Paperweights sales and advice

This site exists to help anyone who is interested in paperweights to find the information that they are looking for. We sell paperweights - so there are of course images of some of the paperweights that we have for sale - but there is much more.

There are links to various collectors clubs around the world, and to books that can help you understand more about the fascinating and complex subject of paperweights. There are links to other paperweight sites, to sites of dealers that sell paperweights..... and to other related topics.

There are also pages to help you identify paperweights - but this is a complex and difficult topic, so there are no guarantees of success! Many paperweights were made in China, and so we have included:
a page of modern Chinese paperweights, which turn up in all sorts of places at all sorts of prices;
a page of older Chinese paperweights from 1920 to 1990
an article Alan wrote on Chinese Whites;
a page of examples of the more common weights that turn up at car boot sales or charity shops;
the Murano project (updated 7 August 2011).
There is also information on Old English paperweights, where knowledge of makers and attributions continues to advance.

Contacting us

We have removed the direct email contact link to try and reduce the amount of spam that we receive. We can be contacted by email as follows: use the name alan.thornton and the provider physics.org - you will need to put an @ between the two parts. You can telephone us on: 01935 822316 (from outside the UK use 0044 1935 822316).

Advice and information - help with paperweight identification and valuation

We retired from our professional careers a few years ago to live in Somerset, and now spend a lot of time on what was our hobby. As a result we are specialists in many types of paperweight, and we write articles and give talks about them in the UK and abroad. Alan is also the Newsletter Editor for the Paperweight Collectors Circle.

We do know enough to spot the occasional errors in the catalogues of major auction houses, for example - but we don't know everything: anyone who claims to is deluding themselves! However, we can probably help you with the identification and valuation of your paperweights (whether for sale, insurance or probate) - please ask, as we do not charge for this unless you want a written report.

Paperweights for sale

We do have paperweights for sale - please contact us if you would like more information on any shown. We usually have a range of top quality pieces for sale, including antique French, old English, Ysart, Stankard, Buzzini and various other makers, only some of which are shown here. You can pay by cheque, bank (wire) transfer, or credit card through Paypal. Prices shown include free worldwide shipping.

We often have weights for sale on eBay - click here to check if any are listed at the moment. You will see from our excellent feedback on over a thousand transactions that we are completely reliable, and provide high quality pieces. And, of course, we are always on the lookout to buy interesting weights - whether single items or a whole collection.

We do not sell at any antiques or glass fairs, but we do sell at meetings of the Paerweight Collectors Circle and the Northern Paperweight Society.

Recommended books

We recommend Miller's Guide as a good value starter guide ( usually under £5 ) to identifying and learning about paperweights. If you collect Caithness paperweights, then the Charlton Catalogue is very helpful, and for Scottish paperweights more generally, try Scottish Paperweights by Bob Hall. For an overview of paperweights more generally, have a look at World Paperweights by Fleming & Pomerencke.

There are many more books to do with paperweights and paperweight collecting more widely on the new Books pages.

We have added to this site some of the articles that we have written for various publications. We hope they are of interest, and maybe inspire you to join one of the collectors' organisations such as the Paperweight Collectors Circle.

Articles

Here are two items concerning English paperweights: (article) (guide)

UK Makers

We have some very skilled and innovative makers in the UK, including well known names such as John Deacons, Willie Manson, Peter MacDougall, Peter Holmes, Richard Golding, Jonathan Harris and Mike Hunter. There are many others not as well known. It is worth checking up on smaller glass studios in your own locality - you never know what you will find. In our area we have Siddy Langley and Will Shakspeare - both superb glass artists, who make some paperweights.

Please browse the site, and let me know what you think would improve it - and please send me useful links if you have any. We have included links to various useful Books.

We hope you enjoy the site.........and enjoy paperweights......they are an art form, an object of fascination, an investment, and a topic of conversation..... and no doubt more besides. For example, seek out the Infinity Project on Josh Simpson's site for a different way to display (?) paperweights.

This site is updated regularly, so remember to check for news and additional information.

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