Posted 4 years ago
Russell117
(98 items)
Manufactured by Edward Bolton at his Warrington Glassworks, England. Vaseline opalescent or "primrose" as it's commonly called. It has the boat's name, "Grace Darling" stamped on the rear, in recognition of the famous British heroine, who rescued passengers / sailors from a sinking ship off the English coast during a fierce storm. It is 27 cms [nearly 11 inches] long and 8 cms at its widest. It is impressed with the "daisy and buttons" pattern. The opalescence is mainly on the top, prow, stern and on raised projections along its length. There is also a registration number [39414] stamped on the stern, just below the name. The Reg. no. implies that it was made around 1885 on. NOTE - For those who have British glass with either a pressed or inscribed registration number on it, then a quick reference guide is that the Reg. no. 360,000 dates it to circa 1900. These boats are scarce in pearline and are eagerly sought after by collectors. I won't be letting go of this one, anytime soon.
I love any opalescent glass but what grabs me about this is the boat shape and the name. That's such a nice touch.
racer4four, the boat was a commemorative piece for an actual British heroine [Grace Darling] who was a lighthouse keeper's daughter. After the rescue and for many years she was a national identity. Her life from then on was transformed and was revered for the remainder of her life throughout the land. Bolton, the maker, would have employed workers whose job it was, to engrave the wrought iron moulds for this piece to be made. This was a common practice for the larger English pressed glass manufacturers. I will post more opalescent pressed glass soon.