This week on eBay there is a vintage Story & Clark Upright Piano like the one on I Love Lucy –see it on eBay here – we looked at a similar one before in a previous post HERE
Upright Piano Like Ricky and Lucy’s
Category Archives: Piano
We Love Lucy’s Charleton Mantel Lusters
Peter writes :
The pair of mantle lusters or lustres are found on top of the piano. As you know they are seen practically from the beginning and up until the Ricardos move to the country. I actually was able to purchase a set identical to the ones used on the show, so I’m selling the other set I have. The only difference is the color. Here’s the listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/161471370240
The ones on the show were a green color with silver painted ovals on the crown and base. Attached is a photo of what the real ones looked like. Also, one of them has a sticker on the inside that says Charleton.
What little research I’ve done on these is that they were often found in homes of high society. Almost like a status symbol, which is interesting because they made it appear as though the Ricardo’s were just average Joes. Of course some lusters are way more extravagant, whereas these are fairly plain. They are often referred to as “mantle lusters” because they can usually be found on top of the fireplace mantle to reflect the light from the hanging crystals.”
Thanks again to Peter for sharing a great find with us.
The Charleton line of decorated ceramics was produced by Abels, Wasserberg & Co. (AWCO) from the 1940’s. They
purchased undecorated items (blanks), from various glass and ceramic manufacturers and employed a team of decorators who hand decorated the pieces with designs of flowers, fruit,
landscapes, and other patterns and also decorated china and glass items for Fenton and other lines. To identify the Charleton range, an embossed label when present indicates “Charleton Hand Decorated” plus a hand written serial/stock number, and in print the letters AWