Rare Chinese Scramble Paperweight with "MADE IN CHINA" Signature Canes

Description: Rare Chinese Scramble Paperweight with "MADE IN CHINA" Signature Canes Rare Chinese Scramble Paperweight with "MADE IN CHINA" Signature Canes. circa 1930. An entertaining addition from China. Since this style was intended to be a copy of a French scramble or end of day weight from 1845-1860 (probably St. Louis or Clichy), it leaves you wondering why they chose to add the "MADE IN CHINA" canes at the bottom. Perhaps it was a response to the US customs requirement that goods be marked with the country of origin in English starting about 1930. Some importers complied by scratch signing the word CHINA on the bottom. In any event, this is a rare and welcome addition to any collection of Chinese paperweights. As with most Chinese paperweights, this paperweight has a light weight glass mixture that is high in soda and has a greenish tinge. The glass has a soft oily feel and there are some light scratches. This example is especially colorful with a nice variety of twist cans and millefiori slices.Special thanks to another collector who pointed out that the words are actually word canes rather than painted plaques. The lettering goes all the way through the white background from top to bottom. You can see the letters in reverse from the bottom. This is in contrast to a painted plaque where the letters would be visible on only the top surface.Please Note: The stand shown in the pictures is not included with the paperweight. It is shown for illustration only.Note on white glare: Please ignore the white areas, they are glare from the light.Small Size: Just over 2 1/16” diameter by just over 1 1/16" high. The base is fire finished flat. Signature: Signed "MADE IN CHINA" on three white signature canes in the design. Condition: Very good condition for Chinese paperweights from this period. Some light scratches, but no chips or cracks found on inspection. The glass has a soft oily feel. There are some bubbles in the glass.Chinese Paperweights were made in the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s as an attempt to duplicate 19th Century antique weights made in the United States and France. Because they are almost 100 years old, they are very collectible and every collector should own a few of these as study pieces. The history of the early Chinese paperweights is mostly anecdotal as no written records have been discovered. The story is that an American dealer sent examples of paperweights made by the New England Glass Company (NEGC), Boston & Sandwich Glass Company (B&S), Millville makers, and French factories to a Chinese factory and requested copies be made. The results are interesting and sometimes confused with the originals by inexperienced collectors. The earliest pictures of these paperweights appeared in the book American Glass Paperweights by Francis Edgar Smith published in 1939. Smith was aware that at least one of the paperweights shown in his book was Chinese. Since Smith was not an expert collector, this indicates that there was some general knowledge that these were Chinese prior to 1939.In the United States, the Tariff Act of 1930 required that every imported item must be conspicuously and indelibly marked in English with its country of origin. As a result, many of these Chinese paperweights are scratch signed on the bottom "CHINA". Many are also not signed, suggesting that either they were imported prior to 1930 or the importer ignored the requirement. Most likely the earliest Chinese paperweights were made prior to 1930.The Chinese makers often combined design features found in paperweights from different makers. For example they copied the latticinio grounds used by New England Glass Company and used them with copies of Baccarat Pansy weights. The original Baccarat pansy paperweights never had a latticinio ground. They copied the pedestal rose from Millville and then used the pedestal bottom with other weights. It is fun to collect all the variations. In general, Chinese paperweights from the 1930s have a light weight glass mixture that is high in soda and has a greenish tinge. The glass also has a soft almost oily feel. Frequently they have bubbles or debris in the glass. And because of their age, many of these have minor scratches or other surface defects. Chinese paperweights made in the 1970s and later usually have better quality glass and are free of debris. Allan's Paperweights is owned by Allan Port. If you have any questions, please click the "paperweights" link under seller information and then contact seller. Please check out my other eBay auctions or visit my eBay Store. Free shipping in the US. If you are outside the US, please review the cost of postage. If in doubt, please check with me first. I ship to most countries. If you are blocked from bidding, please contact me and I will add your eBay user name to the allowed bidders list. If you would like a different shipping option, please contact me before paying the invoice. Full value will be declared for customs purposes. Please do not ask me to declare this a gift. The buyer is responsible for any customs fees, VAT fees, or handling charges imposed by your country's customs services.

Price: 165 USD

Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts

End Time: 2024-03-08T04:23:25.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD