Cambridge "Near-Cut" Carnival
by Russell
Vogelsong
Issue 59, March, 1978
Near-Cut Carnival is one type of carnival glass that has been avidly sought by carnival collectors for many years, but is rarely attributed to the correct maker, The Cambridge Glass Company.
Some carnival experts have credited it to Millersburg, and some to Imperial, yet all agree it is of the highest quality.
Without a doubt the most famous piece of carnival made at Cambridge
was the Buzz-Saw cruet (left) made in marigold and green carnival. Most of
these cruets were marked NEARCUT on the inside, directly below the
bottom of the handle. Most of the experts still list the cruet as maker
unknown. This piece demands and brings $250.00 to $300.00 at auctions
and sales.
Another beautiful piece made by Cambridge was the #2651 NEARCUT
covered cracker jar (right), given the pattern name of Inverted Feather. These
are known to exist in marigold, green and purple carnival.
Water sets in Inverted Strawberry (left) and Inverted Thistle may be found
in green, purple or marigold, but the set is usually $350.00 to
$550.00.
Some pieces of NEARCUT carnival will be found lightly iridized and other pieces will have extremely heavy iridizing applied to them.
Marion Hartung, author of several books on carnival glass, is the only author-expert to credit Cambridge with producing NEARCUT carnival.
Also popular in carnival is the Inverted Strawberry covered powder jar. I haven't seen one marked NEARCUT but it is not an impossibility. Can you imagine a person collecting NEARCUT carnival for years and suddenly finding out he or she is a full fledged Cambridge collector?
When examining an Inverted Thistle (left) or Inverted Strawberry piece you
will always find extremely fine detail work in the pattern, a tribute
to the fine mold workmanship and high standards used in every Cambridge
mold. I have yet to see a poorly pressed piece of Inverted Thistle or
Inverted Strawberry carnival.
Don't be too depressed if you can't run out to your favorite antique shop and find NEARCUT carnival. I don't believe the number of existing pieces is that great.
(Reprinted from Vogelsong Newsletter, Vol. I, No. 4, October 26, 1971
Editor's Note:During the past year we have been fortunate enough to learn some current prices on NEARCUT carnival glass. The Inverted Thistle and Inverted Strawberry water sets are currently bringing $3,300 for Thistle and $1,800 for the Strawberry, both in purple. As most of us can attest, these past six years have certainly made a difference in the price of Cambridge glass, carnival and otherwise.