Question & Answer Page

Q. Hi, I was at an auction recently and purchased a box lot of old dishes and stuff and this flower frog? was in the box, I was curious about the age and really know little about these. it has some sort of mark on the bottom, like a fish or something. Thanks much, Jane

A. 2/5/10. I have not seen this lady or mark before. If anyone knows anything let us know! BB. ffg@bullworks.net

Mark on bottom of flower frog.

Q. What an interesting website you have! I have an art deco (?) amber frosted lady figure flower frog and bowl which was my mothers. I have searched the internet and have not found anything like it and would love to know more about it if possible. The lady was present throughout my childhood, sitting on the side board, but I do not know her origins. Kathy Shand

A. 1/30/2010. Your flower frog is Czechoslovakian. The design dates to the 1930s, however, this item was still being made as late as 1986.

 Q. Hello! I was hoping you could tell me if you've seen another flower frog like this and if you know who made it? It's 4" l. x 3"w. with 6 holes and looks very old. Thank You! K. Shirley

A.6/20/08.Your fish flower frog was made by Brush-McCoy. It appeared in their catalog as early as 1915. It is usually marked “063.” BB.

 Q. Hello flower lady, I was wondering if you could help me …I’m am very curious about this flower frog, the figure alone stands from toe to top of head 15 inches total height of almost 18, she has no marks,could you please help me in discovering who she is…she seems rare and my first frog….thank you lauri

A. 6/30/05. I do not think I have seen this one before. It is a very interesting piece. If anyone knows anything let us know. BB.

Q. Why are they called frogs?

A. 1/3/05 (BB) I get asked this question a lot, so I have decided to put it on the Question and Answer Page. Here's the answer:

The introduction to my book has a longer explanation, but in short it seems to be a slang term which was in common use by the 1940s. Company catalogs never referred to the items as frogs. They were flower holders, arrangers, or blocks. Only rarely did the term "frog" occur in a patent. Best guess-- The metal holders sit in water like a frog. BB

 Q. Hi. I acquired this beautiful flower frog a couple months ago. It is porcelain and has some faint numbers on the bottom but they are very hard to read. I cannot find any other markings. It stands about 5 1/2" high and 5 3/4" diameter at the base. Anyone have any ideas??

A. 11/20/04. I have not seen this one before. It is a fascinating piece. If anyone knows anything let us know. BB.

Q. I recently purchased a clear glass flower frog. It is about four inches round and has thirteen holes. ... It also has "Pat'd April 11,1916." ... I would appreciate any information you could give me on this.

A. 9/21/04. April 11, 1916 is the patent date that appears on Cambridge flower blocks. It is for the "method of making flower holders" so it is not specific to just one flower block. There is a separate design patent for the figural frogs. View Patent. BB.

Q. I just purchased your flower frog book, and I love it! I am a new collector and need some help identifying a frog. It is just like the sundial in your book but has a glass ball on top of it. It is very cool, but is it fake?

A. 1/4/04. Your flower frog with globe is not a fake. It was patented in 1931 by the same designer as the sundial flower holder - G. Holzworth. Des. 85,697. View Patent. BB.

 Q. I just found your great web site. May I avail of your Q&A talents? My mother has a lily flower frog with six holes. It is ceramic (nothing on bottom) with green glaze showing some brown glaze. The bottom is unglazed. Thank you, Jan Silver, Washington, DC.

A. 3/30/03. I think you are talking about the Fulper lily pad leaf, but more description would help clarify this. Diameter? Height? Picture? BB.

Jan sent a picture and it definitely looks like the Fulper lily pad. The color is a little pale, however. BB.

Q. I am trying to identify a tortoiseshell-color glass flower frog. It is in the round shape of the Williams Sonoma brand sold in 1984 with 19 holes but it is not made in France. It is marked made in England patent 7830/1910 on the bottom. Any information regarding age and value is appreciated. Thank you. 

A. 2/9/03. Your flower frog was made by Davidson & Co. of England. The dome-shaped block was patented in 1910. The mottled or swirled glass pattern is known as Cloud Glass. The pattern was introduced by Davidson in the early twenties, but it was made for many years. BB.

Q. Please help! Silver stork flower frog? The stork stands at 4 1/2" tall, the diameter is 3". It has tubes for flower stems. We had a collector of fine antique silver look at it and he said that it is made of fine silver. he noticed marking of 17 over 9 and also a number 800. His guess was that it is European and was made for someone's anniversary for those years 1854 to 1879. The letters ERF are possibly who it was made for. The marking on the under side is 1854 ERF 1874, also 17 over 9 and the number 800. The stork is designed with great detail. Please give any information. Thanks, R. Wilson.
Enlarged View

A. 2/9/03. I've never seen this piece before and it is a worthy piece. I have seen a tub-shaped tin flower holder with tubular spouts dated c.1840. So the dates are possible, but I must say to look at it I can't imagine it being made before 1920. BB

Anyone else familiar with this piece?

Q. I am interested to find out why a flower frog is called a frog. I have looked every where to find a logical answer and have had no luck. Can you put some light on the subject? Thank you, Kathy

A. 1/17/03. The introduction to my book has a longer explanation, but in short it seems to be a slang term which was in common use by the 1940s. Company catalogs never referred to the items as frogs. Only rarely did the term occur in a patent. Best guess-- The metal holders sit in water like a frog.

