The birth of Scottish paperweight making is credited to the glass making family of Salvador Ysart, who moved to Crieff, Scotland in 1922.  They worked first at John Moncrieff Ltd and made the earliest Scottish paperweights during that period.  In 1946 Salvadore and his sons Augustine and Vincent founded Ysart Brothers Glass and produced glass wares under the Vasart label.  The company name was later changed to Vasart Glass.

Stuart Drysdale was hired manage the business side of the enterprise in 1960.  Vincent Ysart was the Works Manager.  George Dunlop provided a portion of the financial backing.  The senior craftsman, Jack Allen, was assisted by two glass blowers and a few apprentices.

Strathearn Glass was formed in a reorganization of Vasart glass in 1963.  The new company was owned by Teachers Whiskey.

In 1967 Drysdale was sent a magazine article on antique paperweights (Woman's Day, July 1965).  The inspired him to try to produce weights comparable to the French antiques.  With this goal in mind, he and several of the glass workers left Strathearn to found Perthshire in 1968.  From that start we have several Scottish Paperweight companies, including Caithness, John Deacons, William Manson,  Peter McDougall, Phoenix, and Selkirk. Be sure to also check out my Perthshire page.

Peter McDougall was one of the very young glass workers who left Strathearn in 1968.  When Perthshire closed in 2002 he was the head craftsman of  Perthshire.  Peter now has his own studio PMcD Glass Studio and makes paperweights under his own name.  For a selection of Peter's paperweights, see my PMcD page.

John Deacons, another Scottish glass worker, also started his glassmaking career at Strathearn Glass in 1967.  A year later in 1968, he left Strathearn and joined the new Perthshire venture.  After about ten years at Perthshire he decided to leave and start his own company, Jay Glass, in 1978, which remained in operation until 1983.  During that period, it produced paperweights under the Jay Glass label and also others signed St.K for St. Kilda and JD for John Deacons.  John Deacons continues to make paperweights under his own label today.

Allan Scott apprenticed at Perthshire and then joined Jay Glass shortly after it started and was responsible for much of the lampwork.  When Jay Glass closed in 1983, he joined Caithness Glass where he stayed until 2007.

Another Scottish factory was Selkirk founded in 1977 by Peter Holmes and Ron Hutchinson.  Peter apprenticed under Paul Ysart at Caithness from 1963 and continued at Caithness until 1977.  Ron Hutchinson was also at Caithness.  Selkirk produced a wide range of paperweight styles including abstract, lampwork and millefiori paperweights.  The company was located in Selkirk, Scotland in the Borders Region.  At some point they were purchased by Edinburgh Crystal and remained in operation until 2006.

For more information, you can read about the Scottish paperweights in these two books:

• Scottish Paperweights by Robert Hall
• Paperweights From Great Britain 1930-2000 by John Simmonds

If you would like to purchase any of these paperweights, e-mail me at: aport@paperweights.com
 

