Valuing 'Three Face' pieces

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Dear Helaine and Joe:I am interested in knowing about the designer of these "Three Face" pieces, and learning when they were made. There are no markings, but we know the open compote was given to my great-grandparents as a wedding gift in 1884. The rest of the pieces were obtained by my mother over the years at various antiques shops and garage sales.Thank you,D.H., Box Elder, S.D.Dear D.H.:We were very glad to get this inquiry because few people ask us about pressed glass, and it is a subject that has not been extensively covered in this space. We were also glad to get this query because the pattern is very popular and interesting -- but it is also one of the most commonly reproduced of all the American pressed-glass patterns.It is generally known as "Three Face," but it is also called "Three Fates," "Three Graces" and "Three Sisters." It is an elegant pattern made from uncolored clear and frosted pressed glass that features representations of a woman's head repeated three times on stems and finials.It was originally designed by John Ernest Miller, who was the mold-shop superintendent for George Duncan and Sons in Pittsburgh. This design was patented on June 18, 1878, and was initially just called pattern "No. 400."It is thought by many that the faces on these pieces are the likeness of Elizabeth Miller, John Ernest Miller's wife. This conclusion is reached mainly because of the resemblance between the faces and that of Mrs. Miller seen in period photographs. But we will never know for absolute certainty that this is actually her.This pattern was produced by Duncan until the factory burned down in 1892, and all the original molds for this pattern were destroyed in the conflagration. Duncan made a wide variety of items in this pattern. There were several sizes of cake stands, sugar bowls, creamers and other pitchers, celery vases, covered compotes, open compotes, butter dishes, lamps, stems (goblets, champagnes, clarets, wines), salt dips and salt shakers -- among other things.Reportedly, this pattern was reproduced as early as the late 1930s, and in the '40s and '50s there was a virtual flood of ersatz "Three Face" pieces that continued into the '60s and '70s. These reproductions can be recognized (as a general rule) by the poor mold work that is lacking the sharp detail of the originals, and by the color of the glass, which is often grayish or even yellowish. All colored pieces are reproductions.D.H. did not ask about values. That is good, because these items cannot be appraised from photographs -- there are just too many reproductions. The only pieces we are absolutely sure about are the toothpick holders, which are reproductions, and the cockeyed open compote given to his great-grandparents in 1884.This has a plain rim. The ones with the beaded rim are much more valuable, with insurance-replacement prices going from about $1,200 to $3,500, depending on size and diameter. It is worth around $600 if it is 10 inches in diameter, but only $275 if it is just 1 inch smaller and $175 if it is 2 inches smaller.Some of the most valuable "Three Face" pieces include the biscuit jar (beware of reproductions) and the 4-inch-tall champagne glass with a hollow stem. These can be worth (for insurance purposes) more than $4,000 each.(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, PO Box 27540, Knoxville, TN 37927. E-mail them at treasures(at)knology.net.)