Paperweight collecting

Paperweights made for the collector are of solid glass, generally having a flat base and a domed top, which acts

something like a lens to magnify and make the parts within move in an interesting and attractive way as it is handled. They range in value anywhere from a few dollars to a record of $258,500 once paid for an antique French weight. Thus paperweight collecting is a hobby accessible to those with limited means, as well as those having a passion for rarity in addition to beauty.

What are "paperweights?"

"Paperweight" is something of a misnomer. They rarely hold down any paper--they are rather magnificent examples of fine workmanship of the glass artisan at his best, and are appreciated for their esthetic as opposed to their utilitarian aspect.

Paperweights are made in factories where many artists and technicians collaborate, as well as in studios occupied by sole artisans. Both may produce inexpensive "gift" weights as well as the more expensive "collector" weights. The dividing line between these classes, of course, is up to the individual collector. An advantage of paperweight collecting, as opposed to many other collectables such as oil paintings and toys, is that they require no special conditions of temperature and humidity for their preservation.

Antique weights, of which perhaps 10,000 or so survive (mostly in museums), generally appreciate steadily in value. Collecting modern weights for investment purposes, though possible, is for optimists.

There are a number of paperweight collectors associations, which hold national and regional conventions and other activities such as tours, lectures, and auctions. There are something like 20,000 paperweight collectors worldwide.

There are several different types of paperweights, and collectors often specialize in just one of them.

• millefiori paperweights contain thin cross-sections of cylindrical composite canes made from colored rods and resemble little flowers. These are usually made in a factory setting. The exist in many variations such as scattered, patterned, close concentric or carpet ground.

• lampwork paperweights have objects such as flowers, fruit, butterflies or animals constructed by shaping and working bits of colored glass with a gas burner or torch and assembling them into attractive compositions, which are then incorporated into the dome. This is a form particularly favored by studio artists.

• sulfide paperweights have an encased three dimensional medalion or portrait plaque made from a ceramic. They often are produced to commemorate some person or event.
• swirl paperweights have opaque rods of two or three colors radiating like a pinwheel fom a central millefiori floret.
• California style paperweights are made by "painting" the surface of the dome with colored molten glass, and manipulated with picks or other tools. They may also be sprayed while hot with various metallic salts to achieve an irridescent look.
• Victorian portrait and advertising paperweights were dome glass paperweights first made in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania using a process patented in 1882 by William H. Maxwell. The portrait paperweights contained pictures of ordinary people reproduced on a milkglass disk and encased within clear glass. This same process was also used to produce paperweights with the owner's name encased or an advertisment of a business or product. For examples, refer to PCA's Annual Bulletins published for 2000, 2001 and 2002. Later makers included Albert A. Graeser, and J. N. Abrams.

Various other embelishments may be done to enhance the beauty of the paperweight. The dome or the base may be faceted or etched. It may be coated with one or more thin layers of glass and then have windows cut through it to reveal the interior motif. The ground on which the inner parts rest may be clear, colored or have a granular ground made of unfused sand, or resemble lace (latticinio).

As in any fine work of art, the factors influencing the value of a paperweight are workmanship, design, rarity and condition. Visible flaws, such as bubbles, striations and scratches usually affects the value quite a lot. Glass with a yellow or greenish cast is not found in good collections. Unintenional asymmetries and unevenly spaced or broken elements must be absent. Generally, there are no "happy accidents" in a good paperweight. Everything in it was intentionally put there by the artist. In a modern piece, an identifying mark and date are imperative.

History

There are two eras in which paperweights were produced: the "classical" period, 1845 to 1860, and the modern period, from about 1950 to the present day. The antiques were produced mostly in three factories in France: Baccarat, St. Louis, and Clichy. The first two are also producing them in limited quantities (100 to 300) again today. Weights were also produced in the U.S. and Great Britain and elsewhere, but they were generally of a lesser quality.

Glass Studios

A number of small studios have appeared in the past decades, particularly in the US. These may have several to some dozens of workers with various levels of skill cooperating to produce their own distinctive "line" of paperweights. Notable examples include the Lundberg studio, Orient and Flume, Correia, Lotton, and Parabelle.

Independent Studio Artists

There are today only about a couple of dozen studio artists who are producing (or have produced) fine paperweights. In the U.S. Charles Kazuin started in 1940 to produce buttons, paperweights, inkwells and other bottles using lamp-work of elegant simplicity. In Scotland, the pioneering work of Paul Ysart in the 1950's was very important in showing the way to a new generation of artists such as William Manson and John Deacons. Then in the late 1960's and 1970's other artists such as Paul Stankard, Delmo and daughter Debbie Tarsitano, Victor Trabucco and sons, Gordon Smith, Rick Ayotte and his daughter Melissa, and the father and son team of Bob and Ray Banford, began breaking new ground. Over the years their work improved in precision and complexity and sometimes strived for increased reality in depicting natural objects. Today their work rivals anything produced by the great factories of the middle 1800's.

The work of Paul Stankard was particularly noted for its incredibly realistic portrayal of flowers, including their roots. He has more recently moved away from the classical domed paperweight to rectangular forms which are among the finest glass objects produced in the twentieth century.

Links to Prominent Studio Artists

• Paul Stankard
• Debbie Tarsitano
• Rick Ayotte
• Bob and Ray Banford
• Victor Trabucco

Links to Prominent Collectors

• Bill Price-collector/author (victorian advertising and portrait paperweights)

Organizations

• The Paperweight Collectors Association, Inc.
• International Paperweight Society
• The Paperweight Mall

Books

• Reilly, Pat, (1994) Paperweights: The Collector's Guide to Identifying, Selecting, and Enjoying New and Vintage Paperweights ISBN 156138433X
• Selman, Lawrence H. (1992) All About Paperweights ISBN 0933756178
• Jargstorf, Sibylle (1997) Paperweights ISBN 0887403751.