 Q. I recently obtained a yellow pottery flower frog with 17 holes on top and 7 holes on the sides. There are also 17 holes on the bottom. It is made of pottery and the top and the bottom is separated by about 1 3/4". It is not molded and looks to be hand thrown. I believe the clay is red. It may be Catalina or Bauer or other California pottery, but I cannot find it in my books. It is 2 1/4" high, base is 4 1/8" across and the upper portion (where the side holes are) is 3 3/8" across. The holes are in a very well patterned format. If you can help, I sure would appreciate it. Thanks, Jack Griffin

A. 7/16/02. I've never seen this piece before if anyone out there is familiar with it let us know. BB.

Q. I recently purchased an ivory glazed frog which is marked on the bottom "Roseville U.S.A. 43". I've looked through all my Roseville books and can't find it, nor is it in Bonnie's book. It is about 3 1/2" tall and 3 3/4" diameter. Has 20 holes and a leaf pattern with 3 points out the top. I believe it to be an ivory glaze but some other pattern.
Appreciate any help you can give. Ann. Click to view photos.

A. 12/27/01. Dear Ann: Since I have not seen this piece before and Mark Bassett (author of Roseville Pottery) has it listed on his website as an unknown piece, I contacted Mark about it. This is his answer: "Your friend is absolutely right. This is a Roseville piece I've never seen. The pattern is Ivory, and the shape was made in 1941. It might come in a mottled green glaze too, in which case it would be called Crystal Green."

Visit Mark Basset's Website

Q. I just learned what flower frogs about a month ago and would like any info you could email thanks. Ilah

A. 12/24/01. You can visit my website at www.flowerfrog.com. The website has lots of information on flower frogs. Also, you'll find my book on flower frogs described on the home page...just click on "New and Noteworthy." That should pretty much supply you with all the information I have on flower frogs. --Bonnie

Q. I have a flower frog that is floral, with a brown handle, the surface is somewhat bumpy, definitely handmade. Markings on the bottom are as follows:
"fzi grahito e dipihto a namo." There is a "w" on the left side of the markings. Any info greatly appreciated.

A. 12/17/01. It appears to be Italian, but I leave further identification up to all of you out there. --Bonnie

Q.  Hi -I have a metal frog marked, "No. 43 L.A. Dazey Manufacturing Co. N. Y." There is no patent number on it. Can you date this frog by the fact that it says "N. Y.", and that is marked by a number, that is "No. 43"? If you could respond quickly I'd appreciate it. Thanks, D. Baldessari.

A. 12/03/01. Dazey made a wide variety of metal flower frogs and many of them have
numbers on them, they are the "model" number. Although Dazey was located in California they were incorporated in the state of New York in 1942.

Q. I have a green depression glass frog and it does not glow like other green depression glass. I was wondering if you knew if if some of the old depression glass flogs glowed or not. Thanks, Lisa

A. 11/11/01. The following is a quote from my book. It is the caption for a picture that shows a glowing green glass round.

Glass with uranium dioxide content glows when illuminated by a black (ultraviolet) light. Most green Depression Glass will glow as shown here; but, traditionally, Vaseline Glass refers to a yellow-green glass made from the 1880s to the 1920s. Although radioactive, the emissions are so slight they are not dangerous.

For more about my book select "New and Noteworthy" on my home page at www.flowerfrog.com

Q. I recently was given a black glass flower frog in the shape of an elephant. His body is hollow, and his back has holes in it and lifts off. He's approx. 7" long with an upraised trunk. I'm told he's very valuable. I'm curious as to who made him, his approx. age, and of course, his value. Thanks, Teri.

A. 10/17/01. Dear Teri: Your elephant was made by Co-Operative Flint Glass Company. In 1927 the company issued a large and small elephant with a flower frog insert lid in crystal, transparent colors and black. The small elephant has been reissued, but not with a flower frog lid and the original lid does not fit the reissue. It is worth over $100. This answer was taken from my book Flower Frogs for Collectors which can be purchased by using the order form at this url: http://www.bullworks.net/ffg/ffordfrm.html

To learn more about the book visit http://www.bullworks.net/ffg/ffbkdsc/ffbkdsc.html

Response: Hi Bonnie, Thanks so much for the info and the speed in which you responded. I did just order your book from a friend that has an antique shop and gets books for the store. I did not know that you were the author. I can't wait to receive it. Thank you again. Teri

Q. Bonnie - I have been collecting flower frogs for nearly ten years. I had heard there are flower frogs made from milk glass. I have been to many antique stores/flea markets and have never seen any. Have you seen such a thing and if so do you know where I may acquire one? Bev Davidson

A. 10/10/01. Dear Bev: Yes, there are flower frogs made of milk glass. Fenton made its September Morn Nymph in milk glass. She was introduced to the Fenton line in 1928 and was still being produced in the early 1940s. The nymph was on a peg and fit into the center hole of a 2.75"d. flower block. The block had 7 additional holes for flowers. The center hole also held a candle and in the 1940s was used to hold a lily shaped epergne. In 1990 a Fenton Rosalene Nymph and milk glass flower frog with beaded edge (3.75"d., 5 holes plus center hole for nymph) was made for the Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America. You can search for these items on ebay.com. --Bonnie.

4/28/02. From Pam Ochs at http://www.classicsantiques.com -- "L.E. Smith and Westmoreland also made milk glass flower frogs, but they are extremely scarce. In 30 years I've only found 3 examples."

6/13/03: From Jennifer Meyers (JMeyers@adolor.com): I have a Japana milk glass frog like the one in your book. [marked PAT JAN 31 1905]

11/9/03: From Dflowerladie@aol.com: The main reason I am writting is to say we have a milk glass dome shaped flower frog with PAT JAN 31 1905 in a circle on the bottom. [Japana]