Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: Millefiori on December 14, 2012, 09:21:35 PM
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Are 1980 dated whitefriars paperweights more valuable than the other ones,
As 1980 marks the end of whitefriars glass company?
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Hi,
as a keen Whitefriars' collector I would not pay any more for a weight with a 1980 date than any other. HOWEVER, many of the most desirable weights were only made in 1979 and 1980. In addition some were confined to 1980 e.g. the Christmas Bell. This would make the average price of a 1980 weight higher than other dates but not necessarily for e.g. a standard P1 concentric.
Cheers,
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As a matter of curiosity, (I'm not a wfs or a pwt collector), does a theme such as "christmas" or "anniversary", or engraved/filled with some company logo or suchlike not drastically reduce the value?
It's the sort of thing that might be "scarce" but such an undesirable feature, surely affects its popularity?
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I'm sure there was a Wf weight with an 1981 cane in
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I'm sure there was a Wf weight with an 1981 cane in
There were (at least) two - but already made by Caithness: "Snow Crystal (http://www.scotlandsglass.co.uk/cms/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=3280&category_id=48&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=6)" and "Royal Wedding (Charles&Diana) Millefiori Crown (http://www.scotlandsglass.co.uk/cms/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=3294&category_id=48&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=6)".
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Hi.........There are Whitefriars weights after 1980 but made at Caithness without the Button base.........Roy
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Hi Sue(M),
I'm not sure what you mean by undesirable features in themed weights. The Christmas weights from Whitefriars were all based on Christmas topics (some religious, some not). The last two, of the Partridge in a Pear Tree and the Christmas Bell, were viewed as excellent technical examples and desirable in their own right as well as being scarce. This boosts their market value as does the fact that many collectors would buy the others and then want to have the complete set, thereby increasing the scramble for the scarcer ones.
Cheers,
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I love that partridge in a pear tree....incredibly pretty and delicate. Did they do all the twelve days of Christmas?
m
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Hi Flying free,
unfortunately not, only the Partridge. It was first thought of in 1976 but not issued until 1979 as they had the other bible scenes in the pipeline. (1975 - Host of Angels; 1976 - Three Wise Men; 1977 - Manger; 1978 - The Road to Bethlehem)
As other recent postings have compared artists proofs with issued weights, I have attached the 1976 proof for comparison.
Cheers,
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Hi ....... The Partridge weight contains 9469 rods of glass. I know because I counted them!!........Roy
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beautiful. Thanks for the extra information. I think they missed a trick there then. Imagine how collectable all twelve days would have been. Mind you imagine making them...doesn't bear thinking about the intricacy of that lol. Actually they could have used picture canes I suppose. Has any maker done twelve days of Christmas?
And wow 9000+rods amazing!!
m
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Has any maker done twelve days of Christmas?
Selkirk has - it's engraved weights, though. Partridge in a Pear tree for comaprison (Courtesy Selman)
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Or all 12......
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/pooleandpaperweights/SANY0006.jpg
All numbered the same, have the certs and boxes.
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Hi Tony, thanks for replying. :)
I'm still completely bemused as to why anybody would want anything christmassy or religious or with anniversaries on - or company logos. Normally, this does reduce a value considerably.
???
I suppose it takes allsorts - even liquorice ones! ;D
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Thanks for posting the engraved set :) it's pretty.
m
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Hi Sue(M),
I'm not sure what you mean by undesirable features in themed weights. The Christmas weights from Whitefriars were all based on Christmas topics (some religious, some not). The last two, of the Partridge in a Pear Tree and the Christmas Bell, were viewed as excellent technical examples and desirable in their own right as well as being scarce. This boosts their market value as does the fact that many collectors would buy the others and then want to have the complete set, thereby increasing the scramble for the scarcer ones.
Cheers,
The christmas bell is not viewed as an excellent example. The tale is that the 1980 was supposed to be shepherds and sheep, and there are sheep canes in existence, but it was not successfully prototyped and in the end, the bell was done as a simple cane setting so that a 1980 xmas weight could be produced. Of course 1980 was when the factory closed and the number issued was low. This means that the 1980 is the most expensive of the xmas weights because it is rare and there are not enough to complete all the sets that collectors (like me) have.
Note also, over the last couple of weeks there have been a number of very complex garland and star settings on ebay. The stars particularly went for enormous sums (£500). Again, this is because of rarity.
That is really the determinant of the values of the weights. Not theme/design, but how rare/unusual they are and so how many collectors are missing them from their collections.
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and in reality themes are a different game to anniversaries (limited market) and logos (usually giveaways)
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Hi,
the only point I would add to Martin's comments on rarity is that completing a theme is almost as important as pure rarity. Far more Christmas Bells were made (258) than most of the USA series ( some USA weights were as low as 69 sold). However many collectors began a set of the Christmas weights ( early issues were released in largish numbers e.g.1000) and therefore needed a 1980 Bell or their "sets" were not complete. A recent example sold for £700. As the USA series weights are rarer, one could imagine that they commanded higher prices than the Christmas Bell. This is not generally so. This is possibly because fewer collections were started ( small numbers, export only or too tight a release period etc.) or the series is not seen as such an obvious "theme"and therefore there is a lower demand despite their rarity. The most I have seen paid for a USA weight is circa £400.
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ah, well, way out of my league so perhaps I won't start a Christmassy collection theme then ;D
Thanks so much for sharing this information. I don't collect weights and sometimes see the prices paid for various weights and so wonder what the desirability reason is behind them. It's interesting to understand why.
m
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In other areas of glass, rarity does not seem to be so important - an ugly lump is always an ugly lump, no matter how rare. ;)
I don't go in for "completing sets" of things myself.
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And for sure I am one of those collectors.. Still missing the partridge in a pear tree and most of the USA editions. So let me know if you or anybody you know have one to sell. I do have 3 different examples of 3 American flags though..