Odd Colored Shakers

The great thing about collecting shakers and Victorian Art Glass in general is that pieces are found in all sorts of color variations. An explanation for this may be quality control, colors that never really caught on, or maybe even colors that factory workers made for themselves.

I have picked 6 shakers that fit in this category. The shakers I picked do not in any way suggest they are one of a kind. They are not, but pieces that do show up from time to time in odd color variations.

The first piece is a Challinor shaker in the Forget-Me-Not pattern. They come in many colors and most are very common. However there are a couple of harder to find colors such as a Butterscotch and a Dark Blue color. The one pictured here is in Dark Blue. I have only seen a few of these in this color. The Butterscotch color, not pictured, can be often overlooked because the majority of the shaker may be white with a hint of Butterscotch color on the top and bottom. Others may be more pronounced, so when you see a white Forget-Me-Not shaker don’t forget to pick it up and look at the bottom!

The second shaker pictured is a Thistle and Fern in a frosted green. Typically they are found in a frosted clear glass with or without Goofus decoration. This pattern was made by McKee around 1900.

The third shaker pictured is a Beaded Oval Mirror in a rare carnival finish. The color is an odd greenish color with a purple carnival overlay. Carnival glass colors are determined by the base color glass not the iridescent finish.
The only exception is in pastel carnival finishes and Marigold which is the color of the iridescence over clear glass. Regardless, any shaker in carnival glass is rare! We don’t know a lot of info concerning shakers that do turn up in carnival finishes but a noted author of carnival glass books told me this concerning this shaker. “Challinor Taylor was one of the member factories of the U.S.Glass Co. combine. By 1900, Challinor Taylor was no longer operating. Their moulds were transferred to other U.S.Glass member factories still in operation. The first Carnival Glass was not introduced to the market until 1907 (by Fenton). The U.S. Glass Co. also made iridescent ware & most of theirs was produced in the 1910-1920 period, at their Glassport, PA plant and at the Tiffin plant. Any Carnival Glass examples of Challinor Taylor patterns & pieces were made there & not by Challinor Taylor themselves”.

Some people may agree and some may not, I will leave that up to you.
Typically these shakers come in opaque colors either solid or slag. There are transparent colors as well. Most of the colors were made in the late 1800s, the carnival colors, who knows.

The forth shaker is a “Shell Three” shaker in a variegated pink color. They are typically found in a white milk glass color with some staining and or paint applied. Usually found on the seaweed portion of the pattern.
These items are believed by some to be made by Mt. Washington due to the similarity to the famous Mt Washington Egg. The production is the late 1800s.

The fifth shaker is a Cord and Pleat shaker in a blue and white spatter color. This is a very unusual color for this shaker. This is the only one that I have seen but I’m sure there are others out there somewhere. Typically they are found in solid colors such as Cranberry, Blue, and Amber. These shakers are also found in two sizes, made by the West Virginia Glass Company around 1898.

The sixth and final shaker made generate a difference of opinion. The pattern is Georgia Gem in a darker than usual green color. The color is very rich compared to the lighter color green that this pattern is typically found in. The most common color these pieces are found in is Custard glass.

This is just six examples of many that can be found and are fun to search for.