THORPE FAKES, FORGERIES AND OTHER POST-THORPE OWNERSHIP ITEMS

While I have previously opined that the information provided previously regarding the new gold foil label that is appearing on new, mass-manufactured stuff were fake, I must admit the possibility that items bearing the gold foil label below are not authentic "Thorpe". Thorpe sold her interest in her company in 1953 following the death of her husband. I have not followed the ownership of Dorothy C. Thorpe, and I don't know anyone who has. Therefore, I must allow for the possibility that the most recent company to purchase Dorothy C. Thorpe, Inc., could be manufacturing glassware and ceramic pieces and using the gold foil label. While these new pieces and the pieces manufactured after Thorpe sold the company in 1953, are not "DOROTHY THORPE ORIGINALS" they are still, by definition, Dorothy C. Thorpe, Inc., pieces.

NEWEST DTC LABEL - CURRENT COMPANY OWNER UNKNOWN

Thorpe passed away September 4, 1989 in Carlsbad, California. Based on this revised information, it seems that Dorothy Thorpe only ever did floral and similar decorations which include the etched pieces such as coffee pots and trays that have lucite handles and bear the DTC logo. The company that purchased Dorothy C. Thorpe of California Inc., went on to produce Silver Band and other geometric and similar pieces.

All of the floral and etched decorations are referenced as "Dorothy Thorpe Originals" and by the time of her retirement, she was famous for her floral decorated glassware that was owned and displayed by celebrities, galleries and museums and sold in the finer department stores.

It has been suggested to me that the pieces below may have been experimental. I think that rather, they are the products and labels of the companiess that have either owned the company or had the rights (or not) to the company name and other companies that had nothing to do with Thorpe. Lucite is a material widely used from the '40s on. Just because a glass disk sits atop a coiled lucite base, does not make it's manufacturer Dorothy C. Thorpe.

As the San Fernando Valley, California site closed some time ago, and it is unknown whether the company who purchased DTC in 1953 later sold the company, it is unknown if the company using Dorothy C. Thorpe, Inc., is using it with or without license or permission. As "California" is not included in the name or labels, it may be unauthorized use of the name, it may be legal. However, it is not authentic Thorpe or Thorpe from the company that purchased DTC of CA in 1953 until they ceased production and sold or liquidated the company.

NEW "LUCITE TWIST" CAKE STAND

These started showing up a couple of years ago and popped up on eBay as Dorothy Thorpe. Amazingly, they were also available in retail stores ($29.95). Be very wary when you find something like this online. This is NOT Dorothy Thorpe.

These pieces are brand new, will always be in near mint condition to brand new with no damage, and have never been seen before 2005, long after Thorpe closed. These are pretty in their own right, but they aren't Dorothy Thorpe from any of the Thorpe companies. They were sold for as low as $19.95 in some stores and were and may still be available online.

SILVER FADE BARWARE

The piece above is genuine 100% authentic Dorothy C. Thorpe Allegro aka "Silver Band". The piece below is commonly (around 2003 started) being referred to as "Silver Fade" and is 100% NOT DOROTHY THORPE or any company that bought Thorpe. These pieces have been consistently advertised as Thorpe as "Silver Fade". None of the known Thorpe companies post-sale in 1955 manufactured "silver fade". That's a term somebody came up with to describe glassware probably made at one of the bigger Glass names in West Virginia and the region.

The "silver" in "Silver Band"(Trade name "Allegro") is actually sterling silver. On the line of glassware often confused for Silver Band is "Old Gold", which used Platinum for it's band. It is safe to polish Silver Band pieces with a cream polish and gentle rubbing.

FLORAL SAND BLAST ETCHED REPRODUCTIONS SHOWING UP

I picked this up at a thrift store a few years ago and posted it as a lousy repro of Thorpe's Eucalyptus cladocalyx. What this manufacturer has done to avoid outright infringement, is they have changed the type of species from cladocalyx to globulus. I have now seen 3 of these pop up on eBay, fortunately 2 of these sellers did not use Dorothy Thorpe in the Title. They did use them in the description as a possible maker. I always contact Sellers when I see errors. Most are appreciative, some aren't. Anyway, as these are now showing up sans labels, people who don't know and maybe some people who do, might list these as Oda or Thorpe. Take a good, hard look and remember - NOT THORPE, NOT ODA not even Grosz!

FAKE SIGNATURESHow pathetic is one who uses etching acid in an attempt to try to make anyone believe the signature on their item is actually the acid stamp used on the real deal? Pretty darn pathetic not to mention not legal (fraud). Below is an example of an attempted fake mark. Can you find the real mark?

Obviously, the mark on the bottom is not Thorpe. Even an adamant seller trying to convince a buyer who only has to compare it to other Thorpe marks can tell it's not legit. Even the marks on seconds are not this bad.

I emailed the seller, as I often do, and told her that the signature did not look to be authentic. This is one of those sellers that got defensive rather than curious so she told me it was the same mark that was on all marked Thorpe and that was that.

ANOTHER FAKE LABEL

Seen these yet? Sellers are swearing up and down that they came in boxes that said the same thing. No doubt. Rather than discuss what's wrong with this label, it would be less time consuming to discuss what's right with it: Nothing. Whoever made this "label" decided to play it as safe as possible so they left out "Inc.", "California", and any stylization that might bear even the slightest resemblance to anything done by any of the known Thorpe companies. Looks like an element from an old Selectric II huh? What was the name of that font??

I'm not going to let it drive me nuts, but if it were one of the "Dorothy Thorpe Originals", it would be properly labeled by the company who painted it. I'm not dissing the beauty of the painting, it's a nice representation of hydrangea. But I doubt there were many of these made; would you drink from a glass covered with paint that was on so thick you could actually taste the texture? I've seen it only on hand painted pieces from blanks that were also used by Dorothy C. Thorpe, Inc., post the original company which sold in 1953.

I really hope this guide has been helpful. My goal is to educate new collectors, revise information when it becomes available, and provide information for those seeking it.