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Antique & Art Glass sale and auctions in the
Antique Web!
Understanding Early Glass
by Wayne Mattox
Understanding how it was made; molten glass was blown, as one
would blow a balloon, then shaped with tools or molds by a
"gaffer," is the first step toward identifying valuable
antique glass in your own back yard. And, it does show
up, frequently. One of my mom's friends, Shelly,
bought a miniature "blown" glass bottle with an "applied"
handle at a local tag sale last spring. Despite a small
"heat-check" crack, a crack that happened in making when the
red hot gooey handle was applied to the cooler bottle, the
insignificant appearing two-inch tall amber demijohn was
sold for four-hundred dollars-fair profit on a nickel
investment! Shelly 's expertise is toys, not glass. She
encounters hundreds of inexpensively priced glass pieces
every week when she's making her antique hunting rounds..
She took a shot on the bottle because it was a low risk
gamble, and it looked interesting. Here's a few tips that
may rouse your interest if you happen to cross paths with an
old piece of glass.
Inspect the base for a "potil mark." Gaffers held the red-hot
glass gobs they fashioned with an iron "pontil rod" which
was snapped off when the article was finished. This
hand-crafted glass making technique leaves a trail for
antique detectives; a round jagged scar in the middle of the
base. Sometimes, especially in finer pieces made after 1790,
this pontil scar was removed by polishing, resulting in a
smooth bowl-like indentation called a "polished pontil." A
pontil mark identifies "blown" glass, and opens the door to
the possibility of age and value.
Inspect the base for wear.
Remember the "U" rule of thumb in the
"ABC's of Antique Collecting:
Unless wear is where it belongs, it does not belong."
Old glass objects will have tiny flat spots on those small
areas of the base where the object would come into contact
with a table, etc.. Note, that an uneven
gaffer-fashioned base seldom presents a flat surface, and
that a base which has been "worn" in non-contact areas is
quite probably a fake.
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Examine "molded" glass. Figural flasks, decanters,
embossed bottles, decorative "lacy" glass, pattern glass,
and many other old glassware items were shaped in molds.
Unfortunately, fakes and reproductions of early molded glass
far exceeds original items today. Authentic pieces are
weighty and sharply-edged compared to contemporary examples.
Identifying irregularities like "spill-over," where too much
glass was poured into the mold, and "annealing lines,"
hair-like inconsistencies on the surface, can also be of aid
in ferreting-out old glass.
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Look for a few bubbles in the glass. Air bubbles were
evidence of shoddy quality to older day glassmakers,
nevertheless, some did appear. Bubbly glass, should
purchased by only those intent on building a collection of
Mexican souvenirs.
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Listen for a "ping." When tapped, early "flint" glass emits
a bell-like tone. Not all old glass rings, however. "Lime"
or "soda" glass and closed-neck pieces like bottles and
decanters seldom "ping."
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"Extrinsic decoration;" decoration introduced to glass after
it was fashioned and allowed to cool, like cutting,
engraving, etching, enameling, and gilding, can add
considerable value to glass. This is especially true if the
work is well-executed and gives an indication as to its
history. A recently discovered bottle with "Amelung" style
engraving is expected to bring in excess of $20,000 at a
Rhode Island auction this month.
Early glass in color can be quite valuable. Authentic glass
can often be recognized by the vibrancy of its color.
Recognition can only be learned by experience. Visit a
museum, like the Corning Glass Museum, in Corning NY, to
study old glass. It 's a beautiful window into
yesterday.
by
AntiqueTalk.com
Reprinted with permission
Copyright by Wayne Mattox © |
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