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Vintage Glass Paperweights: Interesting Facts

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Stella Anderson
Vintage Glass Paperweights: Interesting Facts


Paperweights are beautiful, hand crafted objects which are often used for decoration in a home or office, or for their original purpose of weighting down letters or papers to ensure they don't blow away, but there are many other interesting facts about vintage glass paperweights that you may not know, so here are a few interesting facts.

Even though it may seem unlikely, there are situations where paperweights can endanger lives by starting fires. A simple paperweight in June 2010 caused the destruction of a family house worth £750,000; no one was wounded. Firefighters battled the blaze for five hours before discovering that a simple paperweight was to blame after an assessment.


A really terrible series of events indeed, the vintage glass paperweight was on display on a window sill and during a heat wave it concentrated the sun's beams onto a stack of books, igniting the fire.

Additionally, you might find it interesting to know that a paperweight forced the massive JFK airport to be evacuated in September 2008. The entire terminal was evacuated as a result of the airport staff believing they had spotted a suspicious object, and no flights were permitted to arrive at or depart from the terminal. When officials opened the "suspect" package, they found paperweights inside instead of the supposed items.


In reality, a paperweight was purchased shortly after Paul I, Tsar of Russia, who ruled from 1754 to 1801, passed away tragically in the 1800s. Paperweights were also utilized as decorative items by royalty during that period.

 A conspiracy was formed against the Tsar, or monarch as it could be more widely known now, and it resulted in his death when a chase broke out in his sleeping chambers. A gilded and bronze paperweight fell on him after the men chased him around the room till he slipped and fell.


We are all aware of the wide range of sizes and shapes that paperweights can take. Even the renowned jeweler Tiffany's produces specialty paperweights, like the limited-edition Star Wars Death Star engraved paperweight that was issued to coincide with the major motion picture. In this regard, paperweights are frequently collected things and are available in a wide range of subjects, from movies to paperweights in the manner of the World Cup; there is undoubtedly something for everyone.


Consequently, as you can see from these fascinating news stories, paperweights are not only lovely and attractive objects; they also have a lot of history and may be a wonderful discussion starter. They also make the ideal gifts, such as business paperweights for a co-worker.

 



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