Posted 6 years ago
kwqd
(1122 items)
Does anybody know who made this toothpick? It is ruby glass and 2 5/8" h x 2 1/4" w. It thought might be Kemple of L E Smith, but can't find anything like it but pretty sure I've seen something similar before. Recent acquisition. I guess it might be a votive candle holder, too.
confused; it doesn't know what it wants to be... The top is 'Eyewinker' and the bottom half is 'S-Repeat'. size certainly agrees with being a toothpick. One Pinterest post calls it 'Eyewinker Over S-Repeat'; an eBay listing call it 'S Repeat Eyewinker'. No idea on who may have made this strange combo. Eyewinker has been reproduced and is currently in production by Mosser; S-Repeat has also been reproduced.
I found an Etsy page that speculates these were made for LG Wright by either Fenton or LE Smith in the 1950s.
it' true that Wright did have the molds for both patterns and did reproduce both. However, all of the Wright molds were sold off in 1999. Many of the molds went to unknown buyers, and many went to buyers known to reproduce from China and Taiwan. There's another Etsy listing for peg votives in the combo pattern listed as made in China or Taiwan, which seems to be more likely to me...
I suspect that you are right, TallCakes. One reason I stopped collecting glass years ago was because there were so many reproduction and counterfeit pieces of glass popping up. Now (for some time actually) there is also some really quality glass coming out of China that is hard to tell from old American glass. The other day I picked up what looked like a really nice vintage end of day glass vase that had a finely ground bottom and a Made in China label on it. Regarding this piece, I suspect that one will eventually pop up with a Made in Somewhere Not the USA sticker on it.