Per and Amund have completed their first day's travel, and are now taking it easy, and preparing for their first day of historical float exploration. To actually go to the famous Aasnes and Namsos Glasswork sites is the stuff that float dreams are made of. I truly hope that they have a great night's rest, and an amazing day tomorrow that includes at least two of the N or NN marked floats, and some enlightening historical information to be added to the knowledge being compiled.
Lately, I've had amber floats on my mind. Caicos Bob said that he wanted to try for one of the Ebay float auctions, even though the float was not amber. He reignited my personal passion for adding bown/amber marked floats to the collection. I've been fortunate to have a few, and always wonder if there are examples existent of grooved eggs, 3 Crossed Fish, GW, F-numbered, FGC's, etc.?
Today at the Viking Antique Show on Long Beach Island, I met a seller who had a beautifully netted NW3. I was interested in it because of the mark and the netting. When I inquired about it, he told me that it was not for sale, and was only for decorating the shells surrounding it. We talked a bit, and he told me that he purchased an old and dirty box of 10 floats at an earlier antique show in Tuckerton, N.J. All of the floats were Northwestern, and most were netted. He agreed to check out the blog, and to get in touch with me for a visit to his house one day. Hopefully he will.
I find it very interesting that a number of Northwestern Glass Co. floats have surfaced here in New Jersey. I have written material concerning the use of glass floats in Northern N.J., and have found a few small NWGCo. floats here in Southern N.J. So far I have learned of that company's floats having been used in Southern and Northern N.J., and north in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. I wonder about their use in the states between?
Last year I was in contact with a bottle collector here in Southern N.J., who asked me if I knew of glass float production in the area. So far there has been no evidence of glass float production at any of the many many glass factories which operated in this area. The history of Southern N.J. is rife with glass companies and their productions, but nothing about floats. It seems as if the floats used mostly for Herring, Shad, perhaps Bluefish, Striped Bass, and others here in N.J., were imported from the West Coast. I have yet to find a standard Corning float that was used here even though Corning, N.Y. is not that far from the Jersey Coast. There are two of the massive 50" Corning floats for sale on LBI. They were purchased from a seller who found them in Canada.
Per's last email today is as follows:
Hi Tom!
Our first stay for one night. We will stay for the night in a place
named Oppdal. We have a great room and a planned visit to a Chinese restaurant for a meal.
Destination tomorrow is the Aasnes Glasswork area, and the >N mark area
Namsos. We have agreed to turn left toward the coastal area for a visit
into mid-Norway glass float factory areas, and to avoid the main highways.
A few ferries more, and we will arrive at the last car ferry approx 45
minutes from our cabin and destination.
Take good care!
Per and Amund
Attached is the photo of Per's beautiful expedition vehicle, and the building they are spending the night in. You guys have a delicious dinner, and a well-earned rest. Tomorrow...Good Luck!!
P.S. Found a very interesting comment to yesterday's post about the expedition, from David Schneider who writes: www.OdysseySeaGlass.com. Sea glass collecting attracts many beachcombers, and is an interesting topic. I recommend that readers take a look at David's blog, and do some research about Sea Glass. If you look at sites for flotsam and jetsam, etc. you might be surprised at what you can find that also pertains to glass fishing floats.
P.S.S. The article that David Schneider writes of concerning a 3-part series on glass fishing floats, is a wonderful article that I ran across a month or two ago. The article is a terrific interview with Stu Farnsworth, and is not only a great read, but a fitting tribute to a friend, a great collector and an inspiration to all of us. Definitely check it out.
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