Possibly the best documented example of the People's Vase is the blue one. In Jack Wilson's Research Notes he states that one blue vase is known, but remarks that another is rumoured yet not confirmed (and this is still the case today). Wilson's history shows that the first documentation of the blue People's Vase was in 1963 when it was sold by Max Penny at an antique show in Wichita, to Emma Schrader for $75. Four years later, in 1967, Mrs Schrader consigned it to auction, and John Woody sold it for $1,350 to Charles Thrawley (pictured above). Just two years later it doubled in price when it was sold at Thrawley's auction for $2,700 to a private collector in California.
Auctioneer John Woody entered the arena again in 1973 when he bought it for $4,500 from the Californian. He promptly doubled his money when he then entered it into his own auction in the summer that year and sold the blue vase to Jim Mogg for $8,100. Five years later, in 1982, the blue vase was sold at another Woody auction to Floyd and Cecil Whitley for $5,000. At that point Jack Wilson's notes ended - as did the ambulant nature of the blue vase. It then resided in the same place for around 20 years.
Just a few years ago the blue People's Vase was purchased by the Binghams for a reported $75,000. It was shown at the 2004 St. Louis wwwcga Convention, where we had the privilege of holding it (and didn't want to give it back - see photo inset above right). Two amethyst People's Vases sold at auction in 1996: one was perfect and sold for $43,000, the other was cracked and sold for $13,500. The blue vase was auctioned on Saturday 29th April, 2006 in Kansas City by Wroda Auctions (Pete and Paula Bingham Collection). It had a published reserve price - an exceptionally unusual practice for Carnival Glass auctions in the USA. Wrodas stated in their auction brochure that the estimated value is $60,000 to $95,000. The vase was first up in the auction and sold for a record breaking $100,000 - the highest price yet paid for a piece of Carnival. The entire auction was record breaking, as it became the highest grossing Carnival auction ever, topping over $600,000. |