2264	Vasart / Lassman Millefiori Paperweight Handle Bottle Opener. circa 1950-1960.  The firm of Lassman & Co designed and produced this bottle opener opener and a variety of other useful objects during the 1950s and 1960s.  The millefiori paperweight handle was made by the Ysart family of Scotland and has a concentric design on a dark blue colored ground that matches the setup and canes of other Vasart paperweights.  New information has surfaced allowing us to identify the maker of this item as Lassman & Co. located in the Kilburn area of North London.   Lassman purchased the paperweights indirectly from Vasart.  For more information, see my web page on Lassman & Co.  A complete set of similar objects is shown further down on this page.  Size: 1 1/2" diameter by 3 3/4" long.  Excellent condition although showing some wear on the metal part.   No cracks or chips.  There is a small bubble near the surface as shown in the picture.  Unsigned. The word "England" appears on the metal part.  $125 postage paid in the US.  Click on the picture to see a larger image.	Click on the picture to see a larger image
1785	Vasart Millefiori Bud Vase. circa 1950-1960.  This is a bud vase with a millefiori paperweight base.  The base has a concentric design of three rows of millefiori canes arranged around a central cane.  The ground is an opaque green. Size: 2 1/8" diameter by just over 8" tall.  Excellent condition with no cracks or chips.  $85 postage paid in the US.  Click on the picture to see a larger image.	Click on the picture to see a larger image
1263	Vasart Small Bowl with Ruffled Edge. circa 1947-1963.  This is a wonderful translucent blue and white bowl with ruffled edges made by Vasart glass.  It shows the influence of Monart work done at the firm of John Moncrieff Ltd.  It is signed with the Vasart acid etched signature on the bottom.  See the signature in the bottom picture.  The glass is a very white blue on the bottom but appears dark because of the angle used to show the signature. Size: 6" diameter by 2" high.  Excellent condition with no flaws noted.  Acid etched signature Vasart on the base.  Guaranteed authentic Vasart glass. $65 postage paid in the US.  Click on the picture to see a larger image.	Click on the picture to see a larger image
2441	Rare  JAY Glass Limited Edition Floral Bouquet on Latticinio. circa 1981.  This wonderful paperweight consists a bouquet of three pink flowers with stems and leaves over a pink and green swirl latticinio ground.  It is signed with Allan Scott's "A" cane near the base of the stem and signed again on the bottom with a J 1981 cane.  This paperweight comes with a certificate signed by John Deacons identifying the design as A Bouquet on Latticinio.  It is 61 of a limited edition of 101 paperweights.  The picture does not do justice to this paperweight.  Ignore the white areas, they are glare from the lights.  Note:  The flowers are more pink than shown in the large picture.  The colors in the smaller profile picture are more correct. Medium Size: 2 1/4" diameter by 1 3/4" high.  Outstanding condition with no chips or cracks.  Signed with an "A" for Allan Scott in the design.  Signed again on the bottom with a J 1981 cane.  This paperweight comes with its original certificate shown in the picture. $325 postage paid in the US.  Click on the picture to see a larger image.	Click on the picture to see a larger image
150	Magnum Selkirk Lace Fountain Limited Edition Paperweight. circa 1987.  This is wonderful large example of a Selkirk abstract design.  It has a blue base color covered with a white and pink speckle ground.   There is a fountain with spray in the center with a bubble in the center and a larger bubble directly above the fountain.  The ground has five ruffles each with a controlled bubble over it.  The bottom is engraved "SELKIRK GLASS SCOTLAND LACE FOUNTAIN 427/500 1987".  There is one large angled facet.  A fantastic showy paperweight. Magnum Size: 3 1/2" diameter by 3 1/8" high.  Outstanding condition with no chips or cracks.  There are some light scratches on the base.  The base is finished and engraved "SELKIRK GLASS SCOTLAND LACE FOUNTAIN 427/500 1987". $245 postage paid in the US.  Click on the picture to see a larger image.	Click on the picture to see a larger image
1919	Strathearn Paneled Millefiori Paperweight.  circa 1965.  Very attractive medium sized paperweight with a paneled pattern of millefiori over a yellow ground.  This is reminiscent of earlier Ysart paperweights and also approaching the quality of early Perthshire paperweights.  The colors, however, are typical of Strathearn.  Size: 2 1/4" diameter by just over 1 1/2" high.  Unsigned.  circa 1965 Very good condition with no chips or cracks.  There is a minor surface abrasion on the side.  It appears in the pictures at the 7 o'clock position..   SOLD Click on the picture to see a larger image.	Click on the picture to see a larger image
	Perthshire Paperweights.  Please click on this link.
	Peter McDougall Paperweights.  Please click on this link.
32	Colorful Strathearn Paneled Millefiori Paperweight.  circa 1965.  This very attractive paperweight consists of a paneled millefiori pattern with eleven sections of 1+1+2+2 millefiori patterns each separated by a blue and white colored latticinio cane.  The canes are early Scottish millefiori canes on a light green ground.  This is a very nice example with a flawless execution.    A great addition to any collection of Scottish paperweights.  Large Size:  3" diameter by 2" high.  Excellent condition with no chips or cracks.  Unsigned but I guarantee that this is an early Scottish paperweight.               SOLD  Click on the picture to see a larger image.	Click on the picture to see a larger image
2440	Rare Strathearn Yellow Tropic Paperweight.  circa 1965.  This paperweight consists multi-colored fronds weaving through a drop shaped clear glass paperweight.  The colors are primarily yellow, orange and green.  A very attractive paperweight.  An interesting addition to any collection of Scottish paperweights.  This is one of Strathearn's nature inspired series and uses the liquid feeling of glass to create an impression of weeds swirling up in a clear lagoon.  Some collectors refer to this as a yellow fire or devil's fire paperweight, ignoring Strathearn's designation.  Special thanks to Richard More (http://strathearn.smugmug.com) for identifying this paperweight and providing the description.  For further reference, see Selman's Spring 2002 Auction Lot 297. Size:  2 1/2" diameter by just over 4 1/2" high.  Excellent condition with no chips or cracks.  The bottom is ground flat.  Unsigned, but I guarantee this to be an authentic Strathearn Yellow Tropic paperweight.  Circa. 1970 to 1980.       SOLD Click on the picture to see a larger image.	Click on the picture to see a larger image
887	Rare Vasart / Lassman Millefiori Paperweight Bar Set.  c.1950-1960.  The firm of Lassman & Co. designed and produced produced this bar set during the 1950s and 1960s.  The 6 piece set is complete with the original "leatherette" carrying case.  The millefiori paperweight handles were made by Vasart. There are very few complete sets known to exist with the case.  A smaller set is shown on page 157 of the book on Ysart Glass published by Volo (the section on Vasart was written by Frank Andrews).   There is also a display of a similar set in the museum in Perth which attributes this to Vasart Art Glass.  New information has surfaced allowing us to identify the maker of this item as Lassman & Co. located in the Kilburn area of North London.  Lassman purchased the paperweights indirectly from Vasart.  For more information, see my web page on Lassman & Co. Carrying Case Size: 12" long by 8 1/2" wide by 2 1/4" deep.   SOLD.  I have another set for sale.  Contact me if interested. Click on the picture to see more details on this set.	Click on the picture to see a larger image

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Revised 3/13/2010