Cambridge Nearcut No. 2696 Forks (Wheat Sheaf) Marigold Cracker Jar

I have always wanted one of these Forks Cracker jars. I missed out on the Fry's green one when it came up for auction and I really felt bad about losing it. It did not have a cover. I don't think anyone has ever seen a green cover.

This marigold example came with a clear cover but it should have a marigold one. I don't think anyone has seen a marigold cover either. Every time someone finds one of these, which is not very often, they are always missing their covers, as if they were never made,as if they were made to be used without a cover for something, I can't imagine what. In my case, I am happy to have the clear one with mine. It actually looks pretty good because the handles on either side of the jar turn clear and it seems to blend well with everything. The color to make marigold is applied to a clear glass jar so it's all relative. The green examples are made from green base glass and a clear cover would really stand out.

When I visited the Cambridge Museum in 2017, someone there confided with me that he thought there was no such thing as a Forks cracker jar. He said it was the Wheat Sheaf mould  that had been altered. He said the details of the tops of the four wheat heads, across the front of the jar, were polished off after the mould began to break down in those tiny details. Diane Fry also thinks the mould was altered and used by another company. Perhaps this is why the word NEARCUT is nowhere to be found. It should be on the bottom or on one of the handles but those areas are smooth. The mould may have changed hands like Diane explains on CarnivalGlass101 and the word NEARCUT was eliminated or it was never on there to begin with.

This is a hefty jar spanning 9 1/2" from handle to handle. It stands 5 1/2 inches high at the handle and with the cover on it's about 8 1/2 inches tall. It has a 4 3/4 inch base diameter and it flares out to 6 1/4 inches wide at the top opening.

The iridescence is really pretty on this jar, blues and pinks playing in the deep grooves on a pattern that looks to have been cut, not pressed.

The Christina Katsikas Collection