THANKYO's Waterford Marquis Hanover Gold

What is Hanover Gold - and what does it look like?

This is a pattern produced by Marquis, a separate line of Waterford crystal, produced in mainland Europe (and not Ireland). Hanover Gold is acid etched or "stamped" Waterford Marquis on the bottom of each piece. Each piece has a gold ring around the mouth of it - for example at the top of each wine glass, flute, vase, etc. The cuts on Hanover Gold pieces are all similar - long vertical strokes/cuts along the largest sections of the crystal, creating an easily distinguishable pattern. As light hits the long strokes, it acts like a prism, and sends out a lot of light through each cut.

If you want to see this discontinued line, you can check larger department stores, including those that have online catalogues - or visit the Waterford website. There was also Hanover Platinum and regular Hanover (crystal only).

What Pieces Exist - on eBay or otherwise?

There are almost always wine glasses on eBay, typically white wine and water glasses, but the rest seem to pop up very seldom. Here are my unscientific, unproven stats on what I've looked at each time I've done a search on Hanover Gold:

1. Frequent: In the past year, I've seen quite a few tumblers (called Old Fashioned glasses), iced tea glasses, champagne flutes, water goblets and white wines. Note that the white wines are just a bit smaller in size. By the way, the iced tea flutes can be used for water and the larger wine glass for red wine.  The gold on each of these, whether filled with water, rosé, white wine, champagne, etc. - undeniably beautiful on any table.
2. Less Frequent: Harder to find the occasional scotch snifter and balloon (red) wine glasses. There is no red wine per se - for that you have the large balloon wine glass. Be careful with the balloons, as these are easy to tip as guests reach across a table, etc. If you can't find the snifters - these are few and far between - you can use tumblers. These are all very classy pieces to hand a guest - the light catches the contents of the snifter and wine glass beautifully. The tall decanter comes by from time to time - make sure you get the stopper with it, otherwise... its value evaporates!
3. Very Infrequent: About once a month, you'll find a sugar/creamer combo - the lines are clearly Hanover Gold and are a smart set; you'll notice the cut on the handle of the creamers where the artisan has to physically cut the handle, and then attach it to the bowl of the creamer - it is, of course, polished and made smooth. You'll see candle holders, salt/peppers, bowls and even ice buckets come around every now and again. Only recently have the highball glasses been appearing on eBay - these are pretty rare and are hard to come by - the department stores seldom stocked this item and a very small quantity were made, making them scarse and expensive.
4. Rare: The biscuit barrel, water pitcher and wine bottle coaster - these are only recent phenomena! Good luck trying to find them on eBay. In the past year, I've seen the biscuit barrel - which comes with a lid - land only once on eBay, and nowhere else. I'd say, a good quality biscuit barrel is the toughest item to find, followed by the water pitcher.

If there are other items of Hanover Gold, I'd be interested in knowing about it - especially larger pieces.

So How Much for Hanover Gold?

Below are some per item ranges, again - based on my "less-than-empirical studies" and some recent searches - for first quality (no scratches, gold loss, NIB condition) items. All in 2006 US prices:

• High Ball: $35-60
• Old Fashioned: $30-45
• Decanter: $90-120
• Water Pitcher: $80-140
• Bowl (large): $60-80
• Bowl (small): $40-70
• Biscuit Barrel:  $110-150
• Salt/Pepper: $30-55
• Sugar/Creamer: $50-70
• White Wine: $35-45
• Balloon Wine: $40-55
• Iced Tea: $40-50
• Champagne Flute: $30-45

Buyer Bargains, Tips & Advice...

• Buy Two: Buying in pairs (most of the wine stems are sold in pairs) will reduce the cost of shipping, and typically the unit costs (individual prices) are less.
• Save on Shipping: If you need sets, buy from the same seller and request that shipping be combined - most sellers are fine with this.Avoid overpriced shipping costs - USPS is friendly to eBay and the prices are often more attractive with them.
• Be Demanding: You have to be very demanding when sellers try to pass off seconds and damaged goods as "excellent condition" or "NIB." I always make a point of contacting the seller when I see that things are not as described - you have to write a polite, non-threatening note stating the facts about the goods. Give examples or better yet, give photos. This is critical for Hanover Gold buyers, as the gold often comes off the pieces, and these end up on eBay being sold at first quality rates - and that's not okay.
• Cast a big net: If you have time, search for variant or erroneous spellings - Hannover, for example - and frequent misspellings. Also, do a search on Marquis or Waterford - some sellers don't know the pattern, or forget to include it - the pictures can easy be scanned to find the unique design of Hanover Gold. Many sellers aren't familiar with the difference between a highball, an old fashioned, an iced tea or a balloon wine - so use the pictures to make the right purchase.
• Always Ask for More: If you have purchased Hanover Gold from a seller and want a few more pieces, send a note to the seller. If they (especially the PowerSellers) don't have any more items, they will point you in the right direction.

Enjoy.

THANKYO