number of pixels of your images to be at least 700, depending on the background you might possibly double that.

[Ekimp]

I was looking online for reproductions, just incase, and they look very like these Blenko glasses:

https://www.dandkcollectibles.com/listing/648107319/pair-of-williamsburg-cw1g-baluster-stem

The seller says “Produced by Blenko for the Williamsburg Restoration Society from 1937-1966 as reproductions of the glassware from colonial Williamsburg”. There’s a photo from the catalogue that shows them 6 or 7.5 inches tall. I can’t quite see if the pontil looks the same on your glasses. It might well fit considering your location and that you found a pair.

[NevB]

I think you are right Ekimp, although they could still be original, but on closer inspection there doesn't appear to be 200years of wear on the feet.

[Ekimp]

No, it doesn’t look like there’s much wear, it would be interesting to see them in the flesh. They look pretty much identical to the Blenko catalogue photos, hopefully Mackeysm813 isn’t too disappointed but it goes to show you have to be careful!

[Laird]

I'm going to agree with Ekimp on this one. Unfortunately, handling them, and perhaps drinking a dram from them, isn't possible. They look the part, but I am not persuaded they have been in use for so many years. It's a close one this one, and an 'in the hand' inspection would enable a more robust opinion.