Rodney Kent and Glass: Pyrex, Fire King, Federal, et al

Recently I have begun to research the glassware that has been used in Rodney Kent. They purchased from several companies. There are more collectors of the glassware than there are of Rodney Kent aluminum, so I have tried to use the glassware to figure out and approximate time for manufacture of Rodney Kent. So here is my first dilemma.

In a previous blog, I posted a page from a wholesaler's catalog. It had a drawing of a cruet set. Shortly after that the metal holder went up on eBay. Alas, the glassware was not with it. the advertisement had the specifications and a clear drawing of the glass cruet. So I scoured various venues for cruet servers. With my  possibilities reviewed I settled on two with the exact same profiles, but they are both 5 3/8" tall and the wholesale ad say 6 3/4" None of the cruet jars  that were this shape were that height. But this is my find.

 

So now I am wondering if Anchor Hocking or Pyrex, but especially Pyrex made cruet jars with this exact handle shape and body profile. What I have here is Hazel Atlas on the right and Hocking?? Glass on the left. Shape is correct. Height is not what the ad says. I would love some input.

I have got my hands on many collectors books...... Depression Glass, Fire King, Kitchen glass of the 30's and 40's, and so on. I have seen nothing that helps me in this category. Now I am waiting for a Fostoria glass book. So we will see.

On the bright side, the butter dish has an identifiable maker.

 

 

This glass butter holder is produced by Federal Glass. Federal makes a full butter dish, which you can occasionally find online and this is used as a lid. It is not to be confused this the  "Criss Cross" pattern sold by Hazel Atlas. Below is the full federal glass butter dish.

 

Notice the three triple rib bars

 

 

and here is the Hazel Atlas butter dish.

 

So for at least one glass item, the mystery is solved. But one more look at a bowl that is identifiable but that I have never seen in books. The Pyrex bowl 592 with the concentric circle bottom. At first glance you might think that it is a Fire King "Manhattan" bowl or the later "Park Avenue", but is it distinctly marked Pyrex.

 

 

So this is my last entry for the night. Again, you can see this on the wholesale catalog page that I previously posted. I believe that this may be item #417, but I am not sure. Something to think about for tonight.

 



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.

Rodney Kent --a page from 1955

I found this on eBay a while ago. It is the closest that I have come to getting a list of Rodney Kent. The pictures confirm that the handles and tabs were not confined to the tulip final. And the actual glassware is there to confirm what I have already found. In the upcoming month, I will be dedicating some blogs on Pyrex, Fire King, depression glass, and others. Meantime, check this out.

 

 

 Love the prices! One of my finds is a butter dish from old store stock with the tags and the original box, still marked with the original selling price of $2.50. I just found the Cruet set. I would have never recognized it for Rodney Kent if I hadn't had this page.

Rodney Kent -- is it the real thing?

I guess I will have to leave this up to the readers....
My newest prize for my collection arrived in it's box and all. The box is marked "#480, ice bucket" with the Rodney Kent logo, the shield that says "Creations by Rodney Kent" on the box.  Not surprisingly, it is not the same quality as the one that I received from my uncle. The one that he received as a wedding present in the late 40's. The detail and craftsmanship were exquisite. The handles has the petals slightly curled and the center of the flower was rounded like a half moon.

The ice bucket that I had received weeks before was not like that at all. The pattern was not trimmed as clearly. The flower had less dimension. Definitely less effort towards quality. But I will let you be the judge

The original single flower  handle.

The single flower handle from the ice bucket that I bought on eBay. Notice the excess around the motifs, particularly at the ends of the ribbon where the rivet is.

The Nasco, Italy handle. This company copied many Rodney Kent designs with little twists that made some people believe it was a Rodney Kent design.

The tab handle on a Lazy Susan #471 that I received in it's original box from early to mid 1940's.

Another view of the ice bucket handle, with no excess and good dimension in the design.

Finally, the newest addition to my collection, the Mint condition, never used ice bucket that came in the box with the original tag. Notice that there is some excess but the dimension is improved and except in the corners of the petals, it has been trimmed clean.

