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Adelaide Advertiser, December 1925
Hobart Mercury (Tasmania), 1925

Adelaide Advertiser, December 1925

A super Crown Crystal vase could have been yours for Christmas from the Rundle Street Cash and Carry in 1925.

Although the image itself lacks detail, the description of the vase says it is 8 inches high, which suggests it was a Gum Tips vase. The Lily and Gum Tips vases are both quite similar: see our detailed Collectors Facts on these vases.

However, it was promoted as "A colored de lustre vase" for 1/6 (one shilling and sixpence). "Standing 8 in high. A real ornament and a real fine Xmas gift worth 2/11. Out they go to-day, while they last. 1/6 each."

The ad may not look very "Christmassy" with images of going fishing and cute little baby chicks, but of course, Christmas in Australia is in high summer!

In fact, Gum Tips and Lily vases featured in many Australian newspaper ads throughout the 1920s and 1930s. The ads, from when the vases were actually being made by Crown Crystal, provide a brilliant, contemporaneous account of how they were marketed and sold to the public.

The ads are to be found here: Australian Newspaper Ads, 1920s-1930s.

Hobart Mercury (Tasmania), December 1925

In 2013, we discovered this ad for a selection of glassware for A.H. Gifford Proprietary Ltd. - it is the first contemporary newspaper ad we have seen for Carnival Glass from Crown Crystal in Australia. We are used to seeing Classic American Carnival in the Butler Bros. ads and European Carnival from catalogues and the British Pottery Gazette, but contemporary illustrations of Australian Carnival are not easy to find. It’s an exciting discovery!

Gifford Proprietary was in business from 1922 until 1987; the building at 109 Elizabeth St. in Hobart is now occupied by Appleby Cycles (next door to Jolly Swagman’s Camping World). You can see it on Google Street View - the upper stories look pretty much as they must have done in 1925.

The ad was geared up for the Christmas trade in Tasmania. Interestingly, the illustration, top right, refers to a "Kookaburra", but the pattern is what has become to be called Kingfisher. The development of the Kingfisher/Kookaburra design is fully explored in our detailed article in Collectors Facts.

Hobart Mercury, December 1925

We’ve tried to work out what the Carnival items are that are depicted in the ad above; our thoughts are set out below (the numbers below correspond to the ones shown in the ad).

3. Dark Lustre Glass Bowl, open shape. 2/ (Two shillings). It’s hard to make out the pattern, but the shape and form of the piece suggests that it could be Butterfly Bower.

4. Iridescent Salad Bowl, with Kookaburra in centre. 9-inch. Price 3/ each. (Three shillings). Despite the reference to this motif as “Kookaburra”, we feel this is the pattern collectors know as the Kingfisher (shown right)

6. Lustre Glassware Salad Set, comprising Salad Dish and 6 Small Dishes. 5/9 Set. (Five shillings and ninepence). We feel that this might be a Shrike set or perhaps another Kingfisher, perhaps the variation that has wattle blossoms with the leaves? The lack of an exterior design on the master adds weight to this theory (the Kingfisher is one of the few Crown Crystal patterns that has no exterior pattern).

8. Iridescent Coloured Salad Bowl. 8 ½-inch. 3/ each. (Three shillings). Difficult to make the interior pattern out but we feel that the shapes are flannel flowers, which suggests this is a Magpie bowl The exterior design of Fern and Wattle can be discerned.

13. Dark Iridescent Coloured Salad Bowl, very neat pattern, 2/6 and 3/ each. Not sure about this—could it be Bullrushes and Bush Orchids? Any ideas?

Kingfisher bowl in dark Carnival, Crown Crystal