Twelve Days of Christmas: Collector Plates from Imperial
Imagine starting to collect a series of collector plates knowing from the start that it would take 12 years to complete the set! That's dedication for you, but it is exactly what Imperial did. They made a series of limited edition Christmas Collector Plates – The Twelve Days of Christmas – between 1970 and 1981, with one plate to be issued each year (in a gold foil box), meaning that it would be 12 years before the set was complete! The ad above right, in the Free Lance Star, Fredericksburg, Virginia, of Sept 17, 1970 showed how to pre-order the first plate, "A Partridge in a Pear Tree" for $12.
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Production of each plate was limited to orders made during the year of issue. They were made in Carnival (a different colour each year) and a satin finish clear crystal (as advertised in "Shopping The Town" above). An article in the Martins Ferry Times-Leader in 1981 noted that Lucile Kennedy had the idea for these plates. A local art teacher, Robert P Robinson designed them, and Frank Moore is pictured in the Imperial Glass Encyclopaedia, Vol 2, making the mould for the first plate in Imperial's mould shop. They are marked IG on the back. (Source: Imperial Glass Encyclopaedia, Vol 2 National Imperial Collectors’ Society, Ed. James Measell.) Production of the plates saw three owners of the Imperial factory: in 1970 it was still the Imperial glass Company; in 1977 it was taken over by the Lenox Corporation; and in 1981 Lenox transferred ownership to Arthur Lorch.
The design of the plates is faithful to the original English lyrics dating from 1780. In more recent times, some versions changed the order above "Seven Swans a Swimming": many recent versions use 12 Drummers, 11 Pipers, 10 Lords, 9 Ladies and 8 Maids!
The design of the plates is faithful to the original English lyrics dating from 1780. In more recent times, some versions changed the order above "Seven Swans a Swimming": many recent versions use 12 Drummers, 11 Pipers, 10 Lords, 9 Ladies and 8 Maids!
Partridge in a Pear Tree, 1970, cobalt blue *
Four Colly Birds, 1973, white *
Seven Swans a Swimming, 1976, ultra blue
Ten Pipers Piping, 1979, horizon blue
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Two Turtle Doves, 1971, dark green
Five Gold Rings, 1974, verde
Eight Maids a Milking, 1977, nut brown
Eleven Ladies Dancing, 1980, light green
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Three French Hens, 1972, amber
Six Geese a Laying, 1975, sunshine yellow *
Nine Drummers Drumming, 1978, pink
Twelve Lords a Leaping, 1981, ruby amberina
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* Variants (or mistakes!).
The first plate, "A Partridge in a Pear Tree" was originally made in red Carnival. Apparently, Imperial found this colour was difficult to achieve consistently, and it was changed to blue. The full story is told below.
Some #4 "Four Colley Birds" plates were made and issued in amethyst Carnival instead of white Carnival (information courtesy of John Valentine).
Some #6 "Six Geese a Laying" plates were made and issued in ultra blue Carnival with No. 7 on the back.
The story of the first First Day of Christmas plate, by Tony DeMichael and John Valentine.
Imperial's first plate in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” series (A Partridge in a Pear Tree) was sold commercially in cobalt blue (the Aurora Jewels colour). But this was not their originally intended colour. Initially, Imperial made this plate in red Carnival, and in the picture below you can see what is possibly the only example of its kind that is currently known about.
The first plate, "A Partridge in a Pear Tree" was originally made in red Carnival. Apparently, Imperial found this colour was difficult to achieve consistently, and it was changed to blue. The full story is told below.
Some #4 "Four Colley Birds" plates were made and issued in amethyst Carnival instead of white Carnival (information courtesy of John Valentine).
Some #6 "Six Geese a Laying" plates were made and issued in ultra blue Carnival with No. 7 on the back.
The story of the first First Day of Christmas plate, by Tony DeMichael and John Valentine.
Imperial's first plate in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” series (A Partridge in a Pear Tree) was sold commercially in cobalt blue (the Aurora Jewels colour). But this was not their originally intended colour. Initially, Imperial made this plate in red Carnival, and in the picture below you can see what is possibly the only example of its kind that is currently known about.
The originally intended colour for plate #1
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The plate is red to amberina, and according to the owner, Tony DeMichael, “even though the color of red and amberina are not consistent on the plate, the iridescence is very good.” Tony added further information about the wording moulded on the red-amberina plate, saying that “the back of the plate only has the words "The First Day of Christmas" as opposed to which day of Christmas, the year, the plate number, and the Imperial mark that all the others have.” So why did Imperial abandon the red-amberina plate and change to cobalt blue? Tony explains that it was clearly because Imperial had had difficulty with the colour and so they opted for the Aurora Jewels cobalt blue instead. Tony added some fascinating further information: “A little provenance of the Christmas plate. I recently purchased it from John Valentine. He has had the plate for years. He acquired it from his old friend in Pennsylvania, Ray Reichard. John got much of his very rare contemporary from Ray. Ray told him at the time of John taking possession of the plate that there were 12 others made before they gave up on the idea of red for that first plate. To this day, according to John and according to me, another has not yet been found.” So there you have it … what is currently the only reported red-amberina First Day of Christmas plate is pictured above. Sincere thanks to Tony and John for all the information. |
See more Imperial Revival Carnival catalogues, ads and related pattern information.
We have many more Imperial Revival Carnival Glass catalogues and ads,
covering the period from the 1960s through to their closure in 1984. They are all accessed from our Imperial Revival Homepage. Click on the image on the left, or go here: Imperial Revival Carnival |