NEARCUT Patterns - Kitchen Items
by Phyllis Smith
Issue 64, August 1978
When a person collects Cambridge glass, it seems there is no limit to the type of collections one can have.
Collecting Cambridge NearCut Kitchen items can be fun--but frustrating! In all the years we have been collecting, we have managed to collect only eleven of the items shown on these four pages.
The most common kitchen item is without a doubt, the Bennett Juice
Extractor illustrated at left. This extractor was patented on January 6th, 1909 by Mr. A.
J. Bennett. In July, 1923, we have found it advertised on the front
cover of China, Glass & Lamps. They say, "Our Extractor is the
most Simple and Sanitary on the market. The Patent Seed Retainers are a
feature not found in other extractors. The Clean, Clear Crystal glass
makes it an attractive article for the household.".
As you can see, these Extractors were available in three sizes and are easily recognized by their distinctive shape. Some of them are marked "Patented Jan 6th 1909 No. 912443". But like all Cambridge glass, many of them have no mark at all. All three sizes are fairly common, and usually moderately priced.
A few years ago, the word was spread among collectors that the one pound Butter Molds were being reproduced. Consequently we passed up one at $10 with both the Cow and Fleur de Lis Print. Haven't seen one for less than $75 since. Whether or not they were actually reproduced is still unknown, and we still do not own one.
The two Egg Beater bowls pictured here are the quart size. The one
with the electric mixer is light emerald green and the one with the
hand mixer is light pink. Both of the bowls are marked with the small
which indicates they were produced
long after the NearCut
era. (Actually between 1927-37, according to Dave Rankin's Trademarks
articles.) We're still looking for one of these bowls in crystal,
marked NearCut.
We also have a Boston Measuring Cup, Lipped. It is in crystal, and
is marked with the old, larger , indicating it was produced
before 1927. We were fortunate to purchase this at our All-Cambridge
club Auction in 1976.
Other kitchen items in our collection are the two dippers shown
at right. We have both the plain and the measuring ones. The #2586 Quart
Measuring Jug without the funnel strainer top was a Mother's Day gift
one year and the glass fork and spoon was added to our collection
during this year's Convention.
To our knowledge we have never seen any of the other items shown. Can't tell you if they will be found marked or not. But can tell you that study and perseverance are the only ways to find these elusive items.
They have to be out there somewhere...
A few additional NearCut Kitchen items are shown on page 115 of Welker's Reprint II.
