Imperial Paperweight

By Don and Barb Chamberlain

As I was perusing Facebook several weeks ago, I ran across something that caught my attention. Don Leininger had posted what I believe he said was his only piece of carnival glass. It had been handed down in his family. I wrote to him to ask permission to use his photos, which he gave me.

Don Chamberlain wrote this about the Imperial Paperweight/Change Tray in the December 2010 edition of The Carnival Pump:

“Found only in purple and listed as rare, this piece is referred to as a change tray in documents from Imperial’s archives. It is commonly referred to as the Imperial Paperweight by carnival glass collectors, so that is how I have listed it. With the top indented as it is, it makes sense that its purpose was to hold something such as change or paperclips. Weighing in at around one pound, it is five and one-half inches by three and one-eighth inches by one inch thick. It carries all of the company’s known trademarks. The top of the piece bears the Nucut, NuArt and the Imperial Cross, which has the letters of Imperial divided into four quadrants of the cross. The front has Imperial Glass Company, Bellaire, Ohio, USA. The back is marked Imperial Art Glass.

The paperweight was possibly made around 1921 for the 20th anniversary of the company’s founding. There is speculation that this may have been made for a select number of employees or stockholders. Another theory is that it was a souvenir produced for visitors to the factory.”

The “normal” Imperial Paperweight/Change Tray shown in purple above was courtesy of Seeck Auctions.

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Now we know the rest of the story. Don Leininger has a marigold paperweight/change tray. While the purple pieces are not found often, this appears to be the first or only marigold piece known. The marigold Imperial paperweight/ change tray is the same size and shape as the purple.

The marigold Imperial Paperweight/Change Tray, furnished by Don Leininger, is shown above. This is the only known marigold Imperial Paperweight. What a great piece to own!

This article first appeared in the ICGA Pump in the December 2017 issue and is reprinted with permission.