Description: 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Camden & Atlantic Railroad engineer Millville Frit Paperweight Inkwell Whitall Tatum 1887 Among the early whimsies made at the Whitall Tatum Glass Company in Millville, NJ were paperweights. Crudely made at first, the introduction of molds with changeable letter plates in the 1880 Whitall Tatum bottle catalog would change everything. A glassworker’s addition of powdered glass or frit to fill in letter or motif molds allowed all sorts of designs to be made. This was soon followed by glassworkers designing moulds for their personal use. Some of these weights would be decorated with characteristics of the pharmaceutical ware made during regular working hours, such as a frit paperweight turned into an inkwell. Offered here is an antique Frit Paperweight Inkwell made at the Whitall Tatum Glass Company in Millville, NJ, circa 1887. The frit portion of the inkwell reads W. RICKARD R.F. OF ENGINES W. J. AND C. & A. R. R. CAMDEN N.J. (WEST JERSEY AND CAMDEN & ATLANTIC RAILROAD) It is unusual to find a paperweight, must less an inkwell with a name during this period. Even rarer is the fact that the information about the individual celebrated with this weight can be documented! The Poor’s Directory of Railway Officials from 1887 lists W. Rickard as Road Foreman of Engines for the West Jersey Railroad based in Camden, NJ on page 589. (Page 133 in the “Supplement to Poor’s Manual of Railroads” 2018 reprint.) The 2018 reprint is included in this auction. This inkwell stands 6¼ inches tall with the stopper and 4½ inches without the stopper. The weight portion has a typical Millville ink receptacle on top with a faceted stopper. The weight is in very good condition. It has a tiny fleabite on the outside top rim and many rough spots along the bottom edge. The base is smooth with no pontil mark. I see one small nick on the bottom surface and some light scratches. One small piece of dark debris on the base, but no damage radiating from it. The inside of the receptacle has some cloudiness to it that I have not tried to remove. The stopper has many chips on the bottom edge. I see two small bruises among the facets. Most of this small damage requires close examination to see. A desirable piece of New Jersey railroad history. Auction includes both inkwell and 2018 book reprint. Sold AS-IS. Please ask questions before you purchase. Look for Clevenger, Larson and other South Jersey glass pieces on my Ebay auctions. Also see my book about cabin bottles – Tippecanoe and E. G. Booz Too! USPS Priority Mail shipping. Please note: Ebay may charge you sales tax on this item for the state that you reside in unless you have given them a tax-exempt number. This seller does not receive any of those funds. (In other word, “Don’t shoot the messenger!”)
Price: 300 USD
Location: Wilmington, Massachusetts
End Time: 2024-12-26T20:21:25.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
