Sparkle, Shine & Boobies

I snagged a great deal on a shoebox filled with chandelier prisms at an estate sale. The homeowner said she had collected them over many years. There are a few older ones that appear to be "sun-purpled", since the color is not uniform throughout the crystal. Some glass made between 1860 and 1915 was manufactured using manganese, which caused the glass to turn purple from prolonged exposure to the sun. Apparently, some rabble-rousers have been artificially purpling glass dishes & serving pieces to make buyers think that they are old. This has caused quite a shit storm over here.

Should I make a mobile out of all of my shiny, sparkly things? I can hang it right next to my grater mobile.

Can you see the seaside hotel on the fork in the next photo?  Anyone have any idea how I can find out what hotel it is?

These knives are made by Landers, Frary & Clark.  I'm still trying to figure out if the handles are bone, ivory, celluloid or bakelite.  They have light-colored streaks in them, if that helps anyone narrow it down.

Tin reflectors for Christmas tree lights:

No, this big old copper colander is not from Dehillerin in Paris.

Damn.

I found this pair of tall mermaid tumblers at a thrift store. I don't really know anything about vintage glasses, but I had a feeling they were worth more than I paid for them.

I couldn't find them on eBay, so I did a search on PriceMiner.com. PriceMiner is a paid antiques research service. Usually, I just do a search for completed auctions on eBay, but it only gives you results of auctions that ended in the past  two weeks. I signed up for PriceMiner, since it gives you results from more websites over a longer period of time. Anyway, I found a set of four mermaid glasses that sold for $50 on eBay last year. Yeah!!

The mark on the bottom is an "F" inside a shield. This is the symbol for Federal Glass Company, which was founded in 1900. Federal Glass is most well known for the depression glass that it manufactured from the 1920's to the 1940's.

And now it is known for boobies.

Comments

[Heidi]

Great stuff, as usual! Mermaid stuff is very hot on eBay right now--we've been talking about it over on the yard sale/reselling BB I frequent. Plus they're barware, which is always a good seller.

I once had some knives similar to yours--they were marked Ivorite, which is another kind of early plastic, basically a faux ivory. Have you done the 409 or simichrome test to see if they're Bakelite?

LOVE the crystals! I've never seen any that were sun-purpled, so that is extra cool.

(PS---loved the interview in the Junk Market newsletter this month! :)

[stephanie]

Certain words just crack me up and shitstorm is one of them. thanks. :)

[Cedar]

Those glasses are fabulous!

[onegalstrash]

I'm thinking the hotel on the fork may be the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. It used to be quite swinging several decades ago. Legend has it that Hollywood stars used to stay there when they need a well deserved "rest" involving cheap sex and expensive gin. Marilyn Monroe loved the place. Those mermaid glasses literally made my jaw drop. DEE-LISH-ISSS!

[Lee W.]

hey girl, great finds. Email me about the prisms and the reflectors. ;-)

[vintagesue of VRS]

(1) as usual, great finds
(2) concur on the use of "shitstorm"
(3) bar ware should be elevated to an artform; mermaid barware is HEAVEN

XOX

[HeidiAnn]

I LOVE your mermaid glasses! In all my years of shopping and bidding on eBay, I don't think I have ever seen them before!

[Sari B]

The hotel is the Hotel Del Coronado. Never stayed there, but snuck in in my TA days sat on the deck drank martini's, with our $2 blankets from Tijuanna.

[Rosemary]

Great stuff as usual!!!
Love the silverware!
Rosemary

[nicky c.]

fun fun fun. i saw an idea where a bride hung chandelier prisms as her escort cards at a wedding. looked great, but a bit too glam for me.

i vote for the prism mobile.

[Suzanne - The Farmer's Wife]

The Mermaid Tom Collins glasses are my favorites. I just love these kinds of finds. Lucky you.

- Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife

[Donna]

I love all of your goodies! I also think a prism mobile would be beautiful. Make sure and let us see the finished product! ~Donna