Paperweights - Allan Port's Brimfield Paperweight Report- 2007

Allan Port's Paperweights at Brimfield Report- 2007

Brimfield is a large antiques / flea market that takes place in Brimfield, Massachusetts in May, July and September. There are approximately 5,000 dealers there. Some of the dealers set up shop in one field on Tuesday, move to another on Wednesday and then a third field on Thursday or Friday. Others set up in one location for the entire week. It pays to hit the fields the first day they open, but I've found great weights on every day of the week.

This year I went to Brimfield for only in September and only went for one day. I noticed that it was more like July in that many dealers weren't there. I only bought two paperweights.

1 Arculus or Walsh-Walsh Inkwell. This dated 1848 inkwell was actually made in the 1920s, but for a long time paperweight collectors believed the date was accurate. There are two 1848 dates on the bottom. The top has a different pattern so this is definitely a married set, but I couldn't resist it because the price was right. Click on the picture to see some closeups. The top has the distinctive Arculus 7/6 canes.
Size: 4" diameter by 5 5/8" tall. circa.1920-1930.
It is hard to identify differences between Arculus and Walsh-Walsh, both of Birmingham, England. The 1848 and 7/6 canes have been found in paperweights from both factories. Walsh-Walsh purchased Arculus in 1931. To read more about English paperweight makers, see Hall - Old English Paperweights.
Click on the picture to see a larger image.

2 Vintage Two Layer Icepick Flower Paperweight. Vintage icepick flower paperweight by unknown maker. The design consists of a blue and white five pointed flower with a carefully placed bubble at the tip of each point and in the center. The design also has a second orange colored layer on the bottom. The glass is slightly gray or green. This has all the characteristics of a true whimsy, made in spare time by a glass worker. I believe this was made in the midwest US around the middle of the 20th century.
This design is sometimes called an icepick flower design because an icepick type tool is pushed down through the top layer of ground glass to make the stem and points of the flower.
Size: 2 3/4" diameter by just under 2 1/2" high. circa. 1940-1950.   The bottom is unfinished with a rough pontil mark.
circa.1940-1950.
Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Back to Allan's Paperweights

Revised 10/29/2007

1	Arculus or Walsh-Walsh Inkwell. This dated 1848 inkwell was actually made in the 1920s, but for a long time paperweight collectors believed the date was accurate. There are two 1848 dates on the bottom. The top has a different pattern so this is definitely a married set, but I couldn't resist it because the price was right. Click on the picture to see some closeups. The top has the distinctive Arculus 7/6 canes. Size: 4" diameter by 5 5/8" tall. circa.1920-1930. It is hard to identify differences between Arculus and Walsh-Walsh, both of Birmingham, England. The 1848 and 7/6 canes have been found in paperweights from both factories. Walsh-Walsh purchased Arculus in 1931. To read more about English paperweight makers, see Hall - Old English Paperweights. Click on the picture to see a larger image.
2	Vintage Two Layer Icepick Flower Paperweight. Vintage icepick flower paperweight by unknown maker. The design consists of a blue and white five pointed flower with a carefully placed bubble at the tip of each point and in the center. The design also has a second orange colored layer on the bottom. The glass is slightly gray or green. This has all the characteristics of a true whimsy, made in spare time by a glass worker. I believe this was made in the midwest US around the middle of the 20th century. This design is sometimes called an icepick flower design because an icepick type tool is pushed down through the top layer of ground glass to make the stem and points of the flower. Size: 2 3/4" diameter by just under 2 1/2" high. circa. 1940-1950. The bottom is unfinished with a rough pontil mark. circa.1940-1950. Click on the picture to see a larger image.