What a difference a couple of months makes. In the last edition of SOTW, I was telling you about the escalating price of glasses from The James Clark Distilling Co. of Cumberland, MD. Back in April, one sold for $306.99 to eBay regular whatchagot513, which is an all-time record for this glass. Braddock shots are reasonably common so it was not surprising to note another example turn up in July, part of the junkmoney/hottshotts fire sale that's been ongoing since early May. Apparently the thirst for these glasses was sated in recent bidding wars, becaase this latest offering attracted only two bids and sold at a 90% discount, closing price $36! It went to Cumberland collector, thelordismighty.

 

April 11: $306.99!	July 7 : $36.00!

 

Hottshotts has been dumping prime-quality glass into the 'Bay so fast and for so long now that he's broken most collector's annual glass budgets and then some. The result is that glasses that should be selling in the $100+ range have been picked up for considerably less after the competition evaporated, much to the celebration of the beneficiaries.

If you sneezed, you probably missed the next two auctions, because lakerdude33 staged several now-you-see-them-now-you-don't sales in the middle of the hottshotts hoard that disappeared so quickly I didn't have a chance to record prices. I note them here because they included two exceptional glasses that one sees perhaps once or twice in a lifetime, notable mainly for their condition, rarity, and for their value as display glasses.

The latter attribute is difficult to assign a dollar amount to, but these are glasses that would go into a pride-of-the collection display case and would be the very last to go when it came to sell.

 

Allerton Baltimore Rye, from Voneiff in Baltimore.	Glasner and Barzen's John Jay picture glass.

 

These glasses got me thinking about something we've never really discussed here at pre-pro - what do collectors consider to be the "best" pre-Pro glasses, and which are universal favorites? The Poohbah has four display cases, each of which hold around 60 glasses. The Poobah's collection is rather large, so these cases are reserved for the best of the best. When I look at these cases, there are several glasses that stand out as being Special in terms of esthetic appeal, and are ones that I would include on a list of the top ten pre-pro glasses of all time.

I put this list online - take a look. What would YOU include on your top ten list, and why? Drop me a line or post a description (no links please) in the chat room and maybe we can find some clear winners.

So what about a SOTW. With so many glasses to choose from, it was difficult to select just one. I was sorely tempted to pick a Happy Days Quencher from Con Keefe of Boston MA ( a bluroc win), but it has to be the Blue Bell from the hottshotts stash. It's a rare and attractive glass, although it probably would not make the top ten list.