I have been digging through the boxes the entire weekend (see Treasure Hunting - Part 1). I've come across all kind of stuff, but today was the craziest find of all so far...
Hunks of glass that appear to have been pen holders. I was ready to toss them in the garbage until I turned one over and realized it had a sticker on the bottom that said "Crystal Au Plomb Fait Main" so I ran out to my computer to look them up. On the way I turned the other over and almost dropped both of them when I saw the original price tag...
These are very old and I couldn't find anything like them on the internet. The label itself isn't unusual, but I've only found it on finished pieces, nothing like these in raw form. If they were $270.00 back when originally purchased, I'm stumpted as to what those big hunks of glass, er... crystal might be worth now. I don't even know if that was the cost for the pair or just the one.
This was definitely my oddest find yet! It was put with my research further stuff. Crazy, just crazy!
I'm back to work tomorrow, still on the 10 hour workdays. No more treasure hunting for me until next weekend. Hope you have a great week - cheers!
I've seen that label before - I'm just trying to remember where…
ReplyDeleteIt's not an uncommon label but I've only seen finished pieces, never anything in raw form like these.
DeleteHmmm... well the French translates to "handmade lead crystal." I'm not sure what that means - how do you hand-make a crystal? CatMan is a geology/mineralogy buff... I'll ask him if he has any clue.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Cat! Let me know if you find out anything more. Handmade crystal just cracks me up by the way :)
DeleteWow, what a find. Might be worth double that now!
ReplyDeleteCould be! I'm curious to find out. I am coming up with all kinds of valuable little things. It's amazing!
DeleteOooo that's cool! I hope you are going to keep them!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I will or not, just depends on what I find out with further research. I don't have any kind of attachment to them - remember I almost tossed them in the garbage! If I can make some decent money with them they are long gone!
DeleteThis is very cool. I will tell you that the type on the price label looks like an old typewriter print, not a computer print of any kind.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. I know they are old. These were in a box that the newspaper things were wrapped in was from the 70's. They could be even older than that though since that was just when they were packed. So crazy!!
DeleteAwesome, maybe they are worth 100 times that now.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that much but if it is I'm retiring so I can be a stay at home blogger :)
DeleteThat is so cool, I hope you can figure out what they're worth now! I have always wanted to come across some kind of treasure like this.
ReplyDeleteI will find out eventually. Fun isn't it? :)
DeleteWow! I hope they're worth some money - they look like they should be on the TV show Pawn Stars! (I'm just a liiiitlle addicted to the History channel...)
ReplyDeleteI love that show too and I don't really eve watch TV. If my husband has it on in the background I can't help but watch! We know if nothing else they are worth at the least $270. 00 :)
DeleteWhat a fun find! Pretty too! ~Angela
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a fun find :)
DeleteI hope you make a lot of money off these unusual pieces. Have a nice week.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too Paula!!
DeleteAwesome!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree! :)
DeleteThey are interesting Martha; I have not seen anything like these before and wow what a price! I do hope you can find out some more about them and "make a pretty penny on them". It is like there when going through things we found a price tag for something for $1200 but we have no idea what it could represent because the tag was written in leather with a string to it but no other clues hidden in a tea pot. What I'm thinking was it had to be one of the Native American tapestries that we sold for pennies but who knows? It was like the wicker basket they would put bananas in. I almost gave it away until I saw the price tag was still on it ($175) and I'm like "who would pay that much for a basket?" (BIL took that which was just fine with us :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely you are having treasure finds when you do have the time to try to find them! Ten hour days are not fun with your commute!
betty
Betty, I can only imagine the value of some of the stuff you sold. I know when I've had sales in the past I not only give things away for pennies but will almost pay the shoppers to take the stuff. When we're overwhelmed with stuff just having it gone is more important than making money. I'm sure glad I came up with the idea for a vintage store before ditching all of the stuff I'm working on now!
DeleteOK... well, I asked CatMan what he thought, and he said it certainly looks like glass. Lead Crystal is apparently just glass made with lead instead of calcium (think Waterford Crystal.)
ReplyDeleteBut... he said it could be quartz or less likely topaz - he said if there are any discolored bits that are actually embedded inside the thing instead of just on the surface, it's a good chance it's an actual mineral rather than glass. To tell for sure, if you have a piece of actual quartz on hand you can try to scratch the bottom of it. If quartz can scratch it, then it's glass.
We're still puzzling over the $270 price tag - neither quartz nor lead crystal should fetch such a price... topaz probably would, although he thinks it's highly unlikely that it's in fact topaz, because of the way it breaks irregularly rather than in smooth planes. To be sure you could take it to a gem & mineral shop.