 

 

What I think this exercise has shown it that the handles with the clean trim and the well rounded petals were produced no later than 1949 and that the ones with excess were produced after 1944 and before 1963, because that was when  the two digit postal code as seen on the hangtag was used.  The Krischer Metal Products Company evolved in both design and quality. In the thirty years that this pattern was produced, it went through many iterations.

Rodney Kent ..Is it or Isn't It?

A most exciting thing happened to me tonight. I bought a piece that may be the key to a puzzle. A brand new in box with tags ice bucket of Rodney Kent, but more about that later.

One of my earliest acquisitions was an ice bucket. In antique circles they refer to this as provenance, but this piece was given to my Uncle as a wedding present in 1948. I always loved it . He gave it to me, a no longer wanted item that was just plain old. I've owned it since the 70's. I also used it. It wasn't quite old enough to fall into that category of collectable. the lit was heave and the tulip stamp curled around the  4 petal flower finial knob in the center of the lid.  The bottom was otherwise unremarkable, with no Rodney Kent stamp. Just  two single flower handles.

The handles were well detailed. The petals had lines scribed in them and the flower center was round and raised. Each petal had a slight bend to it, curling up as petals do. It was impeccable. I used it for about 25 years and then one of the handles broke off. I was going to have it fixed, but in my usual way, I put the piece in a safe place and never found it again.

Recently, I came across another ice bucket at a very reasonable price and I bought it. I was very disappointed when I got it. While the handles looked the same, the quality wasn't there. The design was flat and there seemed to be an excess of metal that was never cleanly finished on the handles either. Dannie Woodward, of The Aluminist blog had told me once in an email that many of these unmarked pieces that had the iconic marks of Rodney Kent, were never positively identified as true Krischer Metal Products. An Italian company, Nasco copied many of the design elements. It could be from their line. I have seen Nasco, Italy copies of the casserole holder and the handles are very similar, although not the same.... at least not the ones now stamped  on the bottom with the Nasco stamp. That could be because they were forced to change or it could be that they were always different.

Which brings me back to where I started. Tonight I purchased another ice bucket. But this one is unused. It has the original tag, a red one in the shape of the ones used in the Starline  model from the 60's, which leads me to believe that it is a later model  AND it is in the original box with the number on it. The ice bucket is 480. So now I can see the quality of the handle and the construction of the bowl and lid and determine is it or is it not a real Rodney Kent. Maybe all three? Maybe just 2. To be continued.

Handles, Handles Everywhere

We live in a capitalistic society. Therefore, money drives every decision. The cost of aluminum. The price of labor. The speed and easy with which a design can run through production. So it should come as no surprise that the decorative handles on the items produced  by Krischer Giftware, and later Shane Industries, would evolve through 30 years of production.

Here is a selection of the handles used in the collection.

The most familiar handle - the arched  ribbon and flower handle with the  center space of the ribbon pierced out. Seen on trays and the very popular #404 shown here,  oval bread tray with scalloped edge, it was sturdy, not very malleable, and  a real pain to clean.

This is the flower and ribbon bail handle found on  #474 and #462, is located in the center of the tray.

This is an early casserole handle I call the tab handle. Void of the traditional  ribbon or floral identification marks, it appears on items #407 and #461.

This is the folded flower and ribbon handle shown on a serving bowl. It was also seen on ice buckets and footed salad bowls.

The folded handle as it was done on trays such as #409 and #431.

The "C" loop handle done in the Gros Grain ribbon motif as seen on bowl #450.

The footed handle, similar to the folded handle, but the ribbon ends become the feet on this tray #449.

Ice tongs done with the Gros Grain ribbon design. The Gros Grain ribbon was used as a handle in silent butlers, salad spoon and fork sets, and pedestals for compotes.

The single flower handle replaced the tab handle shown above and appears on later casserole holders with the shield stamp as well as an ice bucket.

The folded Gros Grain ribbon handle appears on an ice bucket as well as the cream and sugar containers in the set creamer, sugar with lid and tray #479.

