Glass News from Angela, January 11th 2004

Hi,
A Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you had a great time at Christmas and New Year, and Santa brought you just what you wanted. I have been busy over the holiday preparing "Designer Searches" which I will tell you about in this Newsletter. I think you are going to like them. I've also updated all the pages of the Glass Encyclopedia (some were long overdue) and found some pages of auction prices from 1999 that I had forgotten about. So I've been comparing them to recent auction prices for similar articles and learned some interesting things about the glass market that I'll tell you about below.

I was browsing through Bob & Debra Hendrich's book on Coca-Cola Commemorative bottles. If you are ever at an event where they have a special coca-cola bottle produced for that event, make sure you keep yours! Because some of them reach really high prices in a few short years. For example, there was a Coca-Cola Creative Services Business Planning meeting in 1993 which had a special bottle produced for its attendees, and these were valued at $500 in 2000! There are several more at similarly high prices in this book, but the majority are only worth $5, so don't spend a lot of money on coca-cola bottles unless you know their value.  You can read about the Hendrich's book by clicking here. This Newsletter has some information about glass exhibitions and events over the next couple of months, some newly published books about glass, and links to our glass on eBay.  I do hope you enjoy this Newsletter.

1: Designer Searches I'm sure that  many of you have your favourite "searches" that you save, for finding your kind of glass on ebay.  Over the years I have developed some really good ones, excluding the irrelevant auctions like "Harley Davidson" auctions coming up when you're searching for Davidson's glass and so on. I decided to put them on the updated pages of the Glass Encyclopedia, so if you go to any page there, you will find a link that has been specially designed for finding just that kind of glass (its in the text). Of course, I can't vouch for the authenticity of the glass; if the seller says it is Fostoria then it will come up in my Fostoria search even if they were wrong. But if you know your glass and you want an easy way to find some great pieces, then I suggest you try these Designer Searches. And to make it easy for my friends to find them, I've made a list which you can find at http:www.glassencyclopedia.com/ebay/searchindex1.html

Some  of the glass (Barolac, for example) comes up only rarely, so it may turn up nothing in the search.  Other topics produce so much  that I've been able to be much more selective. See what you think.


2: Auction Prices - 5 year changes:  I have been comparing recent auction prices on ebay with the prices for similar items five years ago, and it does look as though prices have gone down, in some cases dramatically so. Sabino:  For example, there were 9 items by Sabino which I recorded with more than 10 bids in April 1999 which were identical to items offered over the past two weeks on ebay. This time, there were only two of these items which  got more than one bid and neither of those reached their reserve. Only four of the items sold this time round, and those all sold for less than in 1999.  The four that sold were a Gaiete (or Ronde Fleurie) perfume bottle, for US$119 (compared to $156.60 in 1999); Egyptian statuette sold for $129 ($130 in 1999); Fish "eglefin" sold for $41 (compare to $95.77 in 1999); and a Poodle knife rest which sold for $39 (compared to $48 in 1999).  These are just examples; the overall picture was of most Sabino auctions attracting no bids, the better items not meeting their reserves, and prices lower than five years ago.
I'm sure we can all think of reasons for this apparent drop in prices. One factor is the greater awareness of buyers about the value of collectible glass. Another may be the fact that Sabino are still making many of these glass items and they are not marking their modern pieces in any distinctive way, so far as I know (unlike Fenton, or Lalique).  A third reason could be the easier availability of Sabino glass on ebay compared to how hard it was to find in the days when we had to search antique shops. And, of course, this could be just a bad time on ebay.  If you want to keep an eye on this over the next few weeks, the 1999 figures are at the bottom of the Sabino page on the Glass Encyclopedia, with a link to a page of pictures - http://www.glassencyclopedia.com/Sabinoglass.html

Lalique: the picture for Lalique glass was better. Most of the Lalique items put up for sale on ebay did sell over the past two weeks, except for the multiple copies of books and miniature perfumes. There is a much wider variety of items from Lalique being offered, so it was not possible to pair up recent sales with those five years ago, as it was for Sabino. Having said that, the top ten Lalique items sold on ebay in April 1999 ranged in price from US$970 to US$2700 (Baccantes vase signed Lalique). Over the past two weeks, the top ten Lalique items sold ranged in price from $160.38 up to $1,275 (Domremy vase signed R. Lalique).  I will need to watch over a longer period to be sure, but it does look as if buyers are better informed and more cautious, and the prices even for Lalique are lower than they were five years ago. If you want to look at the Lalique auction results from 1999 they are at the bottom of the Lalique page on the Glass Encyclopedia - http://www.glassencyclopedia.com/Laliqueglass.html

Our GLASS on eBay:
If you want to see a quick overview, you'll find our auctions at http://www.myglassauction.com

We have been promoting Ray Ansin's stunning "Gardens in Glass" pendants, and I think his new signature cane which is now included in his paperweight-beads is a great innovation. Take a look at one of these:

Ray Ansin - Millefiori Red Garden in Glass signed Ansin, kiln annealed lampwork focal glass bead pendant, beautifully formed hibiscus flowers and Ray's new signature cane "RA" - on eBay #2684059161

Ray Ansin - Clichy-style pink Roses in a Ray Ansin Garden in Glass  - on eBay #3652846668

Ray Ansin - purple and mauve roses in Garden in Glass -on eBay at #
2684056992

Keith Mahy - from a new series of paperweights introduced by Keith, we are offering another beautiful and unusual Earthscape silver iridized paperweight, signed and dated by the artist - on eBay at #
3652880417

