The two enclosed pictures are of a dish measuring 8 inches wide and 11 inches long. There are no marks or identification on the bottom. It still has the original twisted-wire handle. It was given to my mother by her gentleman friend in 1915. Any information or value would be greatly appreciated.
This lovely glass basket is made from custard glass, and is in a pattern known as "peacock and urn." This pattern — or a very similar one — was reportedly made by three different companies.
The three companies in question are the Millersburg Glass Company of Millersburg, Ohio; the Northwood Glass Company of Indiana, Pa.; and the Fenton Glass Company of Williamstown, W.V.
Fenton's "peacock and urn" pattern is a tad different from the other designs made by the other companies. Fenton's pattern is found in carnival-glass colors of marigold, blue, green, amethyst, white, aqua, lavender and red. The Fenton pattern has a "bearded berry" reverse pattern and a large bee near the peacock's beak.
The Millersburg pattern, on the other hand, has no bee (usually) and there is no beading on the urn. The Northwood pattern, however, has a paneled reverse and the urn has beading — which is also the case with your glass basket. Therefore, there is no doubt that this particular piece was made by the Northwood Glass Company.
Northwood was one of the major manufacturers, and some pieces are found signed "Northwood" in script or with an underlined "N'' in a circle. The fact that this particular piece is not signed is not troubling.
There are almost 200 recorded custard glass patterns, but "peacock and urn" is not considered to be one of the major varieties, and most collectors do not associate this design with custard glass. As was said a bit earlier, it is associated with carnival glass, and some "peacock and urn" pieces in this type of glass can be very expensive.
For insurance-replacement purposes, the piece is worth in the range of $200 to $250.
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Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself." Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, PO Box 27540, Knoxville, TN 37927. E-mail them at treasures@knology.net.
