August 2011 Alerts on Confusing Collectibles

Reproductions of Inverted Thistle pressed glass serving pieces are being made by Mosser Glass, Inc., of Cambridge, Ohio. The pattern, introduced by Cambridge Glass Co. in 1906, was originally made in clear glass. Some early pieces were also made in emerald green and carnival. The Imperial Glass Co. of Bellaire, Ohio, made reproductions in clear glass and several colors in the 1960s. Mosser’s copies are pink and cobalt blue. They include salt and pepper shakers, a pedestal cake plate, sugar and creamer, spooner, sugar shaker, syrup dispenser and round butter dish. They’re all available at the Vermont Country Store.

If you’re new to the field of collecting antique and vintage knives, don’t start buying online or from dealers you don’t know. Bernard Levine, writing in Knife World (April 2011), decries the number of fakes he’s found offered online. The knives being sold are real knives, of course, but they have been aged to look older than they are and have been marked by counterfeiters with the names of famous makers, including Randall, Will & Finck, K-Bar or M. Price. Do research before you buy and be sure you can trust the seller. For more information, visit Levine’s website, Knife-Expert.com.