West Saint Paul Antiques

Croesus is a pattern you either love or hate...there's not much room for feelings in between. A bold new pattern in its day, it was described to be "like nothing seen before" amongst the glass trade journals and had a very sucessful production life at Riverside Glass Works. It still is a very unique pattern after over 100 years.

Croesus reproductions appeared prior to 1974. They were found in the 4 piece table set and toothpick holder, and made in the original colors and were not marked. In 1977 and later, tumblers appeared in sapphire, amber and green. They were taller than originals and marked with a "V" by the Summit Art Glass Co.(Jenks & Luna 1993).

These pencil or crayon rubs of the pattern are the very best way to identify the reproductions that I have found. Just looking at the gold can be deceiving, as a genuine tumbler might look like a repro due to wear of the gold making the scrolls look much thinner than they actually are.

I have found that the scroll rubs on tumblers of all 3 colors of Croesus are virtually identical, even when there is some variation due to tumbler size, which is common in these hand pressed pieces.

The curls at the ends of the C-scrolls (1) are not as tight in the reproduction. This characteristic is mentioned most as the first thing to look for in a piece. (2) The repro doesn't have a flared rim like the old, giving it less of a "kettle" shape. (3) The feet of the reproduction are rough, while those of the old are clean, more graceful and detailed. (4) The scalloping along the rim on the old piece is well defined and bead-like, while that of the new is simple. (5) The length of the pressed design here below the curl of the left-hand C-scroll is longer in the old than the new. (see the comparison table for a few more differences)