The only thing we could think of as to why it might be valuable is if it's some sort of an antique with a provenance of some sort... like it was made at a famous lead glass factory or owned by a famous person or something. I wonder if the symbol on that round tag could be some sort of a clue. But if you had a hunk of glass that was somehow valuable, why would you drill holes in it and use it as a pencil holder? My thought was that maybe it was part of a larger piece of some sort and the holes originally held legs or something? Wild guess, but the best I could come up with.
Anyhow, that's about all we could come up with. Do let us know if you find out anything interesting.
p.s. I tried to make this a reply to my comment above, but Blogger wouldn't let me... not that you can do anything about that, just sayin'...
Hey Cat, thanks for checking with CatMan. It finally dawned on me that those crystal holders probably came with a fancy pen and pencil set. I googled crystal sets - today one single pen sells for $160 - $360. That would make more sense as far as the cost goes. What do you think? I still don't understand why anyone would waste money on such things but I feel the same way about much of the stuff I have come across in my treasure hunt at home. My mother loved crystal, fine china, etc. It is pretty but still just stuff!
DeleteCheck out this pen... http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221069344688+
DeleteAWESOME FIND!!! Bet you can't wait for the weekend again to rummage further.
ReplyDeleteHave a happy week.
:-) Mandy
Yep, I'm back at it gain this weekend :)
DeleteI can't imagine anyone paying that much for something like that but I guess everyone has different tastes. Hope you are able to find out their value now. Treasure hunts can be fun. Have a great Monday!
ReplyDeleteIt's beyond me too Ma! I mentioned in a previous comment that my mother loved crystal and fine china. All I can do is shake my head when I see some of the stuff she had - and so much of it!!
DeleteVery cool Martha. Hey some of the girls are planning trips down very soon. Angie and Martha. I will let you know if we all decide to hook up! Miss ya!
ReplyDeleteThat would be so great Shelly! Be sure to let me know!!
DeleteYou need that one show that tells you the value of those found treasures!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they would come over? ;)
DeleteI'm pretty the "handmade" part is referring to the hole for the pen. They look like someone used lead crystal to serve as a paperweight/pen holder. Or the "handmade" might mean hand cut.
ReplyDeleteThey were definitely a pen and pencil set. The ink in the little holes is obvious. I'm pretty sure that's what they were made for and probably came with a fancy schmancy pen and pencil set. That's the only explanation for the high cost.
DeleteMaybe the 270 is not in US dollars! I have not seen anything like those before, and why would you need a pair? It is interesting though. Let us know what you find out!
ReplyDeleteOne for a pen, the other for a pencil! Will keep you posted if I find out more.
DeleteI'd sell them to the highest bidder(if there are bidders)& bank the money. Practical, bland advice, I know...
ReplyDeleteI like your advice Mary :)
DeleteI have no idea what they are, but I'd keep them on my writing desk just because they're pretty. :-D
ReplyDeleteThey will be hanging out on my desk until I start selling, after that they're outta here!
DeleteWell that translates into Leaded Crystal Handmade, but I too am stumped by the price tag and what the other numbers might signify on the sticker... hope you can find out more about them and their history? Discovering long lost Family Treasures is always a Rush... whether the value is actual or sentimental. Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a sweet message about my Blog.
ReplyDeleteBlessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian
I'm going to take them to our local antique store and see if they know more about them. Thanks for visiting Dawn :)
DeleteHoly smokes that is some expensive glass!
ReplyDeleteCrazy isn't it?!!
DeleteFor some reason your blog won't let me reply to anything... maybe it knows that I'll go on and on forever if it were to let me! Anyhow, that makes total sense that it was part of a fancy pen set. I suppose as a person with a one-time pen & pencil "habit" I shouldn't be surprised by this sort of thing, but that eBay link... seriously? People have more money than cents as my dad used to say!
ReplyDeleteI love it when you go on and on forever - it's how blogging should be :)
DeleteMy hubs and I had a discussion yesterday about if we would spend money on that kind of stuff if we were wealthy. He said he probably would, but I don't think I would ever do it. I'd rather give money away to people who really need it. There are too many hungry, homeless, and struggling to survive out there to ever be able to spend money on things like that and still be able to sleep at night or face myself in the mirror.
PS - testing to see if I can reply to a reply. By the way, on the ebay pen there is one under it for $600. Crazy stuff!
DeleteHoly Cow!
ReplyDeleteHow amazing! I got caught up in reading your comments, too! I know you would love to know the history of these! What a find!
ReplyDelete