 





Of course, many items had no handles at all. Lazy susans had tabs on the rims. Some like #406, just had a plain scallop edge. Many had soup bowl edges that were picoted. More will follow.

The list

A couple of years ago, Saturday, September 1, 2012, Dannie Woodward posted a copy of what she knew as a list of Rodney Kent Aluminum products in her Aluminist blog (http://aluminist.blogspot.com/). The one thing we both learned, and she already knew, was that the numbers were used over and over again, without obvious reason. A tray or silent butler will appear with several different numbers stamped on the bottom, or maybe no number at all. But really when viewed together, they tell a story of time. The tulip stamp gets smaller and less distinct. The aluminum gets thinner. The hallmark changes. Here is a record of what I have learned. It is almost complete ....... there is always something new to add

Item #	description	mark ( Krischer giftware,shield ,triangle, or knight)
400	Lazy Susan toast Holder with 2 condiment jars and two butter dishes
400	Tray, 11x14, w/o handles	shield
401	covered candy dish with  central tulip final handle  and 4 half tulip  profiles on lid	triangle
401	covered candy dish, all aluminum, tulip with bow finial	shield
401	round tray with soup bowl rim, no stamp	KNIGHT
402	tray, 14" diameter	shield
403	relish set ( dresser set) 2 glass dishes with aluminum lids with tulip finial and caddy with ribbon/flower handles  and feet Cake dish with ball and pedestal. no Stamp	shield Knight
404	bread tray, 12" scalloped lip, ribbon/flower handles	shield
405	7" Silent Butler, round, gros grain ribbon handle	shield
405	toast tray,	shield
405	oval tray with picot edge, no handles	shield
405	OVAL BREAD TRAY, NO STAMP. PICOT EDGE	KNIGHT
406	bread tray, 12" scalloped lip, no handles	shield
407	bread tray, no stamp, 14 1/2" x 6 1/2"	KNIGHT
407	casserole holder, pedestal, handles holds Pyrex b-18 bowl	shield
408	tray 12X16 with ribbon/flower handles large bouquet stamp	triangle
408	tray 16x16, no stamp plain, approx. 1 " soup bowl border	KNIGHT
408	tray 12X16 with ribbon/flower handles med  bouquet stamp	shield
409	oval tray/basket curved up handles or arched ribbon handles	shield
410	compote, covered, 6" diameter. Finial, holds glass dish ribbon style stand 6" height	shield
411	Lazy susan with ribbon handles (similar to 471)	shield
412	lazy Susan, groups of tulips,	shield
412	tray 16 X12, plain, no flower stamp, 1" soup bowl border	KNIGHT
412	rectangular tray with handles 17 3/4" x12 1/2"	triangle
413	lazy Susan, 18" with deep indentation for a bowl, original packaging including divided glass bowl. High pedestal in cardboard box.	shield
414	tray, 17" in diameter	shield
414	tray, tab handles, large deep indentation to hold glass dish,  double flower stamp on border	shield
415	bowl, salad 11" diameter with pedestal, 5" height, handles w/ serving utensils that have ribbon handles	shield
416	crumb tray, 2 piece	shield
417	candy/nut dish, 6" hex shape	shield
418	candy/nut dish, 7" fluted edge (429 without handle)	shield
418	butter dish. Aluminum lid with tulip finial on white milk glass dish  rectangle stamped fire king, with blue Rodney Kent tag in original box.	no mark
418	casserole with lid, pedestal, large floral ribbon handles, Pyrex B-18 bowl in box	no mark
419	Flat tray with center indentation	triangle
419	serving tray with  pedestal dish riveted to center indentation	shield
420	cake basket, 7x11, bail handle type	shield
420	cake basket, 7x11, bail handle type	triangle
420	cake basket, 7x11, bail handle type	Krischer Giftware, New York
421	plate, 11 1/2"
422	bowl, 10",no handles
423	tray, 14x20 , handles
424	Tray, 17 1/2" diameter , handles
425	Ice Bucket
426	silent butler, round, ribbon/flower handle with applied looped ribbon decoration on lid
426	silent butler, round with small pressed bouquet, ribbon handles and thumb press
