Simon Dear
@simondear.bsky.social
Freethinker, magazine editor, open source researcher, genealogist, specialist in antique glass
Peter Raos is a highly talented New Zealand glass-worker well known for his Monet-influenced and coral reef paperweights. Here is a small vase incorporating spiralling lampwork lily flower and leaves. Signed and dated on base.
August 28, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Peter Raos is a highly talented New Zealand glass-worker well known for his Monet-influenced and coral reef paperweights. Here is a small vase incorporating spiralling lampwork lily flower and leaves. Signed and dated on base.
A stunning and elaborately cut double-overlaid (blue on white) decanter in the form of a bottle, along with a stopper. Dates from mid to late 1800s.
August 20, 2026 at 12:37 PM
A stunning and elaborately cut double-overlaid (blue on white) decanter in the form of a bottle, along with a stopper. Dates from mid to late 1800s.
Back in the summer of 2001, I was aimlessly walking around an antique fair, when I decided collecting glass paperweights would be a great hobby. I knew nothing about them. It became a passion that has lasted ever since. This Selkirk ‘Highland Spring’ paperweight was my very first purchase! PW0001.
August 12, 2026 at 7:27 AM
Back in the summer of 2001, I was aimlessly walking around an antique fair, when I decided collecting glass paperweights would be a great hobby. I knew nothing about them. It became a passion that has lasted ever since. This Selkirk ‘Highland Spring’ paperweight was my very first purchase! PW0001.
Gadrooned tankard, English lead crystal c1760-80. I love the fluidity of the handle and in the lower part of the bowl. Very beautiful yet functional.
August 9, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Gadrooned tankard, English lead crystal c1760-80. I love the fluidity of the handle and in the lower part of the bowl. Very beautiful yet functional.
English Georgian-era (c1780) faceted candlestick with scalloped and domed foot, faceted knop mid stem, and incorporated drip ring. Rarely found as these everyday items easily broke. Imagine it sparkling when lit with a candle!
August 8, 2026 at 10:39 AM
English Georgian-era (c1780) faceted candlestick with scalloped and domed foot, faceted knop mid stem, and incorporated drip ring. Rarely found as these everyday items easily broke. Imagine it sparkling when lit with a candle!
A wonderful studio art glass vase, made in 1982 by US-born Charlie Meaker, who was a professor at U. Sunderland (U.K.) and a designer for Dartington Glass, Devon, U.K. through the eighties, before moving to Copenhagen.
June 30, 2026 at 3:39 PM
A wonderful studio art glass vase, made in 1982 by US-born Charlie Meaker, who was a professor at U. Sunderland (U.K.) and a designer for Dartington Glass, Devon, U.K. through the eighties, before moving to Copenhagen.
An overlaid and faceted Bohemian spa goblet with scenes of Wiesbaden c1850. Height 17.5cm. Weight 900g. These glasses may have been engraved ‘to order’, as holiday souvenirs.
March 5, 2026 at 12:24 PM
An overlaid and faceted Bohemian spa goblet with scenes of Wiesbaden c1850. Height 17.5cm. Weight 900g. These glasses may have been engraved ‘to order’, as holiday souvenirs.
A Georgian airtwist wine glass c1740 whose stem incorporates a pair of long bubbles of trapped air that corkscrew around each other. Sometimes referred to as a “mercury twist”. Happy start to 2026!
February 16, 2026 at 8:06 AM
A Georgian airtwist wine glass c1740 whose stem incorporates a pair of long bubbles of trapped air that corkscrew around each other. Sometimes referred to as a “mercury twist”. Happy start to 2026!
18th century Georgian posset “pot” - a fragile and rare survivor
January 6, 2026 at 5:16 PM
18th century Georgian posset “pot” - a fragile and rare survivor
Rarely, old German glass marbles have “sulphide” inclusions. A popular theme are animals, made of a white substance (plaster of Paris?) and encased in clear glass. Here is a little zoo - a camel, bear, dog, sheep, goat, bird, and fish. The largest measures 2.5 inches diameter.
November 28, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Rarely, old German glass marbles have “sulphide” inclusions. A popular theme are animals, made of a white substance (plaster of Paris?) and encased in clear glass. Here is a little zoo - a camel, bear, dog, sheep, goat, bird, and fish. The largest measures 2.5 inches diameter.
A Bacarrat goblet c1850 with latticinio applied to the rim of bowl and foot, and similar stem, along with a beaker with similar rim. The goblet is finely engraved with sprays of flowers.
November 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
A Bacarrat goblet c1850 with latticinio applied to the rim of bowl and foot, and similar stem, along with a beaker with similar rim. The goblet is finely engraved with sprays of flowers.
A Bohemian finely engraved glass beaker with scene of Teplitz (Teplice) (in today's Czechia)
c1820. The top half of the bowl has a panoramic view of the town with a horse and cart in the foreground. The workmanship and detail on this glass is exceptional.
c1820. The top half of the bowl has a panoramic view of the town with a horse and cart in the foreground. The workmanship and detail on this glass is exceptional.
October 20, 2025 at 9:29 AM
A Bohemian finely engraved glass beaker with scene of Teplitz (Teplice) (in today's Czechia)
c1820. The top half of the bowl has a panoramic view of the town with a horse and cart in the foreground. The workmanship and detail on this glass is exceptional.
c1820. The top half of the bowl has a panoramic view of the town with a horse and cart in the foreground. The workmanship and detail on this glass is exceptional.
A Whitefriars ‘sunspot’ sun-catcher designed by Geoffrey Baxter 1969. It measures nearly 8” diameter. A classic iconic design.
October 16, 2025 at 7:54 AM
A Whitefriars ‘sunspot’ sun-catcher designed by Geoffrey Baxter 1969. It measures nearly 8” diameter. A classic iconic design.
A German solid core glass marble dating from c1900. Diameter 1 3/8 inches. These were formed from a glass rod containing the design, the same diameter as the marble.
October 16, 2025 at 7:47 AM
A German solid core glass marble dating from c1900. Diameter 1 3/8 inches. These were formed from a glass rod containing the design, the same diameter as the marble.
Happiness is being in the queue for an early morning antiques market!
August 12, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Happiness is being in the queue for an early morning antiques market!
An encased latticinio scent bottle, possibly by the French factories Clichy or Saint Louis, dating from c1840. The threats are backed with white glass and encased in thick clear glass which has then been pillar faceted. The precision with which this is made is incredible.
July 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
An encased latticinio scent bottle, possibly by the French factories Clichy or Saint Louis, dating from c1840. The threats are backed with white glass and encased in thick clear glass which has then been pillar faceted. The precision with which this is made is incredible.
“Dump” paperweights were reputedly made from bottle glass left over at the end of the working day. The more common varieties include trapped bubbles and flowers made of foil or frit. Here we see the bowl of an old clay pipe encased in glass. Dates from 1920s, prior to automation of glass factories.
May 1, 2025 at 6:57 AM
“Dump” paperweights were reputedly made from bottle glass left over at the end of the working day. The more common varieties include trapped bubbles and flowers made of foil or frit. Here we see the bowl of an old clay pipe encased in glass. Dates from 1920s, prior to automation of glass factories.
A 1930s Paul Ysart paperweight with loosely arranged millefiori canes on a light blue jasper ground. In recent years these handsome pieces, usually generously sized with a tasteful colour palette, have become very affordable.
April 19, 2025 at 12:42 PM
A 1930s Paul Ysart paperweight with loosely arranged millefiori canes on a light blue jasper ground. In recent years these handsome pieces, usually generously sized with a tasteful colour palette, have become very affordable.
A small Calcedonio vase made by Lorenzo Radi c1850-1860. Radi rediscovered the Renaissance glass technique of recreating the effect of Chalcedony agate by applying metal oxides to the outside of the glass.
April 9, 2025 at 7:48 AM
A small Calcedonio vase made by Lorenzo Radi c1850-1860. Radi rediscovered the Renaissance glass technique of recreating the effect of Chalcedony agate by applying metal oxides to the outside of the glass.
An ‘in the wild’ shot of a stunning Salviati red vase hand-decorated in gilt neoclassical scenes and enamels, c1900.
April 4, 2025 at 12:49 PM
An ‘in the wild’ shot of a stunning Salviati red vase hand-decorated in gilt neoclassical scenes and enamels, c1900.
Glass marbles, ostensibly children’s toys, gleam like little jewels on this mahogany solitaire boards. Such marbles were handmade, and produced in Germany from 1850 to 1920s. Today they are highly collectible.
March 10, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Glass marbles, ostensibly children’s toys, gleam like little jewels on this mahogany solitaire boards. Such marbles were handmade, and produced in Germany from 1850 to 1920s. Today they are highly collectible.
A Russian glass goblet engraved with sunflowers, probably made at the Imperial Glassworks and engraved in St Petersburg during the reign of tsarina Catherine the Great (1762-1796). Most contemporary glasses are engraved with royal cyphers or symbols.
February 20, 2025 at 8:51 AM
A Russian glass goblet engraved with sunflowers, probably made at the Imperial Glassworks and engraved in St Petersburg during the reign of tsarina Catherine the Great (1762-1796). Most contemporary glasses are engraved with royal cyphers or symbols.
A glass letter seal, possibly Josephineenhutte from c1850, giving the impression of a sitting stag.
February 3, 2025 at 8:38 AM
A glass letter seal, possibly Josephineenhutte from c1850, giving the impression of a sitting stag.
A Clichy barber-pole paperweight has complex millefiori caned spaced with colour twists set above a ground of ‘tossed muslin’. Dates from 1845-50.
January 7, 2025 at 8:42 AM
A Clichy barber-pole paperweight has complex millefiori caned spaced with colour twists set above a ground of ‘tossed muslin’. Dates from 1845-50.
A Pietro Bigaglia filigree flask c1840-50, with applied aventurine rim and vermicular collar. The foot is formed from the same glass as the body.
December 18, 2024 at 9:52 AM
A Pietro Bigaglia filigree flask c1840-50, with applied aventurine rim and vermicular collar. The foot is formed from the same glass as the body.