victorian pictorial paperweight

I have had a couple of enquiries recently from readers wanting to know about their Victorian Pictorial paperweights.  There is not a lot of information about these around. Here is my understanding:

Originally these paperweights were cheap souvenirs, just like the holiday souvenirs you can buy today.  They were made by attaching a picture ( originally a lithograph) to the base of the glass weight and then sealing this with a layer of paper. Later the Lithograph was replaced by a photograph or a print . Occasionally you might come across a hand painted example but this would be quite rare.

How can you tell the age of these souvenier paperweights?

I like to look at the scene its self. What are the people wearing? Are there any cars in the picture? If there is a famous landmark in the picture you can consider the date the landmark was built.  A colour photograph will be 20th century as will any souvenir paperweight made of resin rather than glass.

What are these souvenir paperweights worth?

These currently do not fetch a lot of money from £5 upwards to about £25. The value will depend on factors such as : age ( Victorian worth more than 20th century if all other factors are equal), Shape of the paperweight ( round is usual less common shapes may be worth a little more, rarity and desirability of the scene) Very importantly the condition of the picture – many of these have wear to the picture which can greatly reduce the price.

Care of your Pictorial Paperweight 

Do not use water on these are you will ruin the picture. If necessary a wipe over the glass with a soft cloth taking great care with the base or the picture will come off!

Victorian pictorial paperweights are interesting pieces of social history and would make a great collection. How about trying to find ones of places you have visited? My opinion is that these are worth collecting for the future as they are currenly undervalued.

pictorial paperweight on serpentine base