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Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎11-08-2014

Great detective work, as usual, @SilleeMee !   I also think of most bud vases as a bit more narrow and linear, but there are some wider mouthed ones out there...

 

So, the vendor could be right, but because of that particular, rather short shape, and similarity to other spooners, I guessed it was a spooner.  

 

By the way, @kitcat51 , when I first got it, I did think it was a "celery" ( for anyone not familiar, an old-fashioned glass vessel for holding celery upright on the table),  but for some reason, ultimately guessed, spooner.  Your butter dish sounds fab, by the way...

 

Anyway, my glass vessel definitely has some Art Deco characteristics, ( ribs, arched top) and that's one reason I liked it so much, but those motifs can also appear in Victorian and Edwardian pieces.

 

For example, here's a pressed glass pitcher I have, "Double Fan" by Dalzell, Gilmore and Leighton Glass, that I thought was Deco --  turns out, it was introduced in the 1890's:

 

40514.jpg 

Here's a spooner I found online, I would have sworn was from the 1920's, but was first made in 1890.  The pattern is "Hexagonal Bullseye" --

 

Screenshot 2026-03-01 at 7.34.05 PM.png 

 @Kachina624 ,  you will already have gathered what a spooner is from this discussion-- on Victorian tables, people loved to have all their silver out, and one thing they would do is put teaspoons, for example, in a designated glass receptacle, so that people could take one to stir coffee or tea.  They would often be part of a matched set, along with a creamer and sugar.

 

@tends2dogs ,  good observation, I forgot that one of the words I plugged into the search engine was "shell-shaped"-- but also to no avail.

 

It's about 6" high, by 4" across.

 

You're right, they would make excellent, nostalgic sundae holders!

 

For fun, a few more antique spooners or celeries from online, there are so many varieties--

 

Antique-Victorian-Pressed-Cut-Glass-Spooner-pic-1A-2048_10.10-1705d60d.webp

 

 

Vintage-Art-Deco-Pressed-Cut-Glass-full-3o-720_10.10-f5f95ef2.webp

 

 

Screenshot 2026-03-01 at 8.24.23 PM.png

 

 

Screenshot 2026-03-01 at 6.56.17 PM.png

 

Screenshot 2026-03-01 at 8.27.45 PM.png

 

 

Spooner-glass-New-England-Pineapple-pattern-main_2016.webp

 

 

Well, I still don't know the pattern name, but I really enjoyed all your contributions, posters,  thanks for responding!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 42,189
Registered: ‎05-22-2016

@Oznell 

I think you're correct to say that it's a 'spooner'.  The vendor on eBay may not have known what they have and called it a 'bud vase' instead.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,114
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Try Replacements dot com. They not only identify china and crystal patterns, but they can also identify other pieces and collectables as well. It requires you to upload a pic.

 

I grew up in my Gram's house. She used both a spooner and a celery jar. Her spooner was an orangey carnival glass. Filled with teaspoons, it was on a shelf in the kitchen for easy reach. 

 

The celery holder was in the fridge. Similar style but clear EAPG. Held cut celery in ice cold water. You could grab a piece to snack on with peanut butter or cream cheese.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 79,328
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

 


@Citrine1 wrote:

@Kachina624   It's a new term for me as well.  When I googled "what is a spooner?" I got this ... "a person kissing and cuddling another person amorously".  LOL

 

So then I googled "what is a glass spooner?" and got this .... "a specialized Victorian-era container, often made of pressed or cut glass, designed to hold spoons on a dining table or side board. Popular from 1860 - 1930, they served as status symbols for holding silver spoons."


@Citrine1.  I guess it was before our time but I never heard of it or the custom off putting flatware in glass on the table.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment
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Very much fun...all of them❤️

Thanks

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Registered: ‎10-16-2010

I love how in our grandmas' day they used to have special dishes for every sort of thing. Salt. Celery. Pickle-and-relish trays. These days it's a challenge to figure out purpose specific dishes were intended for.

 

Years ago I was regularly using a long vintage teapot as a gravy pourer. Woman Tongue

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,725
Registered: ‎05-08-2010

@Oznell I have a collection of various pieces of pressed glass that my uncle started for me years ago......like close to 50 years ago.  The design is Paneled Thistle.  I don't believe in sticking cherished pieces in the cupboard so I use them.  I have make up brushes in one, pens and pencils, in a couple.  They are not $$$ valuable, but to me they are priceless. 

 

Years ago, I got out my good dishes and silverware and use them everyday.  I loved them when I bought them (again, 50 years ago) and I still do.  What are we saving these treasures for?

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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,777
Registered: ‎04-17-2013

@Oznell What an interesting find!

My only suggestion, to add to all the others, is to try searching Etsy and eBay for it as just "vase" and not spooner.  Although I imagine that would take you forever to find a match, I bet you would eventually find one that names the pattern or maker. 
I would think that a lot of sellers would not know what a spooner is. So interesting, and I had never heard of one. 

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,325
Registered: ‎05-27-2015

They remind me of Cambridge or Fostoria I've had in the past.

Cambridge Caprice Clear Footed Creamer

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 37,371
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

It certainly would function as a spooner--spoons and tiny forks come in all sizes for many purposes.  I would think it would be perfect to hold a nosegay--which is sometimes defined as: a small, tightly packed, handheld bouquet of flowers and herbs, historically used since medieval times to mask unpleasant odors.

 

I have used my spooners and celery vases many many times over the years to hold flatware at gatherings.  The celery vases are great for chop sticks, bread sticks and iced tea spoons as well as celery or veggie ticks.