REPRO ROUNDUP
By Lorraine Kovar
(Portions of this article have appeared in a Westmoreland Glass Society, Inc newsletter.)
The "Drum Mug" candy container is a small mug that was produced by Westmoreland Specialty Co. around 1909. Original examples are found in crystal or milk glass. Crystal can have gold decoration and milk glass may have red, white and blue decorations. These mugs had metal lids at one time. Lids had a slot in the center to allow the mug to be used as a bank after the candy was long gone. Milk glass examples are the rarest, due to the fact that the children couldn't see the candy inside. The candy, after all, was the lure! The original example is shown on the left in the photo. The reproduction (on the right) is a light blue with and iridescent finish. The first clue to show that this piece is a reproduction is the color and the fact that the base of the mug is not iridescent. Westmoreland usually sprayed iridescent or carnival finish on every surface of a piece. The next indication is the very poor quality of the glass. There are large bubbles, stress cracks around the rim and dirt in the glass on the base. The handle has a very sharp mold line on the new version that is not apparent on originals. The drum cords have a ribbed or corded effect that is not as sharp on the original. The eagle is also different. The new mug has crudely executed feathers and the talons just seem to hang in mid-air. On the original the claws are attached to the base of the eagle's body. Summit Art Glass is the manufacturer of this new drum mug. It is possible to find it in any of the colors that Summit produces. Black amethyst, blue, blue carnival (shown in the photo), bronze & white slag, brown slag, cobalt, green and green carnival are reproduction colors that have been used for this mug thus far.
Did you find this article interesting? Do you collect Westmoreland Glass? If you answered yes, to either question, you can find more Westmoreland information in the Westmoreland Glass Society, Inc. monthly newsletter.
This is a members-only club that has a newsletter with items for sale, items that are wanted by collectors and wonderful articles by a variety of members.
Dues are $15.00 single and $25.00 for household. Dues and membership information should be sent to Steve Jensen, President; P. O. Box 2883; Iowa City, Iowa 52240-2883. Checks are payable to WGSI. Memberships are good for one year from your joining month.