Victorian Glass Dump c1880

Description

Heading : Victorian Glass Dump
Date : c1880
Origin : England, probably South Yorkshire
Marks : None
Size : Diameter 7.87m, height 14.2cm
Condition : Excellent, minor fritting around the base
Restoration : None
Weight : 1262g

In the 19th century and into the early 20th century prior to bottle plant automation these were made in large numbers

Paperweights and doorstops are often referred to as “dumps” as they are said to be a means of using up molten glass at the end of a shift, but to claim that all are ‘end of day’ items simply doesn’t stack up. Too many are beautifully decorated not to have been catalogue items intentionally produced for sale, a product line. Admittedly many are made from green bottle glass marked with the names of many a Yorkshire and North east factory and will have been end of day items. Some have ground and polished bases and it seems unlikely that a simple end of day item would merit the effort.