Category Archives: Chase Chrome

Chase Blue Moon and Doric Cocktail Sets

The Blue Moon and Doric Cocktail Sets

1935 – 1941

The Chase Blue Moon Cocktail set.

Blue Moon Cocktail set, with shaker, cups and Ring Tray. From the collection of the author.

The Blue Moon and Doric Cocktail Shaker are some of the most desirable shakers for collectors of Chase or cocktail enthusiasts. These shakers and sets are not easy to find and do not show up at antique malls or flea markets often. It is online or at higher end antique shows where one will come across them.

 

 

Reichenbach's patent drawing for the Chase Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker.

Howard Reichenbach’s patent for the Chase Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker. Image from Google Patents.

 

Like the Chase Gaiety Cocktail shaker, the Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker is another Howard F. Reichenbach (American, 1902 – 1959) design. Hitting stores in late 1935, the shaker shows how much the streamline esthetic started to influence design by mid-decade. This is emphasized by the rows of speedlines at the shaker’s base and around the cap. The two steps of the cap culminated in a blue ball stopper. Very early models of the shaker had a blue glass stopper. Shortly, a blue Catalin stopper replaced the glass one. These two original stoppers also doubled as a jigger for making mixed drinks.

 

Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker stopper detail.

Detail: Blue Moon Cocktail Shaker Catalin stopper / jigger. Image from cocktailshakers.com.

 

With an original price of $4.00 ($85.25 in 2022) the Blue Moon shaker would have been in the higher price range for many consumers. This might explain the relative rarity of the shaker today. Before the end of 1935 Reichenbach’s shaker was paired with Harry Laylon’s  (American, 1911 – 1997) Blue Moon Cocktail Cups.

 

Harry Laylon's Blue Moon Cocktail Cups.

Harry Laylon’s Blue Moon Cocktail Cups for Chase. From the collection of the author.

Detail of the Centaur logo  on the Blue Moon cocktail cup.

Detail of Chase’s Centaur logo on the bottom of the Blue Moon cocktail cup. From the collection of the author.

These cocktail cups are classic Art Deco. The cobalt glass cup tops a polished chrome, conical base and the combination is striking. These cocktail cups are among the most popular collectible of the Chase specialty line.  Originally selling for $0.50 in the 1930s (equivalent to $10.66 in 2022) the reasonable price might explain why they are easily found at flea markets and antique stores today.

On one of his many thrift store outings, Chris found a bag of them at his local GoodWill. Six in all, he only paid a few dollars.

Completing the Blue Moon set was Laylon’s Ring Tray.

 

Chase Ring Tray.

Chase Ring Tray, 1936 -1942, designed by Harry Laylon. From the collection of the author.

This tray is not all that easy to find. And it is especially hard to find one that does not have a fair amount of surface scratching. Originally selling for $2.50 ($53.29 in 2022) this versatile tray it was used  with the Comet Coffee service and with a glass insert and the jam jar.

 

1930s Chase advertisement featuring the Doric Cocktail set.

Late 1930s Chase magazine advertisement featuring the Doric Cocktail set in the upper left corner. Image from ebay.com.

Sometime in late 1936 or early 1937 the Blue Moon set became the Doric Cocktail set. A ribbed, plastic stopper replaced the ball one. New cups were designed for the set and the color white was offered along with blue on the stopper and cup bases. By the late 1930s the price of the shaker had risen to $5.00 ($105.06 in 2022) and the new cups were selling for $0.75 each ($15.76 in 2022). And the entire set sold for a hefty $12.50 ($262.66 in 2022).

 

These new cocktail cups match the Doric Shaker very well. Encircling the bottom of the chrome up are the same style speed lines that are on the shaker. And the plastic bases have ribbing that matches the shaker stopper.

 

Chase Doric Cocktail Cups, chrome with blue plastic base.

Chase Doric Cocktail Cups with blue plastic base. From the collection of the author.

At the beginning of this post, I said this is a hard to find set. And when you do find one, expect to pay a good deal for it. And whether it’s a Blue Moon or Doric set in white or blue, it doesn’t seem to affect the price on the collector’s market.

