A new cast iron flamingo bottle openers is appearing in many online auction sites. The new piece is somewhat similar to two vintage originals, but not an exact copy of either. Originals were made by John Wright Co. and Wilton Products both of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. The vintage Wilton opener is shown at right. Wright and Wilton pieces are virtually identical and the differences between the new opener and both originals are the same.

The use of came, a lead strip with a groove or channel to hold the glass, is the oldest method of making leaded glass (Fig. 1) It was developed hundreds of years ago and is the basic technique used in the leaded windows of Medieval cathedrals.

This cast iron record holder in cast iron featuring Nipper, the RCA mascot, is a fantasy item. No piece in this shape was ever made. It was apparently copied from a plaster fake of the same shape (below).

The copper foil technique is a relatively modern method in the centuries old practice of making leaded glass. It dates from about 1880. Although widely attributed specifically to the workshops of LC Tiffany, it was a general evolution developed by many glass artisans working in the last quarter of the 19th century.

These 20-inch new cast brass andirons copy the linear organic designs that bridge Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts. Such designs were popular from the end of the 19th century through WW I, especially in Britain. This new set is currently selling for $150 in a mail order catalog. Similar originals can easily sell for $1,000 and up; much more if the set can be linked to a well-known designer or traced to a house or office by a famous architect.

This new lemonade jar copies the look of similar originals used in restaurants and other commercial locations ca. 1940-1960s.

Copper foil copies of vintage Tiffany lamp shades are being imported from China. The first shade to appear was a pattern commonly referred to as Acorn by collectors, but listed in original Tiffany literature as Vine Border or Vine Leaf.

Americas back roads were once forested with colorful homemade signs hawking everything from farm produce to lodgings, local sights to cheap cafes and gasoline.

A series of low-cost new badges look very similar to expensive vintage originals. These new badges are made of solid copper with an antiqued silver finish. Unlike other reproduction badges, these pieces are die-struck, not cast. Western Badges - Abilene, Tombstone, Laredo, Cheyenne. Railway , Pony Express and sheriff badges.

A new method of decorating ceramics is being found on recently examined reproductions. The new method can essentially decorate the entire object with one transfer. This technique eliminates almost all hand decoration by semiskilled workers and allows virtually unskilled workers to complete the decoration of an entire object.