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Unreasonable Facsimiles of a FORMER SHAPE
Unreasonable Facsimiles of a FORMER SHAPE!
Since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Devil has been hard at work in the evolution of “devilment” and misconception of one kind or another! The opposite of that is the fact that “most” of humanity tends to readily believe whatever factors of deception are placed in front of them!...........to their own downfall, unfortunately!
One of the latest stories of this type came recently from a longtime collector who related a story concerning a bonbon with a “hole” in the center, which a “friend” of his thought highly of! That sort of damage undoubtedly occurred when a torch either intentionally or unintentionally burned through the glass while some “experiment” was taking place. (In spite of what the “after-market manipulators” may have stated). The bonbon would NOT have left the factory in that condition! The lyre inspector would catch such a deviant and toss the item into the cullet pile. (There were also merchandise inspectors “way back when”!)
The various spittoon shapes are reheated/reshaped former sauces, tumblers or small plates, vases which have been re-heated and re-shaped; distorting or eliminating the original pattern, yet supposed unknowing individuals pay exorbitant sums of money to have a “one-of-a-kind” in a first-known color, etc. Down-to-earth, common-everyday-“horse-sense” dictates a tremendous amount of rationale when arriving at a conclusion!
If better understanding of the basic manufacturing/marketing techniques were studied, perhaps the obvious gullibility could be eliminated. Strategy for manufacturing is to provide a practical, functional, useful product, not a distortion! If a “half turn” (200) of blue Kittens round bowls were ordered by a retail customer, and upon arrival, should even ONE be found in a spittoon shape, the entire order would be returned to the factory in dire contempt, and very likely, no future orders would be forthcoming! Retail merchants want what they ordered; marketable merchandise; not some peculiar distortion!
As you can determine from the dates given with the recorded/pictured “makeovers”, this money-making scheme has been in progress for many years! The problem is that since average collectors have no basic knowledge of glass-making, they are duped into believing that having something “different” is worth any price.
Our research over the past 25 years into this spectrum of devious activity has divulged some names quite familiar to most collectors of the past 30 years or so, but since discovering who they are, some have passed away. Others have either slowed down the transformation activity, or they have changed their selling names on eBay, or perhaps found another venue?
Why does it seem that kindness and compassion become chained periodically, disallowing the presence and power of Christ to guide our activities? Why are we not ALL alert to HIS promptings and eager to obey by extending good will across the board? Acts of generosity and good will should flourish throughout ALL endeavors to benefit fellow collectors, not take unfair advantage!
Note: Just in case you are wondering?..........NO!! Absolutely NOT! In our more than 50 years of search, find and acquire: not a single piece of this “distorted” glass has ever been placed in our collection. Beauty of molded pattern is in the eyes of these beholders!
Dean & Diane Fry – June, 2012
Previously a Green Bowl in WILD BLACKBERRY pattern.
Sold for $4600. - PA seller in Aug. 2009.
Previously an amethyst WILD BLACKBERRY Bowl.
Made over Marigold WILD BLACKBERRY Bowl.
Appeared on Ebay Dec.2005,
WILD BLACKBERRY: The obvious tell-tale ruffled edges indicate the inability of the re-make artist to completely flatten the former bowls. There are no factory-made plates in this pattern, and since Fenton is known to have produced flatter plates than most of the Northwood variety in that shape, these three distortions are a complete joke!
Former CHRYSANTHEMUM bowl - Exterior on right.
CHRYSANTHEMUM: is another sorry excuse for transformation. There are no factory-made plates in this pattern, as all Fenton glass collectors well know! Both the front and back of this piece indicates an ill-begotten result. What was likely a very nice bowl, is now a botched attempt to create a plate?
Previously a green CONCORD Bowl.
Sold for $2,605 on eBay in May 2006.
CONCORD: Certainly this sorry excuse for a “plate” needs no explanation that all the former ruffles of the bowl remain evident!
AUTUMN ACORN - Amethyst.
NC seller sold this for $1400. Aug. 2007.
AUTUMN ACORN: Was listed and sold over eBay in Aug. 2007, by the same “make-over artist” (or seller of such) who created the horrible Thistle piece. The overall outer shape of this piece was achieved with one lop-side, as well as the former ruffles. Perhaps these misshapen “things” are purchased by “new collectors” who are un-informed of such mal-practice by those intent upon deception?