 

The complete Doric Cocktail set in blue.

Complete Doric Cocktail set in blue. Image from ebay.com.

 

The price of complete sets in good to excellent condition seem to fall in the $250.00 – $700.00 range. But I’ve seen some for sale that go much higher. One set, currently for sale online is asking $1,280.00. But it is in never-used, mint condition and with its original boxes. The shaker alone usually falls in the $75.00 – $400.00 price range. The prices for the Blue Moon cocktail cups are all over the place and they usually sell anywhere from $10.00 to $25.00 or $30.00 a cup. At the publishing time of this post, no Doric Cups are available on their own, only as part of a complete set or with a shaker. Within the last year I purchased a set of four for $40.00, but I realize now that is an unusual find.

 

The Chase Doric set in white.

A white Chase Doric Cocktail Set. Image from vintageswank.com.

Driving for Deco will continue with more Chase drinking and cocktail accessories in a future blogpost.

Happy Hunting,

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

SOURCES

The Complete Chase – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

The Chase Era 1933 and 1942 Catalogs of the Chase Brass & Copper Co. – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

Chase Catalogs 1934 and 1935 Catalogs – Donald-Brian Johnson & Leslie Piña

Art Deco Chrome Book 2: A Collector’s Guide Industrial Design in the Chase Era – Richard J. Kilbride

 

Chase Speciality Line

Chase Brass & Copper logo.

Chase Brass & Copper logo. Image from a 1934 advertisement.

As mentioned at the end of our “There’s no place like Chrome” Driving For Deco post, even though I collected Art Deco pieces, actively acquiring chrome items came later. In 1999 I purchased a Chase Bubble Cigarette Holder for $3.00.

 

Chase Chrome Bubble Cigarette Server.

The Chase Bubble Cigarette Server, available from 1937-1941. From the collection of the author.

Getting that first piece started a trickle of other chrome items. Within a few years the trickle became a flood. And since I now was looking, there seem to be Chase pieces everywhere.

Chrome, with its clean, cold look, appeals to my “Deco aesthetic” and the chrome items look great on my cobalt mirror tables.

 

Chase Blue Moon Cocktail set.

Chase Blue Moon Cocktail set on my coffee table.

 

Chase Antelope ashtray on blue mirror top table.

My Chase chrome and glass Antelope Ash Receiver on one of my blue glass tables.

Another nice feature of Chrome is it does not tarnish, so unlike silver it will never need polishing. During the 1930s lots of companies sold chrome items. But one company stood out from the others, not only in terms of quality but also in the variety of products. And that was the Chase Brass and Copper Company.

Henry Sabin Chase founded the Chase Brass & Copper Co. of Waterbury Connecticut in 1876. Soon after opening the company became one of the leading manufactures of industrial brass products in the United States. In 1929 the company became a subsidiary of Kennecott Utah Copper. The same year Chase opened business offices at 10 East 40th Street in Manhattan. In honor of being the first tenant the building became known as the Chase Tower.

 

The Chase Tower on January 8, 1930.

The Chase Tower at 10 East 40th Street, New York City. Photo by Samuel H. Gottscho taken on January 8, 1930. From the collection of mcny.org.

 

During the 1930s to say that the economy was bad is an understatement.  The Great Depression put a strangle hold on business. Needing to reach new customers some companies reinvented themselves. As for Chase Brass & Copper this meant starting a whole new division. By adapting items like brass pipes and toilet tank floats into vases and syrup jugs, in 1932 the Chase Specialty line was born. High quality products at reasonable prices set the standard in this new industry. A stable of designers, in house and from outside, created these very modern items.

 

During the Specialty Line’s early production a copper finish on items predominated. But once Chase perfected their Chrome plating process, that became the most popular. And while many companies offered chromium plated items, their finishes were plated over rustable metals, such as steel. This lead to pieces becoming pitted and the thin veneer chrome wore off over time. Chase chose to use brass or copper, both non-rustable, as their base metal. Then nickel plating applied before finally applying a heavy coating of Chrome. As a result many Chase products look as good today as they did in the 1930s.

