The Controversial Near Cut Water Set - Part II
by Joseph A. A. Bourque
Issue 306 - October 1998
Dear Reader,
Reference is made to Part I of this article in the 1998 June
issue. There were seven articles that dealt with these points of
controversy within a two-and-a-half-year period, starting in June
1973. These articles are copied verbatim in Part I.
The subject matter deals
with the Pink Slag water pitcher set signed Near Cut in the
strawberry pattern. It was manufactured by Harold Bennett when he
owned and operated the Guernsey Glass Company at or near Cambridge,
Ohio. (see photo)
THE MAIN ISSUES AT HAND WERE AND STILL ARE:
Is this set Cambridge?
Is it a reproduction?
Is it a "reissue"?
Is it "Near Cut"?
This enigma has remained dormant and unsolved for 25 years.
(The following excerpts taken from articles previously
appearing in the Crystal Ball are not intended to be used as a
critique. They are copied herewith in an effort to save the reader
time. (Should the reader elect to read the original articles, the
source is listed at the end of each excerpt. ("CB" = Crystal Ball)
The salient points within these articles are listed as follows:
(Contents of brackets, were inserted by the undersigned.)
"INVERTED STRAWBERRY" has
been reproduced and yet it has not been reproduced ... a new mold
was made of the pattern ... very few pieces have been made ...
the only ones are the tumbler and toothpick holder. A water
pitcher in a size that was never made by Cambridge ... in this
particular pattern (see Figure 2 for the pitcher the writer has
in mind) ... new pieces do bear the NEAR CUT mark. In the new
Inverted Strawberry, the strawberry and flower are coarser and
there are no mold marks on the pieces. Remember the Cambridge
INVERTED STRAWBERRY had definite mold marks. [CB-3]
- [First party] ... Inverted Strawberry pink slag tumblers ...
were not very old, but were made from an old mold of the now
defunct Cambridge Glass Company. [Second party] ... mold was not
original ... a new mold had been made ... he [the first party]
showed me a recent issue of a very well-known price guide from
which he hod obtained the information. CB-4]
- [First party] ... asks about glass companies in he Cambridge
area reproducing glass from the original Cambridge molds. [Second
party] The Imperial Glass Company of Bellaire, Ohio, purchased
the existing molds from the Cambridge factory when they closed
... they are the only company that have used the original moulds
... some Inverted Strawberry pieces being reproduced with the
Near Cut mark ... made from new molds ... the detail is obviously
not as fine as the original ... [CB-5]
- "I do know that one woman from Florida was really upset about
reproductions, especially the Inverted Strawberry. [CB-16]
- "IS IT CAMBRIDGE?" ... wife and I are interested in ...
reproductions and re-issues [sic]. (A reproduction is an article
resembling Cambridge ... made from a new mold. A re-re-issue
(sic] is an article made by another company using an original
Cambridge mold. [CB-17]
"IS IT CAM8RIDGE?" The
Inverted Strawberry pitcher and tumblers have caused much concern
... pitcher by Guernsey Glass is made on the Inverted Thistle
pattern pitcher [see Figure 3] with the Inverted Strawberry
design, therefore it is not the same as the original ... The
Guernsey Glass pitcher is marked with a honey bee [Higbee Glass
logo?] ... tumblers are harder to identify. Some ... marked
"Nearcut" ... most are marked with ... "B" ... Set ... made in
several colors and have been decorated with gold and red flashed
as well as having been carnivalized [sic] [CB-22]
- "IS IT CAMBRIDGE?" ... The Guernsey Glass Co. has removed the
Near Cut mark from their Strawberry tumbler mold and has
increased the size of the "B" ... on the side of the tumbler,
near the base. [CB-33]
I think it is fair to say that 25 years ago, members of National
Cambridge Collectors Inc., other collectors of Cambridge glass, and
buyers and sellers of Depression Glass became confused over this
issue. The questions that are posed above should be resolved.
I have done some research on the "Pink Slag" set and wish to
share the data I have obtained with you.
In June 1954, The Cambridge Glass Company closed down, it was
purchased outright by L. Albert & Sons Company of Akron, Ohio.
At the end of March 1955, fires were resumed in the furnaces of the
old Cambridge Glass Company and production began in May 1955 under
the new ownership. In 1959, the Cambridge Glass Company closed
down.
After The Cambridge Glass Company went out of business, certain
glass companies obtained some of the defunct company's molds. One
of these companies was the Imperial Glass Company of Bellaire,
Ohio, and there were other such glass companies. Certain companies
who had Cambridge molds used them to make respective glass items.
These items could not readily be distinguished, if at all, from the
former nor latter Cambridge Glass Companies, especially if made in
clear glass.
The Guernsey Glass Company of Ohio made various items utilizing
original Cambridge molds. One of these items was the Pink Slag's
water pitcher in the Strawberry pattern signed NEAR CUT.
I had a personal interview with Harold Bennett. an old- time
acquaintance, while attending our 1998 NCC Silver Anniversary. We
go back a few years. (I first met Harold Bennett in 1971 at his
place of business, The Guernsey Glass Company.)
We met at his Cambridge Museum and had a very cordial two-hour
discussion about Cambridge glass in general and especially the
"Pink Slag" pitcher. He informed me that he had acquired an
original Cambridge Thistle [Line No. 2766] water pitcher mold. (see
Figure 3) He had it modified to a Strawberry pattern by an expert
mold maker. It bore the NEAR CUT trademark. The only discussion
about the tumblers was that six pink slag tumblers went with the
pitcher and that they also bore the NEAR CUT mark.
Now here is a bit of information that I did not know until my
interview with Harold Bennett. He, Harold Bennett, bought out the
NEAR CUT trademark and that he still owns it.
At this point, let us go beck to the four questions posed at the
beginning of this article. I'm going to answer each question as I
see fit to do so, since no one (including myself) has done it in 25
years. Mind you, Dear Readers, this is strictly one person's
opinion, namely mine.
- Is this set Cambridge? My answer: No. Reasoning: First
of all, this glass set was made at the Guernsey Glass Company.
The Strawberry pattern is not a Cambridge one, having been
designed for the Guernsey Glass Company. It was made as a set and
sold as a set, but it is not a true set, as the pitcher is light
pressed and the tumblers are heavy pressed. I have little
information regarding the mold that the tumblers came from except
that it was used by Guernsey Glass to make the Pink Slag
tumblers. The Cambridge Strawberry Line No. 2780 tumblers are the
bell shape type as opposed to the straight type tumblers in this
set. They could have been made from an original Cambridge mold.
One other point, Cambridge never used "Pink Slag."
- Is this a "reproduction"? My answer: No. Reasoning:
The Guernsey Glass Company owned the mold. Glass companies bought
molds from other companies, created their own molds inside their
own shops and used the services of independent mold makers
outside of their own shops. They then used these cited molds to
make glass products. Regardless of who made the mold the end
product was the glass items they produced. Those glass products
were then sold under their corporate or company name. This Pink
Slag set is a Guernsey Glass water set in the Strawberry
pattern.
- Is this a "re-issue"? My answer: No. Reasoning: In the
business world a re-issue is a second batch of an item or items
that had been previously made or manufactured by the same firm. A
third re-issue would be the third batch, and so on. It should not
be a Cambridge re-issue, as it was made by Guernsey Glass.
- Is the water set NEAR CUT? My answer: Yes. Reasoning:
If the Guernsey Glass Company was in custody of the NEAR CUT
trademark at the time the Pink Slag water set was made by them,
and they put their NEAR CUT mark on all seven pieces which is
positively marked on them, then it is NEAR CUT. Even if Guernsey
did not have the NEAR CUT trademark at that time, and may now own
it, this could very well be that it is still NEAR CUT.
If ever you get an opportunity to purchase a "Pink Slag" signed
NEAR CUT, don't pass it by. Harold Bennett has an exact duplicate
of this pitcher on display in his museum. He asked me if I wanted
to sell the set I own as he has a buyer for it. I respectfully
declined.
Until next time,
Joe