Glen & Stephen Thistlewood
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Crown Crystal, Australia - rarities and whimseys
Only one glassmaker produced Carnival Glass in Australia – Crown Crystal Glass Company (previously Crystal Glass Works and Crown Glass Works) in Sydney, New South Wales. They are best known for some fabulous and unique designs of local flora and fauna.
Also known are various rarities and whimseys.
Kingfisher Rarities
Rarity #1
As rare as hen's teeth? This magnificent perfectly round-shaped Kingfisher bowl is certainly a very scarce item, as only a handful have been reported. In fact we believe that there are probably only three of these round Kingfisher bowls in "captivity". The rare piece pictured below belongs to Peter Phillips in Australia (who took the photos shown here). It is interesting to note that the Crown Crystal Kingfisher ruffled bowl is possibly the most easily found piece of Australian Carnival - yet in this perfectly round and unruffled form, it is exceptionally scarce.
Note also that there is no RD (Registered Design) number on this bowl. We believe that this shows it was an early version in the evolution of the Kingfisher design. We have a full explanation of how the kookaburra/Kingfisher design developed in Collectors Facts.
Pictured below is a stunning Kingfisher bowl (9" size) in aqua, which is a very rare colour for Crown Crystal's Carnival Glass. Photos courtesy of Paul.
This super aqua Kingfisher bowl was originally found at a car boot sale in England back in the late 1970s or early 1980s. It recently (2015) sold on UK eBay, and went back to its homeland, Australia. It is interesting that Australian Carnival Glass does occasionally turn up in England, and indeed some rare items have appeared here over the years. We found a pair of Emu berry bowls on a house clearance stall a couple of decades ago, and we also have a "bullet edge" Kookaburra float bowl that was found here. It's entirely possible that British family members who emigrated to Australia in the 1920s and 30s sent gifts back home - choosing decorative items that featured the fauna and flora of their new country. If only the glass could talk!
Whimseys are not particularly associated with Crown Crystal's Carnival Glass output, but there are exceptions.
Shown here are two splendid Banded Diamond tumbler whimsies flank a regular tumbler.
​Australian collector, Ray Rogers, tells us that the whimsies are from a different mould to the regular tumbler, as the base is different.
The weights also differ, the whimsies being heavier as well as (obviously) taller.
The regular tumbler is 4½" high, the whimsies are 6" high.
Banded Diamonds. Courtesy of Ray Rogers
Visit the Crown Crystal homepage where there are links to all our website content on this Australian maker.
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