 

Gerth & Gerth's Four Tube Bud Vase for Chase.

The Chase Four Tube Bud Vase in chrome and copper and brass, designed by the husband and wife team of Gerth & Gerth. From the author’s collection.

 

The Four Tube Bud Holder, pictured above, is a perfect example of adaptive use. Thin pipes of varying lengths were transformed into an ultra-modern piece. The main tube rising from the ringed circular base had the smaller tubes attached to it. Credit for this piece goes to the husband and wife team of William and Ruth Gerth. In reality it is most likely the creation of Ruth Gerth alone. Part of the Specialty Line for its entire run, it retailed for $1.25. Today the Four Tube Bud Holder is one of the more common pieces of Chase on the collector’s market.

 

Ruth Gerth in the 1940s, after the demise of the Chase Specialty line.

Ruth Gerth in the 1940s. Photo from eichlernetwork.com.

Another pre-1933 Gerth and Gerth Chase piece is the Dinner Gong. Unlike the Four Tube Bud Holder, the Dinner Gong is not easy to find. Discontinued in 1933 its production life was only about a year or so. Available in copper or chrome it has a book value of about $160.00.

 

The copper version of the Chase Dinner Gong.

Gerth and Gerth’s 1932 Dinner Gong and striker. From the collection of the author.

 

With The Glow Lamp of 1933, one can see Ruth Gerth’s transformation of a toilet float into a charming little lamp. Offered in copper, chrome or combination of half copper and white paint or chrome with black paint. Retailing for $1.25 ($26.00 in 2021) for copper or $1.50 ($31.00 in 2021) for chrome, they stayed in production until the late 1930s.

 

The Chase Glow Lamp by Ruth Gerth.

Ruth Gerth’s Glow Lamp for Chase. From the collection of the author.

 

German immigrant, Walter Von Nessen, made his name by creating very modern lamps. Hired by Chase in the early 1930s, his designs for the company became some of their best selling items.

Walter Von Nessen in the 1930s.

Walter Von Nessen in the 1930s. Photo from Modernism.com

And like Ruth Gerth, Von Nessen readapted ordinary pieces in the Chase inventory to create strikingly modern items, like the Taurex Candleholders. For these Von Nessen took an ordinary curved pipe mounted and mounted it on a circular base.

 

Walter Von Nessen's Chase Taurex Candleholder, even style.

Walter Von Nessen’s even Taurex Candleholder. From the author’s collection.

The two style of the Taurex candleholders, even and uneven, introduced in 1933 were the most popular in the Chase specialty line. Like most pieces in the line they were finished in chrome and copper. The chrome must have been more popular as those are found more easily on the collectors market. This is also true of the uneven version, which Chase kept in production up to 1939. The even style was discontinued in 1936.

 

The Uneven Taurex Candleholder.

Chase’s Uneven Taurex Candleholder by Walter Von Nessen. From the collection of the author.

During the first couple of years of the Chase Specialty Line, Von Nessen designed a series of bookends. And like the Taurex candleholders, he created strikingly modern or whimsical pieces from the Chase inventory of pipes, rivets, ball bearings and other items. Because of their short production life, most of these bookends were discontinued in 1933.  Today they are hard to find and command premium prices. And rank high on my  Chase most wanted list.

Whimsical Bookends

Architectural Bookends

 

 

By 1933 chrome plating over took the copper and brass finishes and the Specialty Line really began to take off. Chase greatly expanded the line during the 1930s. Driving For Deco will be taking a look at the different aspects of the Chase Specialty Line in future posts.

Anthony & Chris (The Freakin’, Tiquen’ Guys)

SOURCES

CHASE COMPLETE: Johnson, Donald-Brian & Pina, Leslie; A Schiffer Book

ART DECO CHROME BOOK 2: Kilbride, Richard J.; Jo-D Books

THE CHASE ERA: Johnson, Donald-Brian & Pina, Leslie; A Schiffer Book