Three 19th Century Glass Rolling Pins

Description

Heading : three 19th century glass rolling pins
Date : c1800-1830
Period : George III
Origin : England. possibly from Newcastle. Stourbridge. Warrington or Bristol
Colour : Green. blue and deep amber which appears black
Body : Cylindrical. the worn gilding on the green example reads Sailor’s Gift
Pontil : Snapped
Glass Type : Lead
Size : The largest measures 40.9cm in length and approximately 5.6cm in diameter
Condition : The gilding is worn on the green example. there is also some internal residue and age related wear
Restoration : None
Weight : 1238 grams combined

Additional Information : Often referred to as “love tokens”. many carry slogans such as “wait for me” and “be true to me” and were supposedly gifts from sailors to their betrothed. We can find no evidence for this. They are more likely to be items to be discussed or decorative items. We have seen two pins that had metal and cork stoppers. it is possible that they may have been filled with water and used for rolling pastry. but more likely to contain items to be kept dry. such as salt.

Rolling pins. walking sticks. lamps and pipes were made with ‘end of day’ glass by all manufactories. Attributing all of this glass to the Nailsea glassworks alone is unsound. or Alloa for that matter.