Maker Unknown Roses & Greek Key Smokey White Plate

I have wanted one of these plates ever since I held one at the Sunshine Carnival Glass Club auction back in January of 2009. I remember it well, thinking I would have a chance to buy it but only to find out that was only a pipe dream when the hammer fell. It was way beyond my reach at the time. Jim Wroda was the auctioneer selling the Poucher Collection at the time. The Pouchers had previously purchased it in 2003 at a Jim Seeck auction in Missouri. Dave Doty shows that particular one on his website. He says it has a "smokey amberish iridescence". (Photo courtesy Dave Doty.) I personally would describe it as a heavy marigold iridescence with a smoke iridescence applied over it, in my humble opinion. There is an AMAZING accounting of this plate on Dean & Diane Fry's Carnival Glass 101 ~ Roses & Greek Key that has such great detail in the provenance that it will amaze you. Please don't miss it. It will tell you just how revered this plate has been for all these years. To know it is to love it! Jack Adams used to own it and went back to the 1950's with this Smokey Amber version. It now resides in the late Carlton Tarkington Collection.

Jim Wroda had also given me Clum Auctions' phone number, the only way I could get a bid in because they don't have online bidding. Laura, Mike Clum's daughter, was so kind and obliging; describing it, searching to make sure it was not damaged, sending me several photos, and being thorough in every detail. A man called me promptly that Wednesday morning, on February 21, 2018, and took my bid and told me at least three other bidders were on various phones; four of us in total. After all the bidding on the house floor was exhausted, the people manning the phones went into action with us phone bidders. It was a fight but I was happy with the reasonable price. Laura told me who the underbidder was although two more people, both from different parts of the country, claim they were the underbidders as well, which they were, all three bidding at the same time on telephones so that no one could see each other bidding. Only in America! I was in first on an odd number bid and the rest of them were on the even number bids.

To make it even more intriguing, the back side has also been iridized, unlike the one owned by Jack Adams. There is no marie to look through either. The bottom is basically flat with the rose corners acting like hand grips. The whole plate is like a mood ring of pastel colors, depending on its environment and angle of view. Jack Adams was right when he said no other Carnival Glass was iridized like these plates. It is exquisite!

I was very anxious to see it, and although it took weeks to get here, the reward of seeing it was well worth the wait. It arrived during the third Nor'easter to hit us in the month of March, 2018. I am pleased to see this new find is a very different color than all the rest which makes four unique colors in total. Were they experiamental? With all the different styles of iridescence, they very well could have been. Only time will tell if more show up.