contact: phil.culhane@ctlabs.ca
Last update: 09:30 EST, 18 May 2017
Small print
Pricing: These are the prices. I’m not much into haggling. I don’t when I buy; I seldom do when I sell. If you are buying in quantity, we can talk. If you are buying a single, not so much.
Shipping: Canada Post to you. Canada Post is not inexpensive. It will add probably $50+ to the price of a bottle to the US, and £100+ to the price of a bottle to the UK, AUS or NZ, unless you are comfortable with surface mail (1-2 months delivery time).
Insurance: I know what I’m comfortable with in regards to loss and damage, please be sure you are comfortable with whatever arrangement we agree to, particularly on more expensive pieces.
Payment: You will bear all banking/interac/paypal charges, unless you want me to bump up the prices. I can provide wire transfer info when necessary, and paypal payments MUST come “family and friends”.
Buying: I’m in no rush to sell. I’ve made the decision to focus on late Persian glass, so am freeing up shelf space and funds to facilitate that change. That said, I’m in no rush to sell. If you have a tax refund/quarterly bonus/inheritance coming and you’d like me to hold a piece, or if you’d like to pay over several months, I’m quite comfortable with that. I want the bottles to find good homes, and I don’t rely on these sales to feed my family or pay my mortgage.
Condition/Refunds: There are ABSOLUTELY NO unreported repairs or issues with condition. These are 200-350 year old pieces of glass; they will undoubtedly have minor nibbles here and there. If you require perfection from your bottles, you probably should not buy from me. I am happy to provide refunds for a good reason, but buyer’s remorse and 1/16th” nibbles off the lip are not “good reasons” in my world. I want you to be happy; I also want to be reasonable.
All that out of the way, here’s the list. I will happily set a piece aside until you are able to decide, if that’s the issue. Send me a note to discuss.
Top Shelf (left to right):
1. “Wm. McKay 1854” stipple. Bottle has been in three pieces and reglued, with minor glass loss. Profusely stippled with four Scottish highland dancers and a fifth with bagpipes. Crown and thistle. Historic piece. Price: $250 USD.
2. SOLD.
3. “J & J Ferguson / 1830 // Our craft is King, none can deny / without our help / all arts would die.” Ferguson was a blacksmith in Scotland – the motto is the blacksmith’s motto. 1830 is the earliest date on a stipple. Rose and thistle, cornucopia, blacksmith’s hammer, two crowns. Intertwined WR IV on reverse under crown, celebrating King William the Fourth. Oversized, again a foundational piece in any collection – size, condition, date, subject matter. Price: $1,650 USD.
4. “John Chalmers & Janet McLaren / 1836 / Hover a blink Neebor til I see if there is a drop in the Bottle.” Rose and thistle, sheaf of wheat, birth, anchor and intertwined hearts with AMO on reverse. In-manufacture chip on rear of neck. The chip is irrelevant to me, but it’s sizeable and you may want to see an image. To my mind, stipples are unique, so either you want it or you don’t, but others may not agree. Ask for a photo if you are at all concerned. Price: $550 USD.
Second Shelf
1. SOLD.
2. SOLD.
3. Transitional english wine, ex David Walker Barker, assessed by him as c1675-80. Minor lip chipping, otherwise excellent. $2000 USD.
4. Sir William Strickland Baronet, 1809. Small lower lip flake, lots of long bubbles in the body. $525 USD.
5. SOLD.
6. SOLD.
7. “HBC” cylindrical wine, c. 1770s. Under offer.
Third Shelf:
1. Shaft and globe, circa 1655-1660. 1/4 of string rim chipped off, some areas of light iridescence but unquestionably a jaw-dropping bottle. $10,000 USD.
2. Shaft and globe, circa 1660-1665. Pitted from burial, but basically unchipped – string and lip have only the tiniest nibbles. Looks like it’s on fire when backlit. Has been in several mildly famous UK collections, if that sort of factlet is of interest to you. Extremely handsome if you like bottles that show their age. $6,000 USD.
3. Shaft and globe, circa 1665-1670. Sealed with coat of arms of Nicholas Mahon, Sheriff of Roscommon, Ireland. I have a full history on Mahon for interested parties. Possibly the oldest Irish shaft and globe in private hands – if not, then very close to the oldest. Basically sound; some pitting from burial. $email for price.
4. D Mc H D 1821. Alloa seal. Four rows of rigaree. Stunning size. $3,200 USD.
5. Transitional. Ex-David Walker Barker, with his sticker dating it to 1670-1680. Chip takes out 1/4 of saturn lip. Exterior dullness/iridescence. $1,150 USD.
6. SOLD.
7. SOLD.
8. Classic late (1840s) ASCR. Bold seal, very near mint. $200 USD.
Fourth shelf:
1. TL 1798 seal. There is a crack that goes right through the middle of the pontil. These were in-manufacture cracks – does not reach the outside of the glass, but it’s there. Likely has been there since 1798, but there you have it. $650 USD.
2. David Adams Alloa 1856 stipple. Rose and crown, thistle, blank reverse. $650 USD.
3. SOLD.
4. JAO 1831 Alloa seal with 5 lines of rigaree. $2,500 USD.
5. SOLD.
6. SOLD.
Shelf Five
1. Robert Mason Stipple, 1834. Another cornerstone ‘must have’ piece for a stipple collection. Front is covered in masonic symbols, reverse has a man with a gavel and a piece of paper behind a lectern – I’m guessing Mason was a head Mason in 1834 at some temple. One of the finest executed stipples it’s ever been my privilege to own (twice!). $1,550 USD.
2. SOLD.
3. SOLD.
4. SOLD.
5. SOLD.
6. SOLD.
Sixth Shelf
1. Black Glass Presentation Stippled Wine Bottle, ‘1853 / Jean Sutherland” (inside a heart) – (three story house), (Burton, pg. 1589), Alloa Glass Works, Alloa, Scotland, ca. 1853, dark olive amber, 9 1/4”h, pontil scarred base, applied double collar mouth. $650 USD.
2. Ebenezer and Jean Guthrie 1835 stipple. Many masonic symbols, rose and thistle – blank reverse. $650 USD.
3. Mr and Mrs King, Alloa, 1876. Profusely illustrated – sailing ship, bird, thistle bush. $650 USD.
4. Hellen Carmichael 1875 stipple. Profusely illustrated like the King bottle above – sailing ship, birth, thistle. Small size. $550 USD.
5. SOLD.
6. W Taylor / C Duncan stipple. Large crack and piece reglued. Dog and bird on reverse. The only one that is possibly not Alloa. Most likely refers to: William Sewell Taylor Marriage Date: 10 Oct 1864 Marriage Place: Dundee, Angus, Scotland Spouse: Catherine Duncan. $100 USD.
7. Margret Robertson 1853 stipple, profusely covered in stippling – a deer, a ship, a bird, ornamental posts all the way around. $650 USD.
Late additions (photo to follow)
1. SOLD.
2. Rhondda Valley codd – expanded mouth. One off gaffer’s special, probably a vase for his wife. Essentially mint, one of a kind. $300 USD.
3. Light aqua cologne vial, about 9″ in length, $40 USD.
4. SOLD.
5. Galley of Lorne whiskey jug, no maker’s mark, crack with four radiations to left of face, short line off handle, very strong crest, $125 USD.
