U.S. Glass Palm Beach White Whimsey Bulbous Pinched-Top Vase

I purchased this vase from Pete & Paula Bingham in March of 2015. I will let Pete tell the story as no one else can.....

Pete writes, "One of the very first convention talks we ever gave was at Southern California where we must have displayed and talked about around 100 Carnival Glass bowls. Our trip included the chance to stay at Gary & Eve Lickver's house for a few days. We later found out what a rare treat we had been given since few others had ever gotten the opportunity. Their home is beautifuly perched on top of a hill on a large lot covered with exotic fruit trees and plants and the inside of their home was literally packed with Carnival and other cool antiques.

My two favorite pieces in his home were the Aqua Opal Poppy Show Plate and this White Palm Beach Vase, of which unfortunately neither one was for sale. Gary teased me with this vase for a few years after that and then finally agreed to sell it. The price was definitely not a bargain. It's the most expensive Palm Beach piece we have but since we haven't seen another White one I guess that's alright.

As with most U.S. Glass in white, the colors really jump off this 7" vase. I think it's because the base glass has a very subtle gray tone for the color to reflect off of.  I remember reading an old article from one of the collector magazines where Bill Heacock speculated that U.S. Glass may have had their Carnival glass iridized by Northwood because he couldn't believe anyone else could have done that good a job.

Palm Beach was manufactured during the Early American Pattern Glass era starting around 1900 in Blue Opal, Vaseline Opal, plain and painted crystal.

Colors produced in Palm Beach starting around 1905 included White, Amber, Honey & Amethyst. True rarities are Marigold, Custard and Milk Glass.

I often wonder if Palm Beach could have been the inspiration for the Grape & Cable pattern. With all the companies copying and stealing each other's ideas back then, who knows? ~ Pete Bingham"

The Christina Katsikas Collection