Fenton Birds & Cherries Amethyst Chop Plate

This little wishful dream all happened to me at a convention when I visited Aaron Hurst's room. The photo I took of it back then is the last photo shown here. This was one mind-blowing display. If you look closely, there is a slight snippet of the amethyst People's Vase that was sitting to its left and the Dugan peach opal Farmyard bowl (only one known) was also on that same table. It was all so bedazzling to me. I was happy to know my friend Gary Heavin bought this Birds & Cherries chop plate from Aaron at a Southern California Convention. This meant I would be able to see it again some day....and I did when I agreed to buy it from him at the 2014 HOACGA convention.

The second to the last photo is the one Gary H. sent me to ponder on it. As you can see, between everyone's photos of it, this chop plate looks different every time but the dominating factor in all of them still remains: it's pretty every time!

I spoke to Aaron H. and Tom Mordini and collectively, they remember that it was Bruce Hill who found this chop plate through his friend, Virgil St. John, an antique shop keeper from Iowa who saw this plate at a private home in Kentucky during his travels. Bruce encouraged Virgil to buy it after they had a conversation on the telephone about it and Virgil eventually did. He then sold it to Bruce who consigned it to a Seeck auction in 2000 and Joyce Seale (my role model) purchased it. Then, later she sold it to Stacy Wills in a private sale. Then, Stacy sold it to Aaron H. who then sold it to Gary H. at a Southern California convention where Aaron brought it, along with other rarities, to do a seminar for the club. Then, last, but not least (because it cost me the most), Gary H. eventually sold it to me in 2014. The price climbed higher and higher with every purchase. Don't let anyone ever tell you Carnival Glass is on the downswing for price. Buy the good stuff and your investment will stay safe!, even if it is a Leaf Rays nappy.

So in 14 years it had gone from a private home, to Virgil St. John (now deceased), to Bruce Hill, to Joyce Seale, to Stacy Wills, to Aaron Hurst, to Gary Heavin and then to me. That's eight owners and at least five of them have broken hearts for having parted with it.

Collector of yore, the late Don Moore, owned the marigold and the blue "Birds & Cherries" chop plates. Dick & Sherry Betker owned the blue one too but has since sold it to another collector. This one can be seen to the right of mine on the Doty page  in the screen shot, third photo from the end..

After you open each photo, please click on them once more for an enlarged view of all the beautiful details of the stretch iridescence. It's breath-taking. It really is. I hope to do a rarities seminar some day and include this very important chop plate.