Factory Records

Thank you to David Sherwood for sharing the photos of his 18 inch VDS shape 455 basket in Monday’s Gazette and for reminding us how to properly view the Carder Steuben line drawing factory records. The factory records should be viewed as a “snapshot” in time of production, not a complete, continuous record of all production. Many shapes were made in sizes, colors and patterns not shown in the factory records. It is common to find multiple “factory records” for any given shape. They contain records of colors, sizes and patterns manufactured at different points in time (sometimes dated, sometimes not). The line drawings shown in the Shape Gallery of the Club website are a compilation of these multiple records, but, again, they should not be viewed as a complete record of production. David’s vase is an example of a size not shown in the factory records.

Scott Hansen, Stamford, CT