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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: kfan on May 18, 2009, 06:52:13 PM
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I have not ever seen anything like this. We bought it years ago at an old antique shop. The holder is very heavy metal (almost feels like iron) The elephant is attached with a screw. The vaseline bowl part is removal and it glows brightly. Total diameter is about 4 1/4". I would like to know anything about it - maker, use, value, anything!
Thanks .
Sandy
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Almost looks like a cigar/cigarette ashtray. Does a magnet stick to the metal part?
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Lovely piece!
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i agree with railman44 that it appears to be an ashtray. Just have never seen a Vaseline glass item like this! Very Nice!
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could we get a closer look at the elephant & border ?
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This may help with a little Photoshop. The metal appears to be a pot-metal.(http://i365.photobucket.com/albums/oo93/railman44/aash.jpg)
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It reminds me of the tale of the young fellow who gave his wife a first anniversary present of a bag of peanuts , telling her "I wish they were emeralds.".
Later on , in their 'golden years' the man gave his wife a bag of emeralds , saying "I wish they were peanuts." .
I'm old & have forgotten many things , but I think the story came from O Henry .
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LOL! Like the story!
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Thanks for the replies.
A magnet does not stick to the metal so it is not iron. Probably is pot metal like suggested.
Thanks for the photoshop - it helped see the border better.
I had thought it might be an ashtray, also.
I bought it because it caught my eye. There are no markings to indicate any origin or maker.
Sandy
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I agree with the pot metal. My first thought's were it's Chinese. I say' no may be korean ? No maybe czech ? I'am back to Chinese. the color of the glass, fit's there work. Fenton art glass used this color scheme. in 1922 calling it chinese yellow.
If you can compare the ears on the elephant. asian elephant's have small ears compared to african elephant's. who have large ears. But I'am still not certain as to it's use.
The glass a lone is collectable & add and elephant & increase the value.
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I did not think about the ear size. Ears on this elephant are small.
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I am still not sold that it is vaseline glass....do agree with D&b about the elephant's ears. Don't believe it is Korean because a trunk up means good luck/fortune - the trunk is down! Nepali made? Just for grins sent a pic to my friend in Seoul.
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It might not be vaseline glass as defined. I called it that because it glows very brightly under a black light (for lack of other terminology).
I did not know about the trunk up being good luck - that is interesting.
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it glows very brightly under a black light
If it fluoresces bright green you might check it with a Geiger counter. Could be uranium in the glass.
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My guess is that it might be a 'vanity dish' ,
used for jewelry , keys , cufflinks & what-nots .
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I think I agree and lean more to a vanity dish with it's ornate work.
Okay, I am dying to do this....Many of the early depression glass pieces when put up to a black light will appear to glow. However, when Vaseline glass is put up to a black light - it is as if you plugged in an extension cord and the piece itself lights up with a fluorescent glow - . The following site shows pics of Vaseline glass in regular sunlight - click on the pics and they will display picture of them under black light!!! http://www.vaselineglass.org/blacklight.html (http://www.vaselineglass.org/blacklight.html)
For those newbies that don't know what Vaseline Glass is - As per the Vaseline Glass Collectors, Inc., (VGCI), " There are different definitions of what is or is not "vaseline glass," depending on what part of the world you are located. Our organization uses this definition: Vaseline Glass is a particular color of yellow-green glass that is made by adding 2% Uranium Dioxide to the ingredients when the glass formula is made. The addition of the Uranium Dioxide makes the glass color yellow-green. Vaseline Glass is ALWAYS verifiable by using an ultraviolet light (blacklight) on the glass item. When this is done, the glass turns a bright florescent green! Sometimes, even the most trained eye can be fooled by a piece of glass that looks like Vaseline Glass, but will not 'glow' or fluoresce bright green under a blacklight. Not all yellow-green glass will turn florescent GREEN when a UV light is shined on it. When manganese is added to the glass formula (which also makes a yellow-colored glass) instead of Uranium Dioxide, for instance, the end product will glow under a black light, but the color is an orange/peach color OR a lime green color that is much fainter than the bright neon green under UV light. Manganese was added to the glass mixture to counteract the minor traces of iron that would give the glass a 'coke-bottle' greenish tint to it."
Test on Friday! LOL
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thanks great info, I'm ready for the test ;D
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There are a few vanity piece with an elephant on them, aka: powder jar w/lid. But, I still think the above is an ashtray because of the bumps on the rim.
One should not forget that there were oodles of GOP political items that were produced with elephants on them. Go to Gooogle Images and search on "GOP elephant political items". Or see below.
(http://pics.rubylane.com/graphics/shops/treasures/eor4584.1E.jpg)
(http://www.globalarray.net/user/stgeo/2007Nov1/GOPAsh1.jpg)
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One of the reasons ashtray came to mind was because of the metal rim. It appears a little too masculine for a womans vanity piece to my way of thinking. But, I've been wrong so many times I've lost count...
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I'm just guessing .
My pop , in his later years , used a container for his cufflinks , change & keys - because he got tired of misplacing them . He'd told me that it 'used to be' a common thing for men to use .
In my later years (now) I use one too ....
This is because (a couple of years ago) I spent 5-6 min. looking all over the house for my keys ...
@ min. 7 or so , I looked down in my hand & found them .
The elephant speaks to me , as if to say :"Hey! Gramps! Remember? Your stuff is in here!!!" .
That's just my story though.....
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This piece flouresces (I know that is spelled wrong) a bright green under black light. The color or the glass in regular light is a yellow green and has the slick feel of some of my older vaseline glass.
I did not think about a vanity dish, but it is rather masculine looking.
I appreciate all the replies! Has made me aware of some things!
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It seems that when we hear/see the word vanity dish we think of women. Traditionally the men had "valets" which derived from the original meaning. A valet was traditionally a personal man servant whose main job was to put out clothes and take care of personal items of the man of the house - in addition would help make travel arrangements and pack/prepare for them. Later, when families no longer had these servants, or for those that never had servants, the term valet was used for "a open tray and/or drawered chest used to help organize the man of the house - cuff links, pins, wallets, etc.".
Teaching cap off.
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KC- Put that thinking cap back on! I am learning some things from you that I really do appreciate!
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KC - I meant teaching cap, not thinking cap! Brain is fried at the moment.
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Ha! Some days I could really use a thinking cap!
Did get a reply back from friend in Seoul....definitely not Korean. Suggested Thai or that area. No Korean artisan with traditional Korean artistry would have an elephant with the trunk down!