"A drinking glass with a bowl, a short stem, and a thick foot. On ceremonial occasions, firing glasses were rapped loudly on the table, making a noise that resembled a volley of gunfire."
[Corning Glass Museum]
- This glass has a Ribbed Ogee Bowl, 2 inches in Diameter
- It has a Plain stem
- It is 4 1/16 inches tall and
- has a terraced heavy 2 ½ inch foot.
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We started collecting Antique English glass in 1967, shortly after we were married. Nancy’s mother was the personnel manager at a Washington, D.C. area department store, and her staff wondered what our “patterns” were. We said we liked “Old English”.
If I buy a place setting of silver in London, it cost me $35 per setting, and was “worth” $50 as an antique when we got in home.
If I bought a Kirk and Son’s replica from Baltimore, it cost $50 retail and was “worth’ $35 used the we got it home.
Shortly we realized (a) that one does not “collect” table silver per se, and (b) cabinet silver (goblets and pap boats) are a target for burglary.
So Nancy searched for a top flight glass dealer in London and we started to look into antique glass. Our initial interest was in decanters, but on our FIRST visit to Delomosne & Son, we met Bernard Perret (the son) and he was frank and helpful:
“if you want to collect with an eye to investing: buy Goblets and Colour twists, not Decanters!”
30 years later when Delomosne & Son moved from Camden Hill Road, London, to North Wraxall nr Chippenham (and Bath), UK
Martin Mortimer (who had taken over from Bernard Perret, and his then apprentice (Timothy Osborne), instead of moving the several hundred decanters that had been lined up on the crown molding around the Camden Hill showroom: they pitched the decanters down the stairs!
Well, we followed Bernard’s advice and started collecting Goblets and colour twists. Over the years we assembled a “world class” collection.
Among the visitors to our collection was the London dealer Athelny Townsend. He recommended, and then PROVIDED tiny little inventory tags to help keep track of our collection.
This particular glass is our “Athelny No” 60. We bought it from Delomosne, their inventory #6/29/32.
In July 2023, James Peake, the “glass expert” from Bonham’s, was here evaluating our glass collection for auction.
He accepted this glass as genuine!
He also expressed the opinion that English collectors are less keen on 18th C glass now, than they have been in the past.
[Most of the dealers we bought from in the last 40 years have died; even Tim Osborne, the surviving manager at Delomosne, has
reached retirement age and is phasing down.]
Bonham's will sell 100 or so of our Goblets and Color twist glasses;
Tim Osborne (and I) are planning an 18 Goblet memoire showing Martin Mortimer’s drawings!
I am “testing” the US market with this glass! Peake says it is “worth” XXX, but not worth carrying to London and trying to sell there.
Shipping costs, Import VAT (even though the glass came from England) and Bonhams’ listing fees sum to XXX, because there is no room for profit - with a 20% buyer’s premium..
So, since this is neither a Goblet, nor a colour twist, I thought I’d list this on eBay and see what happens.
We are selling our glass, and our maps, and assorted stuff, because:
- I am 87 years old and we want to find homes for our treasures before I die
- And hopefully before I leave my wife (or estate manager) with the disposal chore
- And hopefully PLACE these little treasures in homes where they will be appreciated
- And PRIMARILY to raise some money to provide mortgage assistance to four:
- bread winners who worked for us before we retired and who, during covid, lost income.
ALL the proceeds of our eBay sales are earmarked for mortgage payments for BD, GD, BR, and LT..
So, thank you for reading this; make an offer on this glass and give it a good home as you help
BD, GD, BR, and LT to keep theirs!P.S. I can afford to offer free shipping because I also collected US Postage stamps which I can USE with no out of pocket cost!