Tag Archives: Cocktail Shaker

Weekend Finds, Two by Two

In an unusual turn of events, I felt like Noah and his ark with my weekend finds, two-by-two. I never know what, or even if my hunts will be successful. But in this case, I was seeing double. Depression glass and chrome and aluminum ware – oh my!

Depression Glass:

First off, we are not collectors or experts in depression glass. But we do dabble occasionally. I purchased a similar vase to the one pictured below years ago for $1.00, because it was cute. But that’s another story.

Small Bedford Vase made by Bagley (photo via 20thcenturyglass.com)

Depression glass is a catch-all term for massed produced, inexpensive glassware popular from 1929 through the early 1940’s. And mostly produced in glass factories in the Ohio River Valley.

In 1929, household incomes dropped an average of 40% due to the depression. And this left families with little spare cash for luxuries.  Glass factories, use to producing higher end hand cut glass, struggled with lost sales.  And in an effort to keep their doors open, they started to produce attractive, machine-made household goods in clear and colored glass to brighten the home. More efficient to make, factories could produce upwards of 1000 items per day.

The goods were so reasonable priced, they could be given away as premiums. For those of you not old enough to remember premium giveaways, you could get a piece in boxed goods (cereal boxes or oatmeal containers, for example). And each week a different item was offered.

Sometimes, you would get a set as a prize at your local movie house! And for larger services pieces, you could go to your local 5 & 10 store and buy them for around $.50.

Even appliance manufactures joined in. With the purchase of a refrigerator, Frigidaire would give you a complete table service set consisting of plates, cups, saucers, a sandwich tray and a sugar / creamer set.

Selection of depression glass

Depression glass society show (photo by J Fuhrman via patch.com)

At the height of production, there were more than 20 manufacturers producing over 100 different patterns.  Common colors are clear, pink, pale blue, green and amber.

Less common colors are canary yellow, ultramarine, jadeite (opaque pale green), delphite (opaque pale blue), cobalt, red, black, amethyst, monax (translucent white with a faint bluish hue), and white (milk glass). And, rarer yet are the colors lavender and tangerine.

Depression Glass

Varity of colors (photo via thenatroute66.com)

Some glass contains “trace” amounts of uranium and will glow under a black (UV) light. The “trace” amount varies from 2% to 25%!  (And you’re worried about using your red Fiestaware!?)

Uranium Glass glowing

Glowing Uranium Glass (photo via decorativecollective.com)

After WWII, the economy rebounded. With more disposable income, many house-hold threw out their old, cheap dishes to upgrade to something better, generally China.  Silly people!

Fortunately, much of it was equally cherished and passed down through families. By the 1960’s, depression glass became highly collectible. Rare pieces can sell for hundreds of dollars.

,,,

Some of the original manufacturers continued to produce their popular patterns as well as introduce similar and new patterns post WWII and through the 1950’s.

But be careful. A lot of what is for sale online is newly produced in Asia.  If you see the terms, “Depression era-style” or “Depression style”, they are new items.

I found these two glass pitchers at the local GoodWill for $3.99 each.  And I believe they fall into a depression sub-category called “Elegant glass”. Both are in excellent condition.

Elegant glass was sold in department stores and it is better quality. Seams are polished, the glass is heavier, and they are usually hand decorated with painted and / or etched decorations.

Depression Glass Pitcher (author's collection)

Depression “Watermelon” Glass Pitcher (author’s collection)

Above it is an example of “watermelon” glass. It gets the name from the combination of pink and green glass. Though hard to see, this has a hand cut band of stylized flowers and leaves around its belly. Unfortunately, it is missing its matching lid.

The second, obviously, is green glass, a popular color. And, its complete with its lid! Though undecorated, is has an interesting shape.  Neither has a manufacturer’s mark.

Depression glass pitcher

Green Depression Glass pitcher with lid (author’s collection)

Depression Glass Pitcher

Green Depression Glass pitcher with lid (author’s collection)

Unfortunately, I don’t have a UV light.  Therefore, I don’t know if either of these is uranium glass.

Two in One:

Now this next weekend find is a bit of a stretch considering the title of this installment. But go with me, here.  This is a wonderful little Depression Glass powder or trinket box from around 1935. And in my research, is attributed to L.E. Smith Glass Company.

Art Deco Powder Box

Elephant powder box attributed to L.E. Smith Glass Company (author’s collection)

While I only picked up one at the GoodWill, it does have two elephants on top! Powder boxes are not exactly difficult to find.  However, the double elephants in good condition appear to be one of the harder ones to add to your collection.  Several sources state this particular style has a tendency to be cracked where the trunks join.

