How do I know if my glass paperweight is valuable?
Color: The color, clarity, and brilliance of the glass are extremely important when judging the quality of a paperweight. A yellowish cast to the glass is characteristic of Chinese weights made during the 1930s and 1940s. The glass in some classic period Bohemian weights is slightly yellow in color as well.
Are paperweights worth any money?
Although paperweights can often be restored, it is an expensive process that is not without risk: the paperweight may crack in two, rendering it worthless. So a scratched or chipped paperweight will sell for a lot less than if it were in excellent condition.
How do I sell glass paperweights?
0:013:12Selling Paperweights with L.H. Selman - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipOnce an offer range is accepted we perform an in-person examination to assess the physical conditionMoreOnce an offer range is accepted we perform an in-person examination to assess the physical condition and size of each paperweight.
What are the most expensive paperweights?
In case you're curious, the world record price for a paperweight was set at just over a quarter-million dollars in a 1990 Sotheby's auction, and this is a picture of it. This antique millefiori weight, produced in the mid 1800s by the French Clichy factory, is known as the Basket of Flowers.
Do people collect paperweights?
Even today, choice paperweights can still be found at flea markets and dusty antique shops for incredibly low prices. But this is extremely rare. Serious collectors find most of their pieces through paperweight dealers, private sales, and in auction houses.
How do you identify millefiori paperweights?
Antique Glass Paperweight Styles Lampwork - Lampwork paperweights have objects like flowers or butterflies made out of colored glass embedded inside a clear glass dome. Millefiori - These paperweights contain cross sections of tiny, multicolored rods put together to resemble flowers.
How do you identify Perthshire paperweights?
If the paperweight is a spoke and millefiori panel design, then look at the spokes: if these are white latticino, then the paperweight is probably a Strathearn product. Vasart and Perthshire tended to use multicoloured twisted ribbon for the spokes.
How do you identify a millefiori?
Millefiori or 'thousand flowers' canes are produced by layering molten glass into a pattern in a fat cylindrical shape, then pulling the cylinder to create an elongated pencil-thin rod. When the rod is sliced, the pattern can be seen in the cross section.
What is a lampwork paperweight?
This third major technique of paperweightmaking, called lampwork, involved fashioning bits of colored glass from rods into specific shapes that were ultimately combined into fruit, vegetables, flowers, reptiles, and insects.
What is a magnum paperweight?
Magnum A paperweight with a diameter exceeding 3 1/4 inches.
How heavy should a paperweight be?
These weights can be between 20 to 140 pounds, depending on the type of material the paper's made from. A nice bond paper has weights between 20 and 80, while card stock, which is heavier, ranges between 50 and 140 pounds. Paper weight doesn't refer to the individual sheets of cut paper themselves.
What is paperweight made of?
Traditionally, everything inside the paperweight is also made of glass. Some paperweights and most of the ones in the Neustadter collection are made using millefiori canes or lampwork. Lampworking is a type of glasswork, where the glass is melted and then shaped using hand movements and instruments.
What are paperweights made of?
Besides glass, paperweights can be made of acrylic, marble and even resin. They come in a range of sizes and designs, from circular to triangular, with or without motifs, small or large. The price of a paperweight is determined by the material used as well as the design.
What is the heaviest paper weight?
The thicker the paper stock is, the higher the weight is going to be. These weights can be between 20 to 140 pounds, depending on the type of material the paper's made from. A nice bond paper has weights between 20 and 80, while card stock, which is heavier, ranges between 50 and 140 pounds.
What is the symbolism of the paperweight in 1984?
In George Orwell's novel 1984, the glass paperweight is a symbol for the protagonist's attempts to discover and connect to the past. The government of Oceania rewrites history completely, so there are very few citizens who can remember the true events of the past.