427	silent butler, 7 1/2"x5 1/2", ribbon handle with pressed bouquet on lid
428	silent butler 5X7 applied looped ribbon decoration beneath finial top tray with arched ribbon handles and divided  glass insert	number on box only
429	basket, 7", turned up fluted edge, bail handle
430
431	Flat tray  with small indentation, 14.25"
431	flat  tray with medium indentation and folded handles.
432	Wide tulip under plate with tulip and holding a covered glass dish.
433	tray with 1" soup dish lip, arched flower/ribbon handles, and center indentation for a glass insert possibly with lid.  18" tray as above with ice bucket on pedestal and aluminum tumblers (12 total). Sold as beverage set. 18" tray as above  with ice bucket on pedestal and ice tea glasses with the Rodney Kent tulip icon printed in white line work..	triangle
434	casserole holder with Fire King bowl and lid
434	Oval tray similar to #404 in shape with an indented area that holds a pressed glass candy dish with lid, no floral bouquet	shield
435	Salad Bowl with saw tooth edge, flat bottom, bouquet stamped in center
436	plate, 6 1/4" raised lip
437	under tray with rolled edge,, 8" holds 10 oz Pyrex dish, aluminum lid w/ applied ribbon style decoration and tulip finial
438	oval bread dish w/ handles and indentation for glass dish with tulip cover, similar to #406
439	silent butler, round with small pressed bouquet, ribbon handles and thumb press
439	silent butler, round with small pressed bouquet, ribbon/flower handles and thumb press
440	buffet server, 8x12, under tray holds 1 1/2 qt. Pyrex dish, aluminum cover, under tray has flat edge. Lid notched for small handled Pyrex
440	under tray with rolled edge, 8 1/2x 101/2", holds 1 1/2 qt. Pyrex dish with  alum. Cover. Lid crimped to cover wide handled Pyrex .
440	under tray with flat edge, 8 1/2x 101/2", holds 1 1/2 qt. Pyrex dish with  alum. Cover. Lid folded to cover wide handled Pyrex .
441
442	basket, 5x7, ribbon and bow bail handle
443	buffet server, 8x12, under tray holds10"segmented dish, ribbon/flower handles extend into feet
444	crumb tray with brush.
445	silent butler, round with a gros grain ribbon handle	traingle
445	Tray, possibly trivet,  about 10 X12, with flower/ribbon arched handles ending in feet, bouquet stamped in center of depression	shield
446	Coaster set, coasters in shape of  petal tips, sit in caddy with ribbon/flower handle
446	Tidbit tray with ribbon flower stand, plate is flat approx. 7"
447	large tray with center depression, bouquet stamped on perimeter, picot edge folded up, holds  shallow divided glass dish
448	Compote. Ribbon pedestal, 5X8	shield
449	Candy dish, hex shape bail handle,
449	dish pedestal with gros grain ribbon feet, bouquet stamped on dish
449	rectangular dish with rolled sides and ribbon/flower handle with feet, 15"x6.75"	shield
450	bowl, 10", side handles
451
452	candy dish with ribbon/flower handle and red glass insert
453	Pitcher, bar ice guard embossed with tiny tulips
454	14" tray with pedestal ribbon base that holds divided glass  dish 6 1/2" in diameter with lid
455	under tray, 13" diameter with rolled border
456	Lazy Susan, 18", 9 1/2 height, holds glass dish
457	candy dish 6 1/2 diameter, aluminum caddy holds glass dish w/ aluminum lid with tulip and ribbon finial.
458	lazy Susan with 5 wedge glass inserts
458	three tier pastry server.
459	caddy ring for glass candy dish w/ alum lid, handles
460	plate or small tray, 11 1/2 in diameter, center indentation to hold glassware	triangle
461	small 7 3/4 diameter bowl  holds Pyrex B18 bowl with tab handles, plain arrowhead aluminum handles, lid with tulip finial and tulip bouquet stamp notched to cover tab handle Pyrex.
461	butter dish with under tray, simple tulip finial, tray has tab handles, no motif	shield
462	Charger Plates, no stamp	knight
