Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass Paperweights => Topic started by: buttonfluff on June 06, 2010, 06:20:49 PM
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I was wondering if this is a wedgewood weight as i have seen some in this design,it has no markings on the bottom though but has polished very worn base and nicly made ,,many thanks
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Hi
It is very hard to tell whether weights like this were made by Wedgwood, or one of several factories in China who produce similar pieces: the Chinese versions are very good copies! That said, attribution to Wedgwood won't change the value very much - I tend to think in pence rather than pounds when it comes to this design.
Alan
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Value depends where you live! I have a couple of topaz ones of these which were 21st birthday presents back in the late 60's. However I saw two recently in an "antique" shop here in Perth (Western Australia - not Scotland), and they were charging $105 for them. At current exchange rates that is about £60 !
JAK
West Oz
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Hi JAK
You get strange pricing here too. There is an antique shop in Moreton in Marsh that had a pair of Strathearn doorknobs for sale 5 years ago, described as 19th C French, and priced at £225.00. Several people I know told them that they were modern Scottish items. When I called in recently they still had the doorknobs, now labelled just as millefiori (except they spelled it incorrectly) - but the price has increased to £295.00!
I'd have thought they might have gleaned something about the price from the fact they have not sold in 5 years. I guess they hope to snag an unwary tourist.
Alan
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Hi ,luckily i only paid a pound for it and its got to be well worth that ,thanks for the info and yeah some of these antique shops seem to make their own prices up and unless i really like something i stick to my charity shops and bootsales .. kerryn .
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Compared to the one I have that looks wrong. Mine is boxed RSW11, labelled and etched so it might be right :-) . Have just been checking them out on line and all the marked ones were closer to mine than that one. Particularly shape of bubbles and the bubble between the coloured parts is unbroken. I could be wrong.
King's Lynn Glass ones were only labeled and labeled but unmarked Wedgwood are also recorded.
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Could I just post a reminder that the head glassmaker at Wedgwood left and set up Avondale Glass near Tenby in Wales. He copied some of the weights he had made at Wedgwood so could this be Avondale ?
Dave
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That could explain some of the larger variations I saw on-line today. Some just seemed to sloppily made to be right, or did quality vary too?
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All of the Wedgwood Glass that I own is signed with an acid etch.
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Seconds are unsigned...
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I have had several Avondale weights like this, none of which I would say were sloppily made and have sold them to Americans and Australians as well as people in UK, all for at least £10 and often for more. They had their clear label with the gold glassblower on them and the Avondale Glass Pembrokeshire name on them.
They also made Toadstools (Mushrooms) very like the Wedgwood ones and many of their animals have been indistinguishable from Wedgwood, daveweight is absolutely correct, the Wedgwood quality is echoed well in the quality of Avondale glass, it is very good indeed.
I have many of their elephants, including some of the older ones and wouldn't trade them for the world.
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That helps ;-) So King's Lynn versions unsigned, some Wedgwood unsigned and all seconds. Plus Chinese copies... needs a good ID guide!
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If Wedgwood are acid signed and Avondale just has a gold label, which can easily wear or come off, this would leave an unsigned weight. Doesn't help much does it !
Dave
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Yes and no!
Wedgwood seconds rarely had a polished base, so were not acid etched. The Kings Lynn weights did have a polished base but were labelled. Wedgwood perfect weights had both the acid etched base and oval label.
So if yours has a polished base no makers mark, and has no obvious defects then it is either Kings Lynn or Avondale.
If you are selling this, then describing it as British Art Glass Paperweight, either Kings Lynn or Avondale ( label missing) will suffice as either of these firms produced quality glass weights. If there is much wear to the base then the likelihood of it being Kings Lynn is greater as they ceased production, whilst Avondale are still in production.
You could also ask Avondale if your weight is one of theirs. Their website is:
http://www.vickybarrett.com/artandcraft/avondale/