For the piece as shown in pink, prices vary greatly from a low of $50 to over $100.00 depending on condition. But mine only cost $2.99.

Glass jars of this type were quite popular and available in various colors. And also, a variety of animals and even human forms adorn the top.

Cocktails for Two:

The our next pairing, Art Deco cocktail shakers, is more up our alley. And both purchased at the Golden Nugget Flea Market.

Art Deco Evercraft Cocktail Shaker

Evercraft back stamp (author’s collection)

The first cocktail shaker is by Evercraft accented with navy blue stripes . You don’t see this shaker very often. They are more commonly available with black or white (cream) bands and sell in the mid $100’s. However, I couldn’t find any examples online with blue stripes.  I snapped this up for $15.00.

Art Deco Evercraft

Evercraft Cocktail Shaker with blue stripes (author’s collection )

Overall, the design is similar to the Chase Gaiety Cocktail Shaker. However, Evercraft does not enjoy the general prestige of Chase. But it is quality giftware and worthy of collecting.

Kensington Coldchester Cocktail Shaker

Kensington Coldchester Cocktail Shaker (author’s collection)

This 1936 shaker, designed by Laurelle Guild, is an early version of the Kensington Coldchester Cocktail Shaker.  But how do we know it is the earlier version?

Glad you asked.

Early Kensington back stamp

Early Kensington back stamp

The mark on the bottom shows only the stag head shield.  In later versions, the word Kensington appears added under this mark.  This is another harder-to-find piece and you can expect to pay upwards of a $100.00. This was a bargain at $20.00, complete with the often-missing aluminum cap on the cork.

Thanks for joining me on my journey that had me seeing double!

Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’ ‘tiquen Guys)

Weekend Finds – July 2022

Many of you know I thrift and flea market several times a week, but especially on weekends, looking for weekend finds.  I recently picked up some items I think you’ll find interesting.

Deco cocktail shaker

All Evercraft or a marriage (owner’s collection)

The first is a skyscraper cocktail shaker purchased at a GoodWill. Made by Evercraft, what makes this an unusual piece is the cap. We have not been able to find this shaker with this cap in any search. What we did find is this shaker with a stepped lid.  Conversely, we found a similar top on a Farberware (Japan) cocktail shaker.

Now frankly, it could be a marriage of two different shakers. But the cap fits perfectly which usually doesn’t occur between different manufacturers.

So, did Farberware sell off some of its designs to Evercraft? Did Evercraft copy Farberware? Is it coincidence that the top happens to fit the shaker perfectly? We truly don’t know! But it is still a stylish addition to our ever-growing collection.

Another weekend find came from the Good-Stuff thrift store. It is one of those, “I think it’s cute. I don’t know anything about it but I’ll take a chance.”

Bovey Anzac Figurine

Bovey Australia Anzac Figurine (owner’s collection)

Deco Bovey

Factory markings (owner’s collection)

What I found is a hard-to-find, if not rare English statue, circa 1945.

The Bovey Pottery Company closed in 1957. Had they not created the “Our Gang” series, they probably would have been lost to history.

Bovey Factory

Bovey Pottery Factory (photo via wemysswarebook.com)

The figurines celebrate the various armed services who fought in WWII. And, some of “Big Names” involved were commemorated as well.

The “Big Names” consist of “The Boss” (Winston Churchill), F. D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin.  And really, who wouldn’t want a Stalin statue in their house?

The figures were designed in collaboration by Gwynneth Holt (1909-95) and architect Fenton Wyness (1903-74) and consisted of 16 figures in all. They were in production from October 1940 through the early 50’s.

Gwynneth Holt (photo via sculptors.org.uk)

In general, they were sold in a soft matte buff or matte white glaze. The figures are also available in a mottled brown glaze (that I find disturbing).

Bovey The Boss

Winston Churchill in dueling glazes (photo via auction-net.co.uk)

The other figures are:

RAF Pilot, Australian Army (Anzac), New Zealand Army (Anzac), Staff Sergeant, Tommy Soldier, Sailor, ARP Warden, Nurse, Land Girl, Sergeant Major, Scottish Soldier, Navy Captain, W.A.F.F Airwoman, and Home Guard.

Polychrome examples do exist. But various sources indicate they may have been prototype models that never went into production as they are unmarked.

Pieces that come up for auction regularly sell above the auction estimate as collectors try to complete their collections. I’m glad I took a chance picking up this little fella!

So, if you like something, pick it up. You just never know what weekend finds you’ll stumble across driving-for-deco.

Happy Hunting!

Chris & Anthony (The Freakin’ ‘tiquen Guys)