Calling Time on Guinness
By Roy Senior

During the last few weeks I have had a great number of calls relating to the toucan wall plaque produced by Carltonware. This is a very rare piece. I know of only three in the country, and one of these has undergone a major repair. Suddenly they are everywhere and all supposedly genuine, it seems that the breeding season has got well and truly underway and the result is hundreds of toucans flying about. Well, I must inform all that this item definitely was reproduced, and in great profusion. I have not seen a genuine one for well over six years, and that was in a highly reputable antique shop in Church Street, Marylebone, London. Every one I have seen since has been a fake. But what concerns me most of all is that I have been offered one recently for £500 from a telephone caller who wouldn't give me his name or his number. He was giving me an "hour or two" to think about it, then he would get back to me. Needless to say, he made no further contact!
So, be wary, don't get caught out, it could be a very expensive mistake. Insist on seeing the article before making any commitment and familiarise yourself with what to look for.

As with all other reproduction Carlton Guinness items, colour is the only giveaway. Here is a comprehensive guide to help you detect fake from fame. The base of the glass must be painted in a delicate shade of eau-de-nil. Or if you like, a watery shade of green. (Eau-de-Nil, in fact means water of the Nile, but not having seen the Nile, I can't guarantee this).
The toucan's feet will be green and black in colour, probably striped, but as these figures are all hand painted there is often a variation in the finer detail here. However, the prominent colour should still be green. The harp and the word "Guinness" are transfer printed in gold underneath the glaze and the head of froth on the glass is a good half-inch thick. A genuine piece will often have some crazing to the glaze and it will be more prominent on the head of the froth. The colours on the chest of the bird will be white, fading to yellow then brilliant orange, as will the lower section of the beak on the bill. The upper beak is yellow. The eye is a work of art, a black pupil with a red iris and a white dash over the two to give him extra sparkle. Finally the base of the tail will have a flash of bright signal red. There is no mistaking this colour, it is a colour that was common in Guinness advertising in the 1950s. So armed with all this information there is no need to throw money away; good hunting.

0ne or two queries about the little rubber toucan with the glass of Guinness on his beak (see picture above). I know from experience that this glass of Guinness is nearly always missing, but even so it is a very nice piece, and should be in every collection. The main question is, can one easily make a replacement for the glass, or do I know of anyone who has got one? The answer to the second part of the question is - No - I don't, but yes, you can easily make up something that looks very much like a glass. Most tubes of glue have a top that is very similar in shape. If you paint this black and fill it in with some sort of tissue paper, paint this white you will have a very convincing glass of Guinness. Now fix this to the beak with super glue, and your figure is complete.

A lot of Guinness collectors are very fond of clocks and there are many around. At most fairs you will see one or two and they can also be picked up fairly easily from antique centres. My particular favourites are the plate glass ones with the light fitting above. These are always electric and they look super when working. The light shines through the glass and gives a fascinating effect that is best seen in a dark room. I would say that my favourite clock of all is one that I have only recently acquired. This is made of Bakelite and is white, about six inches high by seven inches wide and once again a couple of inches deep. It is completely original and still works. The movement is mains electric and it even has the original cloth covered rubber wires and brown Bakelite plug. The hands and numbers are gold and the words "Guinness Time" are in red. This clock dates from the early '30s. It is one of those "Never seen another" things and worthy of a place of honour in any collection.

Just when I thought I had seen all the Stilton pots, another one turns up. The picture, which is on both sides of the pot, shows a seated lady and two standing gentlemen in a lavishly decorated drawing room. Each man has a glass of Guinness in his hand. It is made by Carlton, as are six other pots in my collection. Two feature different verses. The first is:

Sing a song of Stilton
What a charming thought
Add a glass of Guinness
- You know you ought.

And the other:

No cheese in all the world
Till Guinness came
Ever found a partner
Quite the same.

I am told there is a third one featuring a picture of a lady and a gentleman seated at a table, feasting, and both drinking a glass of Guinness. I have yet to see this one.

The various fairs that I have attended over the past three months have turned up very little in the way of rare items. There is a severe shortage of good pieces whatever line of collecting you are in, and Guinness is no exception. At Leatherhead bottle fair on 4 October, the best piece was a rectangular tray, featuring the seal and the zookeeper, but this was in only average condition. There was a toucan lamp, complete with the circular shade that Guinness authorised to be reproduced about three years ago, and a set of repro flying toucans accompanied by an equally repro large toucan ornament. These latter items also surfaced at Aylesbury and once again went unsold. Also at Aylesbury I saw another toucan lamp which sold within the first few minutes. There was also a complete seal lamp that changed hands so quickly that I never even saw it! Also there was the rare rubber Draught Guinness Penguin, one of my favourite pieces, and one or two of the Carltonware zoo series figurines. And to make your eyes water one way or another the large "Alice" pocket watch was on sale with a price tag of £800.

Happy hunting!

Article printed with kind permission of ‘Collectors Mart’ Magazine.