|
 (Editor's
Note: When I wrote this article in late 1997, I was amazed by
how positive and forward-looking John Britt really was. He
had one goal he really wanted to achieve, and that was to make
it to the year 2000. He was enamored with numbers,
statistics and figures, and 2000 seemed like a great number to
him. That day, wandering around the house as they were
preparing to sell their collection, was a good day. Alas,
John wasn't going to be there for the new millennium. This
article was first published on the website on November 13, 1997,
and less than two months later, on January 7, 1998, John passed
away. John was a controversial figure in carnival glass,
but he was also a person who would talk to you, and for that, I
will always remember that great day in October 1997 when I was
able to spend time with him and Lucile. --Brian Pitman) In 1971, at the International Carnival Glass Association's annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky, two first time conventioneers walked into what seemed like a fantasy world. Everywhere they looked, carnival glass was to be found. Thousands of pieces were in the various rooms for sale and display. "We had really big eyes," says John Britt in memory of the event. "We saw incredible things we had never seen before," adds Lucile Britt, John's wife of more than half a century. It was then that they realized carnival glass was what they wanted to collect for the rest of their years.
The Britt's basement is a site to see. With hundreds of pieces set up for display, you could easily lose yourself wandering through, looking at all of the treasures. |
John & Lucile had been in antiques for a great deal of the 1960's. As proprietors of a produce company in their hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, which raised various fruits and vegetables for sale to numerous markets, they were able to earn a modest living and put some money into antiques. Lucile was fond of cut glass and R.S. Prussia, while John was slightly more ambitious: he wanted to learn all there was to know about every type of antique ever made. "I really thought it could be done," recalls John. Needless to say, he just couldn't do it. In 1969, their venture in antiques was to be changed forever. At the young age of 52, John's aunt gave him and Lucile a Little Flowers Ice Cream Bowl in Marigold. It had belonged to his grandmother several years before. It was love at first sight, and the "fever" set in. They both became hooked on carnival. John soon realized that learning all he could about carnival glass would be a large enough feat, so he and Lucile set off to learn all they could about this new treasure.
John & Lucile are in the Carnival Glass Hall of Fame and proudly hang their certificate for all to see. |
As they learned more about carnival glass and the people who collected it, their collection began to grow. While increasing the number of pieces they owned, they quickly noticed that there wasn't an overwhelming amount of information. Back then, the only guides they had were the ones done by Marion Hartung from nearby Emporia. So, John set out to become a carnival glass scholar. "I studied every night for hours," says John of those days. He would read all of the Hartung books, and he and Lucile would go through old Butler Brothers catalogues to find matching patterns for the pieces they owned. Through this process, they were able to identify manufacturers for most of their glass. As their knowledge grew, so did their desire to share it. "We wanted to write articles to share what we had learned," recalls John. He set up an office in their basement, and they began to write. Now, several years and several articles later, new and old collectors alike still adore their articles. The Heart of America Carnival Glass Association even offers them as part of their Carnival Glass Education Series.
One of their favorite sets, this ice blue Memphis punch set
was sold later at an ICGA convention. |
Perhaps one of their more well-known articles is that of the
Nile Green Panther bowl from Fenton. The bowl is the only
example of carnival glass in the Nile Green color. John & Lucile love to share the story of how they discovered the piece.Many years ago, John & Lucile got a letter out of blue from a woman in Columbus, Ohio. In the letter, she wanted to know what a green Panther master berry bowl was worth, and whether the Britts would be interested in purchasing it. John wrote back the various range of value for the piece, and he suggested that he and Lucile should meet with the woman the next time they were in Ohio. "We went to Ohio a lot in those days," says John, "so we thought we could just hook up with her." A few months later, the Britts were in Columbus for a flea market. "We called her and set up a meeting time and place," explains John. The meeting didn't occur. She was unable to find a ride to meet with the Britts that day. "Well, we offered to meet with her at her house, but she wouldn't hear of it. She thought it would be an imposition," remembers John with a chuckle. Finally, they were able to meet with her the next day at the motel they were staying at.
Ever see a carnival glass clock? This one has its original internal parts, and will also be up for auction. |
"She got her neighbor to drive her to the motel," recalls John. When she showed up, she asked to see John's price guide so that she would know that he was being honest with her on the value of a green Panther bowl. He showed it to her, and she was satisfied. "She said, 'I need $50 more than that to let go of this piece,'" says John. He said that he could do that if the piece were pretty. So she pulled the piece out of the car and unwrapped it."I just about fainted," remembers John. "I sort of slumped over onto the trunk of the car to hold myself up." He gave the woman the amount she wanted, and she left. John & Lucile showed it to Frank Fenton and did some study on the piece and the Nile Green color to produce the article which we all read today. Finally, after enjoying the piece for many years, they decided it was time for a new owner to treasure the piece. The Britts sold the piece at one of their annual auctions in 1991 to Joyce Seale for nearly $8,000.
| 1
| 2
| 3
| 4 |
Copyright www.cga, inc. All Rights
Reserved. |
