800 Jefferson St.       Burlington, IA 52601-5432      

Happy summer, everyone!  The big news at our house is the new addition to the family. His name is Smokey, and he is a purebred British Shorthair kitten. I chose this particular breed because they are supposed to be very laid back and mellow. Smokey evidently didn’t get the memo. He’s a holy terror and keeps us very busy. We love him to pieces!

~ Linda     

• Kazzie the Wonder Dog has sniffed out these currently running Special Discounts:
  
  • Dealer #22 20-50% off selected items
  • Dealer #27 20% off books, 10% off all
  • Dealer #44 20% off all items
  • Dealer #52 50% off quilts
  • Dealer #60 20% off all items
• Discounts may be discontinued at the discretion of the dealers. Please take advantage of them while you can.

Just arrived……this fantastic pickle caster! The insert is hand painted cranberry glass. The quadrupleplate silver frame is shaped to fit the glass insert perfectly. Because of the distinctive shape, one can be assured that this is not a marriage of two unrelated pieces. The item dates to the late 1800s.

Beautiful Handpainted Decorations

Carnival Glass is pressed glass with an iridized finish (has the appearance of oil on water) that was manufactured between 1905 and 1930. The finish was achieved by spraying the piece with a metallic salt solution. It was made by many companies in the U.S., as well companies as in Europe.

The “color” of a piece of Carnival Glass, is based upon the color of the glass under the finish, not the finish itself. Color can be determined by holding the piece up to a bright light and looking through the bottom. The base color you see is the true color of the glass. This is very important because certain colors are much rarer than others,  and can greatly affect the value.

Another finish found on Carnival Glass besides  iridescent is called a radium finish. It can be recognized by a mirror-like surface lustre. Often radium finished pieces have no iridescence, but merely show a light, watery shine. Carnival pieces may also have an additional milky white edge. This is called opalescence.

Glass with the carnival finish is still being produced today. The only way to really know if a piece is old is to gain experience looking and handling the old pieces, or get a good book and familiarize yourself with the patterns produced by the old manufacturers. We have many nice examples of old Carnival Glass at the Old Stone Mill. Stop in and take a look.