Alerts on Confusing Collectibles July 2012

New reproductions of Russel Wright’s 1930s spun metal flower pots and vases are being reissued by HK Designs of Pittsburgh. The new pieces are “authorized” by Russel Wright Studios and “manufactured to the exact dimension, material, finish and process as the originals,” according to HK’s website. You can buy a new aluminum stepped flower pot for $145 and a copper example for $200. New pieces are marked with the HK logo and the name “Russel Wright.” An original 5 1/4-inch Russel Wright spun aluminum stepped flower pot auctioned for $9,375 at a March auction by Richard Wright of Chicago.

The Greentown Glass “Witch Head” toothpick holder, first made in the early 1900s, has been reproduced by two companies. Original colors were clear, green and chocolate. Using original Greentown molds, St. Clair Glass Co. of Elwood, Ind., made its first copy, in green, in 1963. Later came repros in chocolate, carnival glass and blue satin. They weren’t marked until 1972. Summit Art Glass Co. of Ravenna, Ohio, bought 50 molds from St. Clair in 1977 and copied the Witch Head holder in opaque light blue and bright red. Summit’s copies were marked with a V in a circle (for Vogelsong, the owners’ last name). Greentown originals have well-defined facial details. The reproductions do not. (Toothpick Bulletin, May 2012)