Green Northwood THIN RIB Mid-Size Vase (worked over!).
Jan. 2012 - See Northwood Vases - Part 6.
THIN RIB: 4 ½” base, jardiniere-makeover in green seen here, has all the ear-marks of re-heating/shaping after a possible breakage of an upper portion of the former mid-size-11”-15” vase. (After the likely damage, the upper portion of the former tall vase must have been sawed with a diamond saw.) From that point, new flutes were formed, filed, and polished during the re-heating process. The mid-size vases in this pattern have 8 flutes, but notice in the re-heated area most evident just under the flute closest to the camera where the flare on the flute is exaggerated quite a bit in width; part of the “rib” has been obliterated from the applied heat.
Since there is only one amethyst “jardinière” on record, this green “thing” is likely a “recently altered” vase.
(Left) THREE and ONE - Smoke - Ground and Polished!
(Right) Factory produced 6.5 in. bowl - Smoke.
3 and 1 - OOPS! Chipped, then ground, polished, re-sprayed.
THREE and ONE Bowl: We display the factory-produced low bowl, along with two photos of what took place following a chipped edge on such a bowl.
For rationale purposes, let’s begin at the beginning. The factory “gatherer” takes the glass to the “presser”. The presser cuts off the proper amount to fill the mold. If not enough glass was cut off, when pressed, then the glass is thinner, but it still fills out the mold. If there is too much glass put into the mold, the finished glass piece is just thicker, but it still fills out the mold!
The OOPS! picture displays the grinding, polishing, and re-spraying with a clear, glossy spray available at any ceramic supply shop.
NC seller, sold July 2008 for $1191. DRAGON & LOTUS transition!
Conversion from bowl to plate...of sorts!
DRAGON and LOTUS “plate”: This blue “thing” began existence as a bowl. The ring of heat-removed-iridescence on the exterior indicates the intensity required to alter the former shape! Obviously, the idea with this “conversion” is the hope of making money, since plates in this pattern……….from the factory, that is…………..are quite scarce and costly! ANYTHING for the Almighty Buck, apparently!
HEART & VINE - Sold for $800. on eBay on 12-6-2009.
A sharp eye can detect former ruffles
HEART & VINE: Any collector with very little experience and a sharp eye for “good things” knows that factory produced plates from Fenton Glass Co. are the “flattest around”…………NO teeny, weeney, ugly ruffled edges!!
While observing this gross abuse of good carnival glass for the past 15-30 years, a very logical question is this: WHY is the alteration of FENTON bowls into weird-looking ruffled plate forms, having scorched/re-sprayed exteriors, ALWAYS the victims? Seems it would be easier to re-shape a “scoop-shaped Northwood-plate” into a flatter plate?? Or how about “changing the scheme of things” on an ice-cream shaped “something” from Millersburg?? Some of those “things” have very poor iridescence to begin with, so you would not be losing quite so much in either case!!?? A mere suggestion!
JUST when you thought you'd seen everything!!
A SORRY LUSTRE FLUTE (botched) creamer.- Amethyst.
LUSTRE FLUTE – what?: This former Lustre Flute creamer – alias: “screamer” was discovered on eBay, Feb. 14, 2012 with a single bid of $29.95, and about to go offline. Seller stated: wasn’t sure what this is, but we wonder whether the “bid” could have been a “come-on”, placed by the seller to make a pretense of interest? Cannot believe that a well-informed collector would be interested in such a thoroughly scorched and disfigured “thing”!
You will find breakfast sets, nappy, small bowl and bonbon in this pattern by going to our pattern alphabet. Just click on -- L -- for viewing.
Dean & Diane Fry, 6-12
The God of both Old and New Testaments is committed to just intervention.
In both testaments, the judgments of God signal His desire to limit and eventually stop the acts of violence and
Oppression we commit against one another.
When Jesus cleared the temple of money changers (John 2:13-17),
He wasn’t merely challenging the authority of Israel’s religious leaders.
He was acting on behalf of the poor who were being robbed in His Father’s house (Matthew 21:12-13)
His strong and decisive response gives us a foretaste of a far greater day of just intervention, when,
at the end of the age, He will act with a cleansing concern for the whole earth (Matthew 25:31-46; Rev. 1-22)
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