Prickly Porky Porcupine Harrison Cady Thornton Burgess Pairpoint Glass Cup Plate

Description

Prickly Porky Vintage Pairpoint Glass Cup Plate 515
Thornton Burgess Vintage Windowsill Decoration
Made in USA
This charming Pairpoint Glass cup plate features Prickly Porky of the Thornton Burgess animal books. Prickly Porky is shown high up in a pine tree. Pine cone clusters grace the border of the little plate. This is Pairpoint plate number 515, and is part of the Animal Friends Series. Pressing began in 1987. The last photo is of a different cup plate and is for size illustration only. This 3.5 inch cup plate would make thoughtful baby shower gift when a paired with a classic Thornton Burgess book. Thornton W. Burgess was the creator of Peter Rabbit and his animal friends in the Dear Old Briar Patch, the Smiling Pool, the Green Meadow and the Laughing Brook. The Thornton Burgess Society, which ran the former Burgess museum in Sandwich, Massachusetts, sold coaster size cup plates bearing the imprint of the characters to help fund the museum.
Pairpoint lead crystal cup plates are unique works of art glass. The 3.5 inch cup plates were hand crafted in the older traditional ways, with the artisan working with hammer and chisel to create the steel molds used for each design. Then, the molten glass for each coaster size plate was hand pressed into the mold, using an antique press. This hand process created a series of plates that are alike, but not identical. None of the cup plates are perfect (you will see tiny bubbles, lovely little swirls of color, etc.) – but they are all beautiful. When you look at the photos with the zoom feature, remember that little imperfections you see may not be noticeable to the naked eye. If you look closely, you can see that each plate has the artisan’s initials and the Pairpoint trademark included in the design.
Additional Information
SIZE – Coaster like – Approximately 3.5″ diameter; .5″ height
PHOTOS – Review photos to verify condition. Unlike mass production, hand production will inevitably produce irregularities and no cup plate will be flawless. The close pictures and could show blemishes that not seen by the naked eye. The photos that show the greatest detail can appear a little different than the actual color.
CONDITION – Pairpoint graded their plates at the factory. First quality plates, which came with a Pairpoint label/sticker, were the most desirable. It is normal that first quality plates may have handcrafted characteristics such as a swirl in the center of the plate, small lines not part of the design, bubbles, specks, or tiny flecks. If a cup plate has a sticker in the box or on the plate, the sticker will be visible in a photo or mentioned in the description. Sometimes the original owner removed the sticker/label for display, so I mention the grading process only as a guideline.
MADE IN AMERICA – The Pairpoint Glass Co. of Sagamore, MA, which is on Cape Cod, is the oldest glass making company in the USA. The company is well-known for manufacturing quality crystal cup plates from the 1920’s into the 1990’s. Historical societies, museums, churches, and other non-profit organizations commissioned most of the vintage cup plates.
CUP PLATE IDEAS – Windowsill decorations are a wonderful way to display cup plates as the crystal art glass look lovely as sun catchers. Other uses include:
Dinner table butter pat, tea bag, or mint dishes
Guest favors for weddings or showers
Guest soap, ring, trinket, or vanity dishes
Small coasters for gourmet appetizers, chocolates, or cupcakes
Eclectic glass for stained glass or other art glass projects
U.S.A. Orders – Free Shipping
Your order will be shipped in a padded bubble mailer via First Class USPS mail from Maine
Priority shipping is available
If I mail 3 or more listings to you at once, I automatically upgrade to Free Priority Mail
International Shipping via GSP
I offer International shipping via eBay’s Global Shipping. Shipping and import charges are calculated and paid for by the buyer upon checkout (See Details for Countries and Costs)
I ship to a U.S. Shipping Center and the center handles the rest
International returns are not supported
About me as a Seller
The majority of the cup plates I sell belonged to my mother, who was a very active member of Cape Cod’s Pairpoint Cup Plate Collectors of America (PCPCA) and the Thornton W Burgess Society of Sandwich, Massachusetts. I enjoy matching plates with people who appreciate the TWB animal stories and appreciate this unique form of art glass.
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If you are looking for a specific plate, let me know. If I have the plate, I will list it (I have many more that are not listed).