Topic: Less 'Old' Glass at the National Glass Collectors Fair ?

[nicola]

Hi Everyone
I went to the National Glass Collectors Fair yesterday for the first time in a year or so and I was quite shocked at the lack of pressed glass stalls there.  I remember the last time I went at Gaydon and they had several rooms where the majority of the items were pressed (Victorian, Art Deco etc).  I try to restrict myself to colleting things just with lids and I am usually spoilt for choice, so it was a bit of a disapointment and a struggle to find bargains this time (especially after a 2.5 hour journey there!)

Do you think that there is less pressed glass around for people to sell? the organisers are trying to get more contemporary glass makers involved? the recession means that selling at Fairs is too much of an outlay or is it just that eBay is easier?

I'd love to hear everyone's opinion on this
Nicola

[johnphilip]

Well i have a fabulous covered powder bowl by Etling on ebay dead cheap at the moment i wont give details here
too many wrist slappers around and what with Annes offer last week i dont want to rock the boat , but i am sure you can find it . :sleep: I saw the same at Birmingham £200 :huh:

[nicola]

Thanks John, but I only collect Victorian British pressed glass, Sowerby, Davidson, Greener, M&W, Derbyshire etc - I don't think that I have enough room to start collecting other things!

[Tinker-Taylor]

I found exactly the same situation at the IACF in Shepton Mallet yesterday.  There seemed to be endless examples of contemporary glass but much less pressed.  At an estimate, I would say 60% 1960's onwards, with lots of Frank Thrower Dartington vases in 'Kingfisher' (zero in 'flame') and more Mdina than a stick could be shaken at.  

Then the remainder of the glass stalls seemed to be made up of the odd stall of Art Nouveau style items and a few Davidson Pearline pieces (not enough in uranium!) which stall holders were asking rather a lot for IMHO.

As far as Art Deco pressed glass, I don't really feel as though I saw any.  Maybe now is the time to hoard it!

I noticed 2-3 stalls devoted to Whitefriars vases with no-one showing any real interest, and quite a few traders seemed to be saying that they didn't know why they were bothering anymore.  One chap almost gave me a fully signed Tapio Wirkkala vase as he was packing up his stall.  

At least four stall holders I spoke with said that they were disappointed with the whole experience, but I think the recently nasty UK weather has a great deal to answer for.  People like staying in when it's cyclonic.

Stu.

[nicola]

I didn't see much Whitefriars there either, we were there by 11am and I don't think that we saw any of the large whitefriars pieces like the drunken brick layer or banjo, just a basketweave slab vase.
There was one beautiful art deco stall with Bagley etc and they had several sets of Owl bookends and there did seem to be a large amount of Jobling bear bookends too.

The prices did seem quite high, one stall had Davdison's pearline glass, but the prices were three times what I had paid in the last 6 months!  There was also a stall with Derbsyshire Lions, Dogs and even a Sphinx which were all very beautiful, but they also had huge chips on them that didn't seem to dent the asking price! 

After this experience, I am not sure that I will go again.  The excitement of going to specialist fairs is to see the really rare items, but when everything seems to be thin on the ground, it is a long way to travel...

[johnphilip]

I will have to go in the loft as i used to buy boxes of glass in the good old days and i am afraid pressed leaves me cold so anything pressed went into the loft, i know i have some pieces so they will be for sale if anything good turns up ,most of the people i know came away with something pleasing , i came away with a couple of decanters that i believe have Dunne Cooke connections .Regards jp . stgeorgio.2007

[malwodyn]

I was at the Glass Collectors' Fair yesterday, and I can't say I noticed a dearth of Pressed Glass - but then I wasn't particularly looking for it!  I did think there was slightly less Mdina than last time, but I could be wrong.  As for the modern glass - well there were some stunning displays by contemporary glassmakers.

I don't go to the Glass Collectors' Fair to find bargains - too many of the stallholders know a great deal about what they have to sell - and what it is likely to fetch in today's market.  I go because there is a wide range of glass under one roof, and because I can handle the glass - and talk to the sellers.  I don't always find what I want,  but I enjoyed the trip, and I intend to be back next year. 

By the way, Nicola - how much of your journey time was spent trying to leave the M6?  It must have taken me at least half an hour to travel a mile of so to the roundabout where people were turning off to the NEC!  I was quite worried that all the others were trying to get to the Fair, and would be in the queue in front of me - getting their eyes of the pieces that I want for my collection!  and then when I finally got to the little roundabout, all the rest turned off to the NEC, and I had a clear road to the Motorcycle Museum... and plenty of space in the car park too...

[paulbowen]

For those of us who aren't British, what is a "wrist slapper?"

[johnphilip]

Sorry Paul its women that chastise you ,it starts with a little slap on the wrist but it can end up with black fishnet tights and a whip , on one of the other Forums we have one known as miss whiplash .

[Elmwood]

I did think there was slightly less Mdina than last time, but I could be wrong.  As for the modern glass - well there were some stunning displays by contemporary glassmakers.

Hi,

We had rather a lovely time there too.... We were spoilt for choice with Contemporary Glass, and literally walked around one hall three times before finally making a decision on which items to purchase. Mike plumped for "Seguso", which we may well be posting on here for a positive ID- The seller was confident it was Seguso?. Mike liked it so he purchased both items. I nabbed a very fair priced H Tynell "Emma" vase and a Mdina winged chalice.  (photos below)

We felt prices for Dartington were very reasonable, and even cheaper than some of my recent antique centre/ebay buys.  As for my latest interest of Stennett -Willson, I was aghast at the price of a 9 tiered Sherringham, which was marked up at the same price as a M Harris signed axehead (well over a grand). The Mdina we handled was fab, all signed -axeheads, fish vases and huge sculptures all belonging to one lucky seller. I was entranced listening to J Harris explaining his inspiration and technique used on an olive cameo piece.

I do however agree with one post, that there wasn't a great deal of very substantial sized pieces, other than the Mdina I mentioned above.  I was expecting some large Whitefriars-Banjo, Sunburst etc.... and maybe a large FT vase or two, but we came away very pleased, and spent the remaining afternoon thumbing through books having had our appetite piqued in other areas.......All in all it was a great experience.  To actually see and handle the glass one studies in books was very satisfying. The sellers we encountered all had some pearls of wisdom to pass on, and had a wealth of goodies.  I am just so disappointed I didn't take my camera, as intended!!


M & S