Glass Message Board
Glass Identification - Post here for all ID requests => Glass => Topic started by: cagney on November 26, 2021, 10:25:46 PM
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Large goblet [ chalice? ] 27 cm tall with a one shilling coin dated 1920 in the hollow of the stem. Blue shading on the bowl rim and applied blue edge on the foot. Looking down inside the bowl you can see where they closed up the hollow for the coin. Rough pontil. Think glass is newish not much wear at all. Possibly even Mexican.
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what a shame - you lost out on a silver content of 92.5% by one year ;D - something to do with coming off the gold standard in 1919, I think. In 1920 the Sterling content was reduced to 50%, and it's likely the coin is the most valuable part of this item - in 1946 the silver content was removed entirely.
As a 'shilling' (£0.05), this would have been legal tender in the U.K. until c. 1970, after which as you'll know, the Brits. went decimal, though you were still able to walk into a bank and ask for the decimal equivalent - though of course you wouldn't since the silver content is worth more than 5p. The coin wasn't legal tender in shops post 1970.
This 'coin in the glass' could exist for a variety of reasons - perhaps someone had a thing about George V - found themselves with a coin they couldn't spend - just wanted to create a novelty - we'll probably never know.
Agree with you - likely to be of quite recent manufacture, but heaven knows where. sorry this doesn't help with provenance or date.
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I had just received it in the mail yesterday. Bought online with no provenance. After spending some time with it I am becoming convinced it is probably Mexican. I have seen a fair amount of commercial hand blown glass from there and they seem to be quite fond of this color scheme. A lot of margarita glasses for the restaurant trade. The fact that the bowl is of a thicker glass than the foot, the over the top size kind of lead me to a statement piece possibly for the tourist trade. Still better than the average workmanship.
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in terms of novelty value, it's possibly unique - coins in glass tend to be C17 or C18 - and it's a wonderful conversation piece and you could well be correct about the tourist connection. Perhaps the bowl capacity would mean you'd have to leave the car at home :)