In Memory of...

More than twenty years ago, we visited Christ and Ethel Harnish in Willow Street, PA and enjoyed seeing their vast collection of Carnival Glass. Their charming hospitality included treating us to a huge restaurant buffet in Lancaster and to visit several other fantastic collections in that general region of Pennsylvania.

The home of Mary and Lamar Sharp, was filled with an amazing array of lovely examples too numerous to mention here, but one outstanding Grape and Cable punch set in white remains quite vivid in our memory. We believe it was the Banquet size. Lamar was rightfully proud to have it in his possession!

As collectors from San Diego at that time, having little access to such glorious examples without traveling back to the Midwest and East to attend Conventions and Auctions in order to gain new pieces, we were quite impressed with the lovely accumulations seen in longtime collections!

Befitting Lamar's devotion to his carnival glass, and the enthusiasm he generated for others to enjoy, Mary quite appropriately instilled a purple Butterfly and Tulip bowl within his burial monument.

In recent years, when Betty and Ed Pierce took us to see the monument, Ed took some photos and provided us with the one you see here.

We believe our viewers will understand the love and sentiment portrayed in this act of remembrance. True collectors develop intense attachment to their beautiful iridized treasures, and in this case, circumstance provides a lasting memorial to both collector and the glass he loved. Lamar's collecting habits were passed along to son David, who continues the legacy.

Perhaps there are other such memorials to former collectors which we are not aware of. If not, we feel certain this will create a lasting impression upon all those who take their glass seriously.

The lovely Peach Opalescent Butterfly and Tulip pictured here is, at this writing, the only one we are aware of.

Nearly every collection of long-standing has at least one example of a “one-of-a-kind”. John and Jeanette Rogers sold a portion of their huge collection on May 27, 2006 during the 8th Annual Jim Wroda Memorial Day weekend auction. Collectors from California to Maine were among the attendees. Mail/phone bidders paid their respects, as well. Overall reports indicate the sale to have been a success on all counts!

Records of previous auction results indicate this particular bowl to have sold at $9,000 in 2000. One of the phone bidders was successful in obtaining this rarity for an already impressive collection! Sale price was $26,500.

The large square shape with eight broad ruffles displays the design to best advantage and is the most desirable shape in the pattern. More often than not, the marigold examples are fashioned into a deep, round shape, while the majority of the purple bowls are of the square shape.

The handsome pattern within these large 10”-13” footed bowls is an impressive sight and since the pattern appears only on these bowls, having an exterior pattern called Inverted Fan & Feather, many collectors are intent on owning an example!

Inverted Fan & Feather is a carry-over pattern from the era of non-iridized opalescent, colored glassware, custard, and opaque pink.

A general scarcity of the bowls and the limited color range would suggest a relatively short production run.

You will immediately note the differences between vintage and contemporary examples in this now famous pattern, originally from Dugan Glass.

Since we saw a beautiful red Butterfly & Tulip bowl in a workroom while visiting Fenton Glass factory in April 2005, additional colors have been added to their modern version of this longtime favorite. As time flows, additional color variations will very likely be added to their line.

The rolled edge seen on the sapphire bowl is certainly a departure, along with the new mold for the exterior pattern, which provides a collar base! Overall size of these new bowls is smaller than the vintage variety. All - in - all, there should be little confusion about their being new!

Francis and Janet Tate displayed an impressive array of shapes and color in the new bowls, along with their examples of the older bowls, during their hotel stay for the July 2005 ICGA Convention held in Indianapolis. Contemporary Carnival Glass of good quality, produced by respectable and acceptable manufacturers who do not attempt to defraud the public by concealing the age of their product are becoming more acceptable to the majority of collectors.

Foreign producers who use old moulds without appropriate identification are ones to be wary of.

Recently, it has been brought to our attention that a China-based company has purchased numerous examples of old Australian Crown Crystal moulds and are producing copies.

An Australian collector recently provided us with photos of one such piece having no Registration Number in the mould. Authentic old moulds from Crown Crystal carried such number on the face of their bowls.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

Psalm 121 is described as “a song of ascents.” The “ascent” was the trip up to Jerusalem three times

every year for the major feast celebrations. Because of the city's elevation, you always go “up” to

Jerusalem; hence the songs of “ascent”. Jewish practice dictates these psalms would be sung as pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem for those feasts.