Keith Mahy - a beautiful white perfume bottle with multi-colored (black, mauve, amber) pulled feather-stripes, signed and dated by the artist - on eBay at #
3652872097

Tango style Bohemian art deco glass vase, orange and black glass classical shaped with art deco black enamel silhouette of a lady with a lamb  - on ebay at #3652883502

Keith Mahy - a superb green perfume bottle with applied crystal decoration, signed and dated by the artist - on eBay at #3651775144


They are all put up without reserve and so far most of them do not have any bids. If you would like to see a quick summary with pictures, or keep in touch with the new items I am going to add, please go to http://www.myglassauction.com/

5: EXHIBITIONS, CONFERENCES AND GLASS SHOWS:

a: The Camridge Glass Fair   takes place at Chilford Hall Vineyard, Linton in Cambridgeshire on the 15th February. Several well known names will be exhibiting including Jeanette Hayhurst, Nigel Benson, Roger Harris, and Anne Metcalfe. There will be a display of Peter Layton's latest glass  creations, and an exhibition featuring Hartley Wood glass (from the NE).  More information about how to find them and what is planned can be found on their website at http://www.circaglass.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/circa?OpenDocument&part=5

b: China Glass 2004: The 15th International Glass Exhibition will be staged in Beijing in April 2004.  There is no doubt that China is one of the expanding markets in the world, and a growing source of glass and glass technology. If you've been thinking about selling into China, or buying from China, this may be the exhibition to attend. It seems to cover every aspect of glass, including art glass. Quoting from the website for this event: China ...  leads in glass-production and glass-processing technologies among developing coutries. The China International Glass Technical Exhibition commenced in 1986 and has become the largest intertnational glass exhibition in Asia since 1994. A host of professional visitors come from all parts of China and other countries. For more information contact ceramsoc@public.bta.net.cn or their US contact person, Corinne Dame dame@dameassoc.com or visit their website at http://www.ceramsoc.com/exhibitEn/exhibitEn1.htm.

c: The Broadfield House Glass Museum (near Birmingham, UK). has an Exhibion of Decanters through the Ages, which runs until April 18th. Visit the Broadfield House website if you want to know more about where Broadfield House is, and when they are open -  http://www.glassmuseum.org.uk

d: The London Art Fair at the Business Design Centre, London N1 from the 14th to 18th January has several galleries exhibiting glass artists work, including work by Colin Reid and many others. They have a website at http://www.londonartfair.co.uk for more information.

e: The Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee from May 16th to 23rd 2004. Over 290 workshops and classes, with on-line class registrations starting on January 20th (click here) plus the largest consumer bead show in the USA, with over 300 vendors.  For more information visit their website at http://www.beadandbuttonshow.com/

f: Portland Rain of Glass Show and Sale  at Washington County Fairgrounds, Hillsboro, Oregon on January 24th and 25th 2004,  featuring Depression Glass and Elegant Glass, glass ID, and glass repairs. The  fairgrounds are across from Hillsboro Airport on NE Cornell, MAX light rail stops there. For more information call 503-282-0608 or visit their website at http://rainofglass.org/show.htm

e: Depression Glass Shows in the USA
click here- http://www.glassshow.com/Shows/ashows.html - a listing of depression glass shows across the USA - really useful. It's amazing how many Depression Glass Shows there are in the USA. You are so lucky!

f: Antique Shows in the UK, France, and the USA - give it plenty of time to load; its a very useful site
http://www.dmgworldmedia.com/antiquefairs/bymonth2002.htm .

g: Events at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are listed on their website at http://www.metmuseum.org/calendar/


6: RECENT BOOKS ABOUT GLASS - for your information in case you missed them.

Click on any of these titles to read more about the book.

a:
Language of Adornment: Chinese Ornaments of Jade, Crystal, Amber and Glass by Dr. Filippo Salviati, published by Ten Speed Press in March 2004 (available now). The author has doctorates in Chinese Art & Archaeology from both London and Rome Universities, and gives a fully illustrated explanation of how personal ornaments in glass and other materials symbolised the social and cultural status of people in Chinese society, dependant on the materials used and their decoration. Numerous full color plates; 152 pages.

b: Modern Glass in the Netherlands by Titus M. Eliens  published February 2004 by B.V.Waanders Uitgeverji.
This is a subject we do not see enough about. Paperback, with 164 pages.

c: Glass Painting Kit -complete by Walter Foster, published by Walter Foster Publications in December 2003. 

d : Murano: Island of Glass  by Attilia Dorigato and Jeremy Scott published by Arsenale in December 2003. This is a well-illustrated large size hard back book with 400 pages.

e: Steuben Design: A Legacy of Light and Form by Mary Jean Madigan published by Harry N. Abrams November 2003.  An illustrated history of the company and its glass, with extensive photographs commissioned especially for this book.

f: And of course, we must tell you about our own publication,  Bagley Glass by Angela Bowey, Derek and Betty Parsons; published on CD September 2003. If you click on this link you will see some sample pages and details of the contents.

I do hope there was something interesting for you this week.
Very best wishes
Angela

Useful links:

The Glass Museum at http://www.glass.co.nz

The Glass Encyclopedia is at http://www.glassencyclopedia.com

The Glass Links Page is at http://www.glass.co.nz/links.htm

The Glass Message Board is at http://www.glassmessages.com

My glass at auction http://www.myglassauction.com

To join this list: http://www.glass-time.com/joinglasslist.html


And if you would like to leave, just drop me an email and tell me please.

From: Angela Bowey

http://www.glassnewsletter.com - archive of my Glass Newsletters