A lovely and rare set of 8 Libbey "Kit Kat Cool Cat" glasses by artist Maida Armour. This magical set includes 4 highball glasses (4 female and 4 male). These glasses were designed by Maida Armour in the 1960s on Libbey glassware. These tumblers feature frosted glass with deep black and 22k gold enameled cats adorned with faux jewels. Truly a magical set.
A bit about this pattern/maker: The Libbey Glass Company has been manufacturing glassware since the 20th Century and is still producing high quality glassware today. Certain vintage Libbey glassware pieces (but not all of them, depending on the size and type of piece) is signed with a cursive “L” within a circle or ring. The mark actually appears backwards if viewed from outside of the glass, but it appears correctly when looking down through the inside. The Libbey Kit Kat Cool Cat glasses (by artist Maida Armour) remains one of their most sought after patterns.
Maker/pattern/era: Libbey (by Maida Armour), Kit Kat Cool Cat, early 1960s
Condition: Good vintage condition overall with mild/general signs of age. There are zero chips, nicks, or cracks. These glasses have been in a display cabinet for decades. A number of the jewels are no longer present (not uncommon with this pattern). This pattern came with jewels as well as without jewels. The jewels version would have jewels at the neck (4 for boys, 1 for girls) as well as at the ankle (1 for boys, 1 for girls). None of the male glasses have jewels in this set so we're not certain if they originally had jewels or were the jewel-less version.
We're pretty Type A about the exact vintage condition of our glassware, so here's a glass by glass summary:
Female glass 1 - No jewels are present but there's no missing jewel "spot" that can be seen (meaning it's fully gold there, no residue or gold loss)
Female glass 2 - One jewel present on the neck and there's no "missing jewel "spot" on the ankles
Female glass 3 - Both jewels present
Female glass 4 - One jewel present on the neck; there's no jewel on the ankle and you can see a small spot where it appears there once was a jewel
Male glasses 1 through 4: None have jewels and there are no "spots" where it appears there were jewels, therefore these male glasses might have been the "jewel-less" version
Other things to note: Two of the glasses have very subtle, minor dark scuffs (more like a thin line) that run horizontally (it's extremely subtle). On the black enamel for the cat shape on all glasses, there are subtle what look like "water marks" to the enamel. Subtle but again we like to be thorough. In short, this set is in good shape with minor age and wear and has been well-preserved. Cheers!
Please note: Mid Century glassware often has imperfections (i.e. tiny bubbles in the glass, or a tiny bit of residue where an extra bit of glue around the jewels when they were applied, the jewels are perfectly aligned, etc -- purely the nature of vintage glassware). In short, these vintage glasses are in very good vintage condition; have some missing jewels and minor/general wear. These glasses have been in a cabinet for decades and, overall, are in good vintage condition and display beautifully. Truly a magical set.
Hallmarks: There's a backward "L" on the bottom of each glass (when you're looking down inside the glass the "L" is facing the correct way).
Measurements: 7" tall
**On shipping: We take our packaging very seriously and carefully wrap all pieces well to ensure safe delivery. These glasses will be double-boxed and will require a signature receipt confirmation.
****Important to note pre-purchase: Buyers, please examine all photos carefully as we cannot accept returns due to the fragile nature (the possibility of breakage or damage when being shipped back) of our vintage/antique pieces. Our items are true vintage pieces that might have manufacturers flaws, flaws from age, or imperfections in general from being vintage. We try to explain the condition/description in an accurate and thorough manner but we ask that you please examine all photos carefully and ask all questions before purchasing an item as we are unable to accept returns due to the risk of breakage/damage.