Paperweights are where you find them, but how do you know what you have when you find it? We've all had that experience being in an antique store, garage sale or auction but not knowing exactly what it is and how much it should be priced. Unless the purchase is being made from a reputable and knowledgeable paperweight dealer, separating the antique gem from the gift shop novelty requires study and an extensive library of paperweight reference books.
In addition to being able to properly identify a paperweight, you also need to know what the current market value of it is so that you don't end up in the unenviable position of either regretting not having spent the money, depending upon whether your assessment of its value was too high or too low.
To determine if a paperweight is from the classic era (1845-1865), and to distinguish between the ordinary antiques and the true rare or unique antique paperweight, a number of distinguishing criteria should be considered. Some of these many criteria are: the types of colors and combinations of colors used (in that as technologies and preferences changed, the colors used by paperweight makers also changed), the numbers of colors used in the paperweight (since the more disparate and numerous the colors the more difficult the paperweight is to anneal without cracking), the complexity of the millefiori, fauna, etc. designs (since the more complex, the more workmanship there is in making the weight), the clarity (quality) of the crystal, the number of millefiori canes (with the greater numbers of canes being more valuable as representing a greater labor cost to produce), the number of production steps requited to make the weight (for example, color overlays or encased overlays are more costly), the existence of a slightly concave surface where the glass remaining after the paperweight was broken off the pontil rod was ground away and whether or not a wear ring is evident (generally, the Murano paperweights have flat facets and are ground flat on the bottom, whereas the more costly antique weights often have a slight concave bottom), the side view profile (the elongated bullet shape is a Twentieth Century development), the types of subjects depicted in antique lampwork, the existence of any signature and date canes (since these will often more than double the value of a St. Louis or Clichy paperweight), the placement of the lampwork or millefiori arrangement within the height of the weight (in other words how high up in the profile of the weight does the artistic arrangement appear; since generally the very early antique paperweights and the Bohemian weights have the arrangement higher in the dome), the manner in which the paperweight is faceted, if at all (in that generally the faceting on antique American paperweights is more ornate, the rarity of the millefiori canes used (such as the blue or purple Clichy rose cane), the types of sulfide (or enamel encrustations), the artistic difficulty of the subject attempted and the attractiveness and quality of the artistic presentation.
No one distinguishing criteria in and of itself is determinative of a weight's attribution, but the evidence as a whole will often, but not always, give a clear indication of a weight's origination. Even the experts can't always agree, so don't be concerned if your opinion differs from someone else's. Only through experience can you perfect your identification skills. Each time you see a weight, you should research it.
Identifying antique paperweights has been the subject of a number of books written by authors considerably more knowledgeable than myself. At a minimum, a paperweight reference library should include Paul Hollister's The Encyclopedia of Glass Paperweights, George Kulles' Identifying Antique Paperweights Lampwork, and George Kulles' Identifying Antique Paperweights Millefiori. If you don't already own them, their acquisition is highly recommended. Also, as both price and identification guides, old auction catalogues are invaluable. The L.H. Selman auction catalogues, for example, cover a broad array of antique French, American and Bohemian weights, as well as early Twentieth Century American, and contemporary Perthshire, St. Louis and Bacarrat weights.
In addition, two other books are recommended. The first being Geraldine Casper's Glass Paperweights of the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum since the book illustrates paperweights from the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries in full color and can easily be used as a pictorial reference. The second would be Jean Melvin's American Glass Paperweights and Their Makers (Revised Edition) since this book illustrates and discusses a number of the weights which you are more likely to find in today's antique shops, auctions and garage sales, etc.
There are very few antique classic era paperweights floating around other than through paperweight dealers. In the public auctions and antique stores, you are more likely to find the Twentieth Century paperweights. Some of them, though, can be valuable, although certainly not as valuable as the classic era weights. For those who enjoy the thrill of the search as much as the actual acquisition, this is where the opportunities currently exist.
Over the past year weights which I have seen offered in the public marketplaces (other than the paperweight dealers) include an unpolished and pristine Clichy edelweiss five point garland weight on a blue ground, English Nailsea potted flower and sulfide weights, NEGC scrambled, Sandwich poinsettia, Gillinder turtle weight, Union Glass ("Clara-1911"), an unlisted 1977 experimental weight by Perthshire, Charles Kazuin roses, Durand spaced bubble weights, 1930's Chinese flower weights, Paul Stankard, Jack Choko, Ray Banford, John Deacons, Pete Lewis, Ron Hansen, John Gentile, Puhlander umbrella weights, St. Louis, Caithness, Strathearn and Monart.
Opportunities clearly abound, but without an educated and trained eye, these opportunities will go unnoticed. So build your library and build your knowledge; and happy hunting!
"This copyrighted article has been reprinted with the kind permission of the author, Andrew H. Doan, (Dohan@juno.com), and the Paperweight Collectors Association, P.O. Box 1263, Beltsville, MD 20704, an international organization devoted to the study and dissemination of information on antique and contemporary glass paperweights".
A few recommended Websites:
http://www.collectoronline.com/collect/paperweight/PCA.html The official homepage of the Paperweight Collectors Assoc.
http://pages.prodigy.com/marbles/bb.html The official homepage of Block's Box, conducting a couple on paperweight auctions a year - full pictures and descriptions.
http://www.selman.com The official homepage for L.H. Selman, Ltd. - order one of their catalogs online or view some of the pictures and prices
of paperweights, both contemporary and antique, sold recently.