The bidding war I lost

I was browsing through eBay looking at butter dishes when I found a surprise. It didn't say Rodney Kent, but is had all the signs and I knew it. I wasn't the only one. I bid against this person right to the 2 minute mark.... but it's hard to bid when you are working in a retail environment. I lost. A new person sniped me at the last minute and won the prize for $50.50.

I never doubted that this was a true Rodney Kent and not a mismatch because I already own a butter dish with a milk glass base, in it's original box with the original hangtag still attached. The milk glass base is from Fire King. The lid isn't quite as hammered as the rest of the collection. The seller, willy5269 of  Lancaster, Ohio., tells me that he found this at an estate sale. Look him up on eBay.

 

 This is my find from earlier the summer of 2013. The butter dish was acquired by the seller from the purchase of an old general store. They bought the entire stock and found this. It's still marked with the original price of $2.50 which is consistent with the catalog page that I printed in my last blog.

 

 

This brings me to the topic that I will be writing about. Glass --- Fire King ( Anchor Hocking Glass Co.) is one of many resources that Krischer glass tapped when searching for liners for casseroles or other decorative glass. Pyrex and Fire King, as well as Fostoria and Indiana Glass Co. all produced items the are better documented than Rodney Kent. It is through this type of forensic research that I am able to date production of the Kent pieces. My guess is that both of these butter dishes are late 1950's, but I don't have corroborated proof. I do know a lot from the Pyrex liners and the tab handles that were produced up until a limited time. But more about that the next time.