Topic: Bird Head marking on emerald green cruet set

[moongazer]

I am a novice at identifying marks and glassware. I have looked everywhere I know and cannot find another cruet set like this on the net nor can I find this mark anywhere.

A person with some knowledge of vintage and antique glassware said the set is a 1930-1940s emerald green cruet lazy susan on glass pedestal.

My Mother bought it at a garage sale in 1977. It is in excellent shape except for some minor chips on the edge of the pedestal. These chips are not visible when the tray in sitting on the pedestal. The oil and vinegar vessels are the only parts that have the bird head marks. This bird head also has a long beak like a raven. It is embossed over what looks like a pontil.

Can anyone enlighten me on the set and the mark?

Thanks

[chopin-liszt]

Hello and welcome!

I think you're looking at a gadget mark rather than a birds' head - it's just co-incidence it looks like a bird.
A bit like a bearded man's face turning up on toast sometimes.

If a gadget was used, I suspect it could indicate age - and you've already given indications of some age with other things you've said, but the stoppers look quite new - this does not mean they are!
Do they fit the bottles perfectly? A perfect fit can be tested for. Twist the stopper very lightly into the neck, absolutely not enough to jam it, just lightly.
Then see if you can lift the bottle by the stopper. Best done over a table with a towel on it, and don't lift more than an inch or so. 
Just see if it fits snugly enough to lift the bottle. If it does, you have a perfect fit.

A "lazy susan" is normally something on a turntable rather than being just a flat plate.
I would susect it is of bohemian origins and it does look to be good quality.

[moongazer]

Thanks for the info and the tip Sue. I applied a little pressure and turned the stoppers about a quarter of a turn and I was able to lift the bottles by the stopper. Anything less than that did not do the trick. To me it seems it would need some pressure and turning to create a seal, but that is only my opinion. 

[chopin-liszt]

It sounds as if you carried the test out perfectly, and found a perfect fit. If the inner neck of the bottle and the bottom part of the stopper are made for each other, your gentle pressure quarter turn is all that is needed.
I really didn't want you to go pushing and twisting - that can cause problems if it is not a perfect fit!, you might have ended up with the stopper stuck and I really did not want that to happen.

The optic ribbing on the set is very elegant. The stoppers fit and are cut all over - which is labour intensive work.
I'd imagine the dates you were given are  about right.
I think it might be difficult to track down an actual maker for something like this, but there are lots of other folk here who are far more knowledgable about glass of this sort of age and origins than I am.  Wait and see what they say.

[Ekimp]

Hi, there is one here https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-green-clear-glass-cruet-set-1925477067 says made by the U.S. Glass Co. but not confirmed. You can see there is a ball race in the base so that it spins.

[Paul S.]

I agree, this is a lazy susan in the sense that the clear plate will revolve when sitting on the 'pedestal'.

Assume the marks being discussed are on the underside of the cruets  -  this means they will not be made by a gadget, which is a spring loaded clamp, with long handle, used to hold the feet of drinking glasses whilst the top rim of the glass is finished.           Gadget marks are only ever seen on the top sides of drinking glass feet, and was in use c. 1840 to 1920, but may have had a bit extra either side of this period, so pre-dates this set.
I can't see too clearly from the pix, but it's possible that these marks are where the glass worker has used shears to cut the surplus glass from the pontil rod, where it was attached to the cruet.    Can't be certain, but it's a possibility.            Love the colour  -  deep emerald as suggested.

[Ekimp]

...another one here: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/paden-city-emerald-glo-carousel-1832631795 This time says made by the Paden City glass Co. The stoppers at least look moulded, you can clearly see the seam on the one in the link.

[Ekimp]

On this site https://retroartglass.com/about-paden-city-glass/ there is some info on Paden City Glass Co. It says it shut in 1951 after having bought American Glass company in 1949. So both of the condiment sets I have linked to above might have essentially the same attribution.

This different set on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/PADEN-CITY-emerald-glass-Green-Star-serving-set-BEAUTIFUL-/114010881780 shows the same bulbous salt and pepper pots as you have, Moongazer. So maybe your salt or pepper pots are from a different set, unless they did mix and match.

Replacements has the jugs https://www.replacements.com/webquote/pcgesteg.htm Looks like Paden Glass might be quite likely.   

[chopin-liszt]

Always learning, thanks for the explanation. 
- I had assumed the scar from the shear-cutting was what a gadget mark looked like.  Not being a collector of drinking glasses I have only ever heard of gadget marks. never seen one and didn't know they were for glasses only.
I thought the pedestal was some enamelled part of something else. I couldn't make out the ball bearings.

[Paul S.]

join the club   -  like others here, I spent a few years thinking that the 'T' and 'Y' shape marks found commonly on the UNDERSIDES of drinking glass feet c. 1850 - 1930, were the result of the use of the 'gadget'.         We have Peter (oldglassman) to thank profoundly for putting us right.
Genuine gadget marks - on the top sides of drinking glass feet  -  seem very elusive, and I'm sure I have only ever found a single definite example  -  which seems odd since masses of glasses during that period were obviously finished on the gadget, so why the rarity of gadget mark?                       No idea, except that presumably the glass workers, who were no doubt skilled at their work, were able to use the gadget and do so without leaving any evidence behind - plus I suppose the obvious reason that none of us wants to own a set of drinking glasses that show irregular raised deformities on the feet of wine glasses.
I did post some pix on the Board, several years back, of my one and only example, where the remains of the mark were quite strong  -  I think that someone else also did the same in recent times.

The 'T' and 'Y' marks on the undersides of feet, are the result of the worker using shears to cut the 'plastic' glass from the foot where it was attached to the pontil rod.

I wonder why the personal name of Susan  was applied to these revolving 'turntable-like' things - answers on a postcard please to the Moderators.