Part III:

 Dugan's Opalescent #1013 Vases
and Whimseys

by curculiosglass

       

Detail of a white opalescent Dugan Ten Thirteen vase (left)
with an assortment of Ten-Thirteen whimseys (right)

photos courtesy tink10 (left) and joy2own!  

Introduction

             This is Part III of a three-part guide on Dugan's #1013 and #1013-R vases.  Part I  of our guide focuses on Dugan's rare #1013-R carnival vase and provides information on its opalescent precursor, the #1013 vase.  Part II centers on a "mystery" vase similar in appearance to Dugan's #1013-R.  Part III offers a photographic gallery of opalescent #1013 vases and seldom-seen opalescent whimseys made from Dugan's #1013 vase molds.  This part of our guide is made possible by the generosity of e-bayer joy2own!, who contributed her expertise and her photographs from her extensive #1013 and #1013-R collection.

Dugan's Opalescent #1013 Vases

     
    
A green opalescent Dugan #1013 vase
with detail of #1013's jagged flame points

photos by curculiosglass (left) and gailcat (right)

Opalescent Ten-Thirteen vases.  As noted in Part I of our guide, Dugan's #1013 vase first appeared in Butler Brothers wholesale catalogs in 1905.  Shown above, Dugan's #1013 vase has 6 wide panels separated by 6 ribs terminating in jagged flame points.  In design, the vase is very similar to Dugan's Target vase, which features the same jagged flame points.  The #1013 vase shown above is 8 1/2" tall, and has a 3 3/4" base impressed with a 36-point star. Opalescent Ten-Thirteen vases were also issued with bases measuring 2 3/4" that feature 40-point impressed stars. To learn more about the Dugan Glass Company, consult our guide on Dugan Vases. 

Dugan's Ten-Thirteen Vase Whimseys

 A green opalescent Ten Thirteen whimsey
photos courtesy of  joy2own! 

           A whimsey is a special kind of pressed-glass piece.  Pressed glass pieces are made as follows:   the glassmaker pours molten glass into a metal mold which gives the glass, when cooled, its shape and pattern.  Most pressed-glass pieces are made from molds with similar shapes:  that is, a vase mold is used to make a vase, a bowl mold produces a bowl and so forth.  A "whimsey," however, is an exception:  the glassmaker removes the glass from its mold before the glass is completely cooled, and he then stretches and shapes it into a new form. Thus, whimseys are inventive pieces that tend to show marked variety from example to another.  Traditionally, whimseys are thought of as pieces that the individual glassworker made for himself as a display of his special skill, which he intended to slip home with at the end of the day.  Dugan's opalescent #1013 pattern is occasionally found in whimsey form:  vase forms are flattened into whimsical star-shaped bowls and plates such as those featured here.

A white opalescent Ten Thirteen whimsey,
with a white opalescent Ten Thirteen vase (center).
The bases of the whimseyed plate and vase are identical in size.

photos courtesy of  joy2own!

        Dugan's Ten-Thirteen Vase whimsey bowls and plates have marie bases measuring the same diameters as the vases, and like the vases bear impressed many-rayed stars.  Ten-Thirteen whimseys are referenced in the Standard Encyclopedia of Opalescent Glass (5th ed.), p. 61.  They are found in blue, green and white opalescent glass.  Green is the most valuable, followed by blue and then white.

An assortment of Ten Thirteen whimseys
photo courtesy of  joy2own! 

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Many thanks to E-Bayer  joy2own!  for her photographs #1013 whimseys, to  gailcat  for her close-up photo of the green #1013 vase, and to tink10 for her close-up of the white #1013 vase.   Rights to the photographs belong to the photographers, and photographs should not be used without their permission.  Text is (c) 2007 curculiosglass, all rights reserved.  To locate any E-Bay seller mentioned here,  just click on "Site Map" at the bottom of your E-Bay screen, and then click on "Feedback Forum" at the right top corner of the large menu that pops up.  Type or copy the seller's name into the Feedback Forum's search blank.   If you found this guide helpful, please leave feedback by clicking the button at the bottom of the page.  This allows other E-Bayers to find the guide more easily.   To access our other guides, just click here:  GUIDE INDEX.