Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: tropdevin on December 17, 2008, 12:10:11 PM
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Hi All
This paperweight (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?type=2&campid=5335820906&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=320325692004&item=320325692004) is in a style that turns up in many locations (Alsace, Belgium, Bohemia, US etc). The name 'June' suggests an English speaking origin, but is it American - or might it be English even? Any thoughts?
Alan
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Hi Alan
It is very clearly one of those nameweights made by Pilkington. They all have that little flower set up which is virtually a signature
Dave
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Where is Pilkington and when did they stop producing weights? How old is the weight in question?
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Pilkington Glass is located up near St Helens in Lancashire. They did not make paperweights as production items but if you went to their gift shop you couold order one of these weights and have whatever name you wanted put inside. They always had the flowers above and quite often were underlined. I believe these weights were made in the 1960's - 1970's
Dave
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I once saw two crates of these types of weight and I took a couple of reference photos of one of the crates (Left side here (http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-11126) ... Right side here (http://glassgallery.yobunny.org.uk/displayimage.php?pos=-11125)). There were "named" weights and other styles including small blue glass "dump-type" items, one with the name "Joe" added!
The gentleman who had them said that Pilkington management denied the making of paperweights in their works. The gentleman also said he believed they were made by Pilkington workers who had emigrated from Czechoslvakia (hence the Czech / Bohemian theme) and were friggers for friends and relatives. But Dave's explanation seems just as reasonable to me and may well be what happened with many of the weights.
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Very interesting discussion. I'm planning to update the listings I have on my web site for my POLLY and BRENVIN weights. I always thought they were made somewhere in the Czech region. BRENVIN is not an English sounding name.
(http://paperweights.com/pw937tn.jpg)
(http://paperweights.com/pw2277tn.jpg)
Thanks for the info.
Allan
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I’ve seen exactly the same type of weights with inscriptions in German (like greetings from Vienna etc.), so I assumed they were “Bohemian”. Several Austrian sellers call them Bohemian too.
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I think the point is that they are all in a "Bohemian" style, but where they come from may (note the may) be indicated by what they say and where they were sourced from.
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Hi! Ive just bought this paperweight commemorating the LRDG, a British military unit from WW2.
(http://i16.ebayimg.com/08/i/001/26/28/e6db_1.JPG)
and it seems to have the flower design as you suggest above. Ive emailed Pilkingtons to see if they can help out, and am wondering what they will say!
Im not a paperweight collector, I collect memorabilia connected with the LRDG, amd Im trying to track down anything anyone knows about the weight, or any duplicates... seems it was made for a G patrol reunion - anyone seen any like it?
(Just joined the forum after Googling and finding you guys)
Cheers :)
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An addition to my post above - the item came from a militaria collector in New Zealand (who felt it was from a reunion after the war), who in turn bought it from another Kiwi. After that the trail goes murky!
Thanks to the emailer who messaged me today with clues ref the Pilkington link, if you are here.
Given that the LRDG (enthusiastically) fought the Germans 1941-45 (though never actually IN Germany - Sahara and Aegean islands were their stamping grounds), I think its unlikely that this piece has any connection with Austria or Prussia.... unless it was made after the war during the Occupation?
Whether a reunion item or perhaps from the immediate post-war period, both theories suggest there may be more of them - possibly quite a few more!
Opinions welcome!
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Hi yorkysam
Yes, I am here! I suspect that you are right to say that the item may have been commissioned (perhaps along with a few others) as gifts for a reunion - was there any particular date that might have been important to this group? A 25th anniversary, for instance?
Alan
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Hi Alan :)
Thanks for the reply - yes there were lots of significant dates - the unit was founded in 1940/1 so 25 years, 40 years after, etc etc are all possible.
Its uncannily like the weights pictured above - looks very similar to the "June" weight as well as the "Polly" and "Brenvin" items. As you suggested in your email it has a green/yellow tinge to the glass, and the base is roughish. The method of writing is similar and the flowers could be twins.
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and then there is the standup variety from France:
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Just had an email suggesting it may be a Paul Ysart paperweight as it's commemorative......
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Hi
I would recommend disregarding the suggestion that it is by Paul Ysart - the poor man gets blamed for all sorts of things for no good reasons other than 'It is commemorative' or 'It has a cap badge' and so on! Yes, he made some commemorative weights and some cap badge weights - but so did many other makers.
Alan
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Email from Pilkington this morning....
"Many thanks for your query related to a paperweight which has been forwarded on to me. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that Pilkington does not manufacture glass paperweights. We manufacture glass for the building products and automotive markets.
I am sorry not to be able to send you a more positive response, but thank you for your interest in contacting us.
Julie Hamlett
Electronic Media Manager
Pilkington Group Limited"
Interesting!
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Yep! Just like I said earlier:
Pilkington management denied the making of paperweights
::)
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This thread gives the impression that this style of weight was limited to Pilkington, surely it is a generic style of weight that was made quite widely and common elements (if canes of style of working) could have been distributed widely by workers moving to other countries. Much window glass would create problems with including colours, making production at a flat glass facility less likely. There would have needed to be another product being made at the works to justify the melt of material that was suitable. Although a large laboratory would have probablyu had the capability to make small batches.
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The thot plickens - or alternatively the mist just gets thicker.
This email arrived from the PCA in the States this morning
"You do have an interesting paperweight and from the photo I'm thinking it could have been made in Italy or India or China. I thought I noticed a small flower-shaped cane on the side of the weight - if you could send another photo of that side, it might help."
Praps Ill just give up and go to the pub.... ;)