Thursday, April 19, 2012

Today we share the observations of Jo Ann Godawa of Bellevue, Nebraska

“I can’t imagine a factory worker wrapping a cracked piece and sending it out to a re-seller as if it were meant to be that way.”

It is well documented that Tiffany sold cracked items to many museums for half price.

“but a crack will travel in time”

These items would be over 100 years old now and the cracks have not “traveled.” Some cracks will “run” and some will not.

“The item with a crack in it has little resale value ”

This depends on the rarity of the piece. What would you pay for a Cire Perdue Item with an annealing crack, which many of them had?

A year or so ago a very damaged and repaired Tiffany Lava Loving Cup sold at auction for $85,000.00, after very animated bidding.

Four years ago, I sold a Tiffany Lava Loving Cup, similar to it, far less damaged and larger, for well into 5 figures.

Now, on the other hand, say you had a run of the mill Steuben Verre de Soie Vase with an annealing crack, yes, the value would be minuscule if you could even find a buyer.

There are many layered pieces where the glass was not compatible and only one layer would crack. These items would be very stable and the crack would not “run.” I have seen Moss Agate items with cracks that were sold this way from the factory, in particular, lamp bases.

I have found that many of the items in European Museums have cracks which are pretty much ignored. Americans seem to be sticklers on this more so than other countries.

Best regards,
Jo Ann

www.cardersteubenclub.org

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2012 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 20-22, 2012.