462	relish server, center handle separates two triangular sections with glass dishes.
463	square under tray with square glass bowl and lid with tulip finial. Bowl colors in pale blue or emerald green	shield
464
465	relish or jam jar on 51/2"x10" tray with scalloped lip ends	shield
465	relish or jam jar on 51/2"x10" tray with picot edge, 2 glass jelly jars with lids with tulip finials	shield
466	bowl with pedestal base, bail handles
467	bowl with central indentation with small bouquet pressed in center, footed, 10"  ribbon basket handle( Looks like 450)
467	bowl with central indentation with small bouquet pressed in center, footed, 10"  ribbon C shaped handles
468	candy dish, covered, ribbon design stem/pedestal plain round base
469	two tier tidbit tray, bottom 11/1/2", top 8" height 5 1/2"
470	butter dish as #461
471	lazy susan, 16" flower and ribbon trim
472	Breakfast tray with wedge shaped glass dishes and jam pots
473
474	Condiment set, handled diamond shaped under tray holds  covered butter in center and two covered glass dishes
475	chafing dish/warmer, holds baking dish w/ aluminum cover with applied ribbon and tulip finial handle. Ribbon and flower bands provided legs and handles. Milk glass votive holder with candle in original box.
476
477
478	tray, 16" diameter, with soup bowl edge 1" wide and ribbon/flower arched handles
479	sugar and creamer on tray, each piece has narrow plainer version of ribbon and flower handles
480	Ice bucket with tongs
481	9" pitcher with ribbon handle and ribbon ice catcher at mouth. No stand
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491	casserole holder with lid, 2 quart, fire king liner  with C handles in box
492
493
494	food warmer, small with white Federal glass bowl, 7" in diameter	shield on box
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503	Round tray as 455 with sunflower stamp	KNIGHT
504	Oval tray as 405 but with sunflower stamp	KNIGHT
	unidentified #, no mark
400	toast and jam tray (two butter dished, two jam pots and toast holder)
??	table piece (salt and pepper, butter, space for napkins)
	sugar bowl with lid (poor quality stamp)sitting on square tray that it sat on
	napkin holder ( fan shape)
	ice bucket with ribbon and single flower handle
452	candy dish with ribbon/flower handle and red glass insert
	holder for sectioned glass insert that looks like it could hold sweet n low packets) no lid. Arrived with sugar bowl
	ice bucket with folded ribbon/flower handles on a pedestal, no stamp on body, tulip and ribbon applique on lid
	Large dish with glass candy dish with lid with tulip finial and ribbons
	Napkin holder rectangle folded with decorative ribbon/flower ending in feet.
	casserole with tulip finial and ribbon and single flower handle similar to 461 .
	coasters in bent/textured holder. Coasters are round with picot edge and bouquet stamped prior to  sizing as coaster.
	breakfast set - two jam jars with lids with mini finial, one butter, space between two folded sides held together by ribbon/flower bands that become feet holds napkins
	Fondue set cradle with candle and snuffer holds either a chafing pan with  wood turned handle and lid with tulip and ribbon applique or small casserole holder with lid with pressed bouquet and tulip finial (6 pc. set)
	casserole holder with bent feet, holds 1 1/2 Qt. Pyrex dish, lid is round with raised edge. Single flower handle
	square condiment tray with divided glass insert and flower/ribbon bail handle, 5X7
	pair candle holders with ribbon base with open flower
	pair candle holders with tags. Base is tulip shaped coaster.
	mustard/ketchup set with spoons with red or yellow tips. Sits on Tulip shaped coaster
	Ice bucket with chained tipping handle
	ice tea set ( 453 pitcher with 6 glasses)
	pedestal candy dish with single flower with petal on lid, flower and ribbon  base
	ice bucket with folded ribbon/flower handles