What A Shocking Surprise!
by Dick Betker
As I sit here in my recliner, I feel as giddy as a high school girl going to her prom. I just
opened a box to expose a piece of carnival glass. I purchased this privately from another
collector and had only one photo to go by. It looked satin and kind of dull, which was no
problem to me at all. While it was in transit, I was thinking of the different ways to clean it
to try to get it to shine a little when it finally arrives.
Soak it in really warm sudsy ammonia to start with, soft cleaning brush all over and then
when dry, sprayed with a top end foamy glass cleaner should do it. I use “Zep”. If that does
not give me the results that I am looking for, I then go to “Wrights” silver cream polish. Wrights
works on all of the different carnival glass, but it does the best on purple Dugan. The late Marie
Capps told me her secret to cleaning Dugan glass.
Ok, back to the box. I unwrapped it and was, I mean giddy. Laughing and smirking because
it was not as I had expected, it was so much more.
This purple Imperial piece had me grasping it and turning it around and around. And then, I
just let it talk to me. You know how a certain piece will talk to you, and like some pieces before,
this one did too. It was SHOCKING Electric blue, purple, mauve and 24 karat gold. Top to
bottom and all the way around. It just took my mind and turned it inside out. I was surprised
beyond words.
My method of cleaning was not necessary as this thing was off the charts. I am holding a
purple, Octagon carafe. Another great Imperial whimsey and it comes really close in iridescence
to our purple Octagon decanter. Check them out for yourself and you decide.
