Topic: Stourbridge crystal help please!

[Stourbridgelass]

Hello everyone, I'm so pleased to have found you and I hope you don't mind us posting and that you may be able to help us.

We have just had to clear mother in laws house as unfortunately she is too ill to look after herself, (or for us to care for her) so she is now permanently living in a dementia care home. She had a large quantity of cut crystal, mostly made by Stuart, Webb or Tudor, (but there are allsorts!) which we think most was bought in the 60/70's but some has obviously been around for longer and looks to have come down through the family. We need to raise as much finance as possible for her, so have to sell as many of her belongings as we can to ensure that she will be able to continue staying in this very good home where she is happy, (ironic as she worked for Social Services all her life, but there's a limit to government financial support when it comes to dementia!)

So, the question is - is it worth taking time to reseach and sell the glass separately in pairs or whatever, or would it be better to take the whole lot to one outlet and if so, where do we take it, are there any specialist auction houses for this sort of thing? We've noticed that some of the glasses have the same ornate design but have different manufacturers stamp marks, for example some have Webb others Tudor. I've looked around the web for the same design under either name but can't find it.

It's ironic really, but I know nothing about glass and yet I grew up in a house that overlooked Stuart crystal's playing fields and could watch the teams of glassblowers at work from my bedroom window and worse still, a second cousin of mine used to cut all of the special trophies for Stuart - he had walls lined with the second copies he had to make!

Any advice you have will be gratefully received and if you think posting pictures will help, then I can do this tomorrow. Sorry our cameras no good in electric light!

Thanks.

[keith]

Hello,if you wished to deal with it in one go,Fieldings auction house Stourbridge would be handy for you,would love to have seen some pictures

[Anik R]

I agree with Keith -- Fieldings would be a wonderful choice.  I used their services a few months back and must say I was very pleased with their professionalism, expertise, friendliness... and with the results of the auction. 

[Stourbridgelass]

Thank you both for the very good advice. I'll get in touch with Fieldings and hopefully the next time we're at MIL's house we can sort things out. I have posted a load of photos on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/16014602@N05/sets/72157625717428233/, but here are a couple to give you an idea of the numbers we have to deal with. Mother and father in law liked to entertain......


DSCF3231


DSCF3217

[Patricia]

Apart from Fieldings, you might consider contacting a friend of mine who runs a glass replacement service.
She lives near Kidderminster (your area I believe), will come over to you if you like, can tell you exactly what you've got and will give you a fair price.
She can be contacted via www.cutglasssearch.co.uk
Telephone 01299841097
Email: sales AT cutglasssearch DOT co DOT uk (Mod: email address now spam-harvest protected)
The lady running this service is known by several members of the GMB and is completely trustworthy.
I can give you more information if needed.

Patricia

[Stourbridgelass]

Apart from Fieldings, you might consider contacting a friend of mine who runs a glass replacement service.

The lady running this service is known by several members of the GMB and is completely trustworthy.
I can give you more information if needed.

Patricia

Thank you for your help. I have e-mailed Fieldings and will also get in touch with your friend. We will be spending some time clearing out stuff this weekend so have organised house clearance to call. Wish us luck!

[chopin-liszt]

Good luck at this very difficult time.  :X:
I hope you won't be offended if I say that my experience of care homes has taught me that the more interest family take in their loved one, the more interest the staff take in them.
They are overworked, underqualified and badly paid, they are generally charged more with the care of the physical body than the person inside it. This applies no matter how good or how horrendously expensive the place is.

[Stourbridgelass]

Thanks for the very good advice Sue, we are having to keep a very close eye on things....especially since TWO gold watches have gone "missing" since MIL has been in care and apparently she never has any spending money, it's all so upsetting.

We've had a response from Fieldings and I guess it's much as we expected, here's a short quote to give the gist:

"Many thanks for your email and also the attached images which were most helpful.

Unfortunately I have to report that there is no great market value for your collection of glassware. This type of glass was incredibly popular in the latter half of the 20th century and as such is a feature of many homes across the country. While it will have cost a great deal to buy new, and for that matter a considerable amount to replace, the re-sale value is modest."

As everyone said, they are very professional, kind and honest. They've also offered to pass on details to a local client who may be interested in some of the pieces....we'll see. Meanwhile, thanks again for all of your help and support.  :sun: