Dugan Big Basketweave Purple Vase

Description

I bought this purple 10" Big Basketweave vase by Dugan on eBay. It was listed on a "Buy It Now" with an option for a "Best Offer". I put it on my "watch" list thinking it sure looked nice. I should have jumped on it the second I saw the listing, but thought about it for about a day. I finally asked Debbie if she would mind if I made an offer on the vase. She said it was "very pretty" and to go ahead with the offer. Several hours passed and I thought surely the offer wouldn't be accepted but hoping it would. After checking on the status several times the seller finally accepted the offer.

I was very pleased when the package arrived and I opened our new treasure. Even at night you could tell the color was exceptional. A good inspection and washing and I knew that this was the one. For years I have wanted a "bright" example of a purple Big Basketweave vase with good shape being important to me too. Be sure to click on each picture a second time for some pretty close-ups.

We are a little over-board on picking up reference books on things we like to collect because I like to research things as much as I can. Since we have been collecting Carnival glass we have saved all the auction brochures and bought Mordini's auction results price guides each year. I like to use them together to see what prices realized "look" like. Doing that I have found several pieces that we have bought have sold more than once. This adds to the provenance for me.

More recently I have started to Google a particular pattern and look at the images a search brings up. When I did that for this Big Basketweave vase I found this photo (shown last) from a Mickey Reichel auction held in June of 2014. It sure looked like this one we just bought on eBay. I held it up by the screen and really felt it was the same piece of glass.

I contacted Mickey to ask if he could tell me what the piece had sold for. It was the weekend and he responded that he'd check his records when he went to work on Monday. That afternoon I had a reply from him that it sold on the floor. It had gone for half of what the eBay "Buy it Now" price was. It was kinda neat how it sold for so little and we felt that we got the good deal on it. It's fun being a Carnival Glass detective!

The Rick & Debbie Graham Collection

For more information about

Dugan's Big Basketweave pattern,

visit this concise article

written by Dr. Larry Keig for the

June 2015 ICGA Pump Newsletter.

Thank you Dr. Keig & the ICGA.