Imperial Four Seventy Four Purple Punch Bowl Set
Description
In the last 20 years, we have either looked at auction brochures or have been at the auction itself and this is the second set to sell at auction. That's how hard it is to find one and just how rare these sets really are. I bid until I had won it and was thrilled that I did. It looks great next to our other Imperial punch sets and now....another hunt has begun for I need 2 more punch cups to match. I always have loved a challenge. Below is the history of this bowl as written by Christina.
Imperial's 474 punch bowls are known in purple, marigold, green, and Emerald green. I've heard of two teal pedestals, mine and one in Australia, which leads me to believe that finding a bowl in that color some day is not far fetched. Punch cups have also been reported in additional colors to include aqua, olive and smoke.
I know of eight purple sets to exist. I am fortunate to own one of them. This one shown now belongs to Dick Betker who purchased it during the 2017 HOACGA convention auction.It came to me through two different purchases, starting with the pedestal first. I bought it on eBay from a nice gentleman in Cedar Hill, Tennessee. Then, at a much later date, I purchasd the bowl from a nice couple living in San Antonio, Texas. They had offered it early one morning on eBay as well. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw it. I only had fleeting moments to decide if it would match my pedestal. As soon as I convinced myself it would match well enough, I hit the "Buy It Now" button with shaking fingers. I knew one thing for sure. The odds of this bowl matching my pedestal was a lot better than the possiblity of ever finding another bowl. I could live with those consequences!
When the bowl arrived it was the moment of truth. I held my breath as I carefully took it out of its wrappings. It was simply gorgeous! These bowls are very thin and delicate. They remind me of pastery shells. Also, they're very shallow and appear to be much like bird baths when placed onto their pedestals. No, they weren't designed to be as deep and sturdy as most Carnival glass punch bowls that have a strong center of gravity to make them stable.
I stood very anxiously with the bowl cupped in my hands, like the jewel of the Nile. It was as if it were an offering to the Gods. I was anxious for this moment to finally marry them together. As I held my breath again, I approached the pedestal carefully. I was feeling very ceremonious but the suspense was killing me too. You see, as it happens, the total price of buying these two pieces separately was just as much as I would have had to pay for a complete unit. There was certainly no monetary advantage, as you might think, and here's why.
Most people selling just a bowl or just a pedestal automatically assume the buyer has the matching piece at home. They quickly assume you have the piece that they themselves couldn't find for years! They also know that no matter what, you, the buyer, will never admit to having the other said piece for fear you will be subject to severe price goudging. So no matter what, the seller is sure their piece will greatly benefit yours and you'll make a fortune on the whole deal. With this theory in mind, the price I paid for each of the two pieces was at the maximum. I really didn't mind but it was really very risky if the two pieces didn't match and looked odd or out of place. At this point, just the thrill of finding my first bowl to match one of my many single pedestals was worth the extra coin so far.
As a "Buy It Now", I had already committed to buy the bowl before the couple had a chance to ask me if I had the pedestal. Of course they were very anxious to know and asked me right off if I had one. I told them I did and they were very happy for me. I promised to send them a picture of the completed set once I received their package. You can imagine just how lucky I felt when I stepped back and observed they matched beautifully together. I clapped and hopped around a bit before took a photograph and sent them the picture I promised. They were so happy to see it was more beautiful than they had ever imagined. After all the years they owned it, they didn't have to wonder any more and were happy it found a good home.
The set I own came to me complete from a collector in Michigan. It has a very different look. I knew how lucky I was to beat the odds of matching this bowl with this pedestal when I switched the pedestals of both of my purple sets just for fun. I found they each looked better when I switched them back because they were noticeably mismatched.
I own one purple set.
Dick & Sherry Betker own one set.
The third known purple set belongs to John Rogers of North Carolina.
The fourth set belongs to my friend Jennifer in Australia.
The fifth one has been put together by my friend Nancy in the UK.
The sixth set belongs to my friend, Michel Filion, of Canada. He has proudly displayed it here on the Showcase for your pleasure.
The seventh one was put together at a Wroda auction in October 2014. There was only a bowl being offered for sale but the customer who bought it brought their pedestal base with them to the auction that they've had for a long time. They ended up being the highest bidders and, with much excitement, they united the bowl onto the pedestal right on the spot. That was Doug & Sue Siska.
The eighth one was also found by Doug & Sue Siska in October of 2022. The story is this electric Purple 10-piece 474 punch bowl set was sold to a gentleman in Almond, NY more than 25 years ago by Tom Burns.
We will continue to add othe known sets here to keep up with the provenance of these very special punch bowls. If any of our readers know anyone else who owns a purple set, please get in touch with us and we will be happy to update this list. Christina
