National Cambridge Collectors, Inc.
A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
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