Record set at Kaminski Auctions for English glass decanters

BEVERLY, Mass. – A pair of rare English glass decanters brought in on a Tuesday free appraisal day at Kaminski Auctions soared to a $46,215, a record price for a pair of decanters.

The stunning price for the decanters marked a rousing start to Kaminski’s annual Thanksgiving Sale held on Nov. 24, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctoneers.com.

The consignor knew little of the history of the decanters, only that they belonged to his grandmother and had been in the family, sitting on the sideboard for many years.

Harry Morgan, senior appraiser for Kaminski, and glass expert, determined they were almost certainly 19th century due to the sunburst stoppers and possibly Baccarat, as they were one of the few companies producing glass of that quality at the time. They also featured a large ground pontil, characteristic of Baccarat.

The most unusual feature of the decanters was the transparent enameling depicting classical woman on each, later determined to represent the continents of Europe and America. Suspecting they were of historical significance, Morgan continued to research the decanters and found that they were English, not French, most probably the work of William Collins, a London glassmaker circa 1810-1820 who held the patent for the enameling technique in the UK. Uncertain of the attribution they were given a very conservative estimate.

With two determined phone bidders and a third bidder on the Internet, the decanters were finally hammered down at $46,215, including buyer’s premium. They were purchased by a collector from the UK who had tried to buy what he thought was the same pair in London 20 years ago, that then sold for 15,000-20,000 pounds. Ten years later he tried again, when they came up at auction. This time he was determined not to lose out.

When Morgan assured him these could not possibly be the same two decanters, as they had remained in the Massachusetts family for 30 or more years, he was especially thrilled with the prospect. He said it substantiated the rumor that there were indeed, four decanters made originally as part of a dinner set and representing the four continents for the Duke of Sussex. These were the missing two, representing the continents of America and Europe.

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