Complete Lily of the Valley waterset by Fenton

Considering the quantity of carnival glass which was produced during the vintage years, one might tend to think that the words scarce, difficult to find, and rare would never come into play. When there is such a quantity of most vases, nearly any Peacock pattern one can name, or for that matter, blue Cannonball pitchers with painted blossoms on, who could possibly say that any of the many watersets available, could be so elusive as to be termed RARE? The lovely set we are delighted to share with you turned up at an estate auction over in the area of Ephrata, PA in late 2002. It had remained in the same family for a couple of generations. This is the first time (we believe) that a complete and absolutely perfect set has appeared in color. We do hope you enjoy the privilege of viewing it here! In nearly 25 years of studying books and periodicals concerning carnival glass, we have never seen one pictured. Betty and Ed Pierce are the proud owners of this beautiful and much desired set. The cobalt blue base is standard for these and the applied handle displays that well. A blue tankard sold for $6000 in 1995. The only known marigold tankard was destroyed in a CA earthquake years ago. The July 2003 issue of the HOACGA Bulletin, that Club’s monthly publication, carried tallied information on this coveted set; written by Robert Grissom and confirmed by Charles Mochel. Collector data of this pattern (only found on this waterset) dates back to 1972. Seems that three of the known tankards, and some tumblers have been found in the general area of Kansas. The article states that twelve tankards are now known and five of those have damage. Note: Pierce’s indicate that one of the tumblers is a lighter shade of blue than the others, and is not iridized inside, which brings up another point which needs clarification. Pitchers/tankards were manufactured without thought of matching tumblers to any given example. The tumblers were another “turn” of production entirely. Since each piece was individually handled and given the “dope” treatment one at a time, when time came to pack “sets” with six tumblers, no attempt to “match” sets was considered. It would be a RARE set indeed if all six tumblers just “happened” to match the pitcher/tankard! This lack of continuity does not constitute a “flaw” in any way! Dean & Diane Fry……7/03