Imperial Scroll & Flower Panels Purple Vase No. 1

I purchased this very rare ten-inch vase from Gary Lickver at the NECGA Spring Fling in April of 2014. He bought it at an antique fleamarket held at the Long Beach Veterans Stadium in California around 1990.

At the time, he remembers, after seeing a pair of them in a dealer's booth, that he couldn't recall ever seeing this pattern in purple before. He went two booths down and pulled out his handy dandy Edwards & Carwile Encyclopedia of Carnival and was excited to find how rare they were. They were priced very low in comparison to their value so he quickly went back to inspect them. One had a really big chip off the base and the other one was perfect. He bought the pair and then later on, sold the damaged one to a woman at a show who just had to have it.  He kept the perfect one for his own collection for twenty-four years.

When I first noticed it in his display, it was also the first time I had ever seen this pattern in person. It was love a first sight! Imperial really outdid themselves with this one. As I picked it up, I exclaimed that it was one hefty piece of glass. The delicate details in the pattern impressed me especially because of the intricate stippling involved. The flowers are framed within the panels like Victorian love letters. The shape is unique as well. It looks top heavy but in reality it's very sturdy because of its thick walls and sheer weight. This purple version is the rarest color but finding others in marigold, clambroth and smoke is not easy.

These have been reproduced in the 1960's, mostly in marigold and smoke, and those will also have an 18-point star on the bottom as this one does. The difference is that the new ones will have the IG mark inside on the bottom. Some are flared out at the top as well as cupped in like the original. Gary has also conveyed to me that people should beware. Not all reproductions made in smoke were marked with an IG when they first started reproducing these. Also the iridescence is much shinier on all the new ones and some are actually heavier than the originals.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind our readers to click on these pictures a second time to enlarge them for your viewing pleasure. The details are simply amazing.

The Christina Katsikas Collection

Note: This vase is the 1st one accounted for out of five that have been reported. If you own a vase just like this with the rayed bottom, please send us a letter. Christina