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Author Topic: Collection I Bought  (Read 4641 times)

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Offline Daizamaker

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Collection I Bought
« on: October 30, 2013, 05:09:52 PM »
I bought a collection of weights last week at an estate sale, 15 in total.
I will be posting good individual photos as soon as I have them to see what anyone can tell me about them.
I sent some not-so-good- photos to Glass Eye Studio to ask them about the ones that had their name on them and they told me some were prototypes.
Are these worth more?
10 were Glass Eye Studio, 3 were Selkirk Glass, 1 was Eickholt(?), and another was Abelmann(?).
The Selkirk Glass ones are long, teardrop shapes.
All mint condition, Got them all for $145

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Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #1 on: October 30, 2013, 05:59:25 PM »
 :)

Hi and welcome to the gmb.

We're happy to talk glass - but we don't tend to discuss values here. They are far too subjective.
Something is only worth what somebody else is prepared to pay for it, at that time and in that place.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

Earth without art is just eh.

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Offline Daizamaker

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #2 on: October 30, 2013, 06:03:29 PM »
Sorry! I'm new.
I fell in love with these things when I saw them and just want to know more about them.Again, sorry.

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Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2013, 06:25:01 PM »
No need to apologise!

You'll find yourself among friends if you want to talk about glass - and I'm sure some folk might comment on scarcities and desirabilties of certain items, it's just hard cash values we don't feel too comforable with - after all, every auction is different, even when similar or identical items are up.

We'd LOVE to see pics of all your new weights and I hope you have found a new and exciting hobby - one you can share with all of us here. ;D

I can't tell you much about weights - that's not my area, but there are plenty of others who can.

I just wanted to say hello and welcome,  :) (but explain that you might not get a valuation  :-[ ).

I think Selkirk has closed recently - the recession has hit glassmaking hard. This might affect the market, but it's too soon to say, really.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

Earth without art is just eh.

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Offline Derek

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2013, 09:55:16 PM »
Hi and welcome to the board.

As chopin-liszt said we are a friendly bunch and whilst we don't like talking values you will be able to get a fair idea from taking a look at the prices that are reached on the Ebay auction site.

One thing I can say for sure is that 15 weights for $145 is outstanding value!

Selkirk was founded in 1977 and closed in 2006. At their peak they employed 40 staff and were turning out 25,000 paperweights a year.

The rest of the weights are American and yes Eichkholt is the correct name. Both his weights and those of Stuart Abelman are popular with collectors - google the name and look for a result saying images - here you will find loads of pictures that you can compare your weights against.

GES are a very well known art glass company and they use ash from the Mount St. Helens eruption for the alkali in their recipe.  Again their weights are highly collectable. They produce up to 120 new designs each year so as you can imagine there will be a VERY large number of prototypes made before the final designs are accepted for production.

I imagine that these prototypes are sold in the factory shop so that nothing goes to waste. They will generally be less valuable than a fully signed production item. As well as prototype you may also find Artist proofs and master sample. In general these are more valuable than production items as they are the weights against which all production weights are compared to ensure they faithfully match the agreed design.

Hope this helps and  lets see some pictures !

Best regards

Derek

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Offline RAINBOWGIRL

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2013, 01:29:05 PM »
You did very well with the price you paid. $145 for 15 paperweights is exceptional, especially since you didn't get stuck with any generic unsigned paperweights. I wouldn't trust eBay as the complete and final arbiter of value. Since you don't have any classic antique paperweights in the lot, or paperweights by some of the great contemporary artists, aftermarket value of your paperweights is very easy to discern in the United States. Value outside of the U.S. would be more difficult.

The American Robert Eickholt, of Ohio, was making paperweights as recently as this past May. He announced his retirement, and he has been winding down. His weights, especially his early weights, are everywhere and can sell for between $50 and $225 at antique shows, in antique malls, and at flea markets. It all depends on the style of the paperweight. Selkirk, from Scotland, is not an overly popular "brand" in the U.S. It has always been a second cousin to Perthshire and Caithness. Selkirk pieces go for between $50 and $125, again depending on the design.

Stuart Abelman, of Van Nuys, California, has been making glass for almost four decades, and he is still active. He has a large following, especially for his Christmas ornaments and clown sculptures (quite true regarding the latter). He doesn't make that many paperweights and his pricing has always been fair. His paperweights sold (and sell) new for between $95 and $145.

Glass Eye Studio (GES) of Seattle has issued thousands of paperweights, as noted above. Its new weights are in the $90 to $150 range depending on the store at which you buy one. Some of the early GES weights might go for a tiny bit more, but because there are so many of each design, aftermarket value rarely tops the retail price and is often much less. Prototypes are not in overwhelming demand.

GES and Stuart Abelman have their own websites.

If you attempt to sell any of the paperweights on eBay, value will be very flat for all of your paperweights, except perhaps the Abelman, and that depends on the design. There are just too many GES, Eickholts, and Selkirks in the U.S. for these paperweights to rock the marketplace. However, since you only paid an average of about $10 per paperweight, if you sell them on eBay, you will make a profit of at least 50% and certainly a little bit more. Condition is also important.

The good news is that you have a sweet instant collection of paperweights. Just spritz them with a glass cleaner, wipe them with a cotton cloth, and arrange them nicely. These paperweights will not make you rich, but they willl make you happy.



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Offline pooleandpaperweights

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2013, 02:15:11 PM »
Would like to see the Selkirk ones as that's what I collect.  Can you put a pic up on here?

Ian

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Offline Daizamaker

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2013, 05:38:46 PM »
I want to take better photos as the beauty is not shown in these photos but here are the Selkirk weights.
The first one is inscribed "Meteor 110/350 1997 (blue/white)
The second is inscribed "Millenium Fountain 73/500 2000 (Gold color)
I thought I had three but now see one is a Caithness.
The Caithness is the last photo and has the bottom is inscribed "Unity" 196/250.

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Offline Daizamaker

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2013, 05:44:45 PM »
Here is a photo, although not a good shot, of the Eickholt piece.

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Offline chopin-liszt

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Re: Collection I Bought
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2013, 05:46:52 PM »
 ;D

Thank goodnees you're back - I was scared I'd frightened you away - not my intention at all.
Cheers, Sue M. (she/her)

Earth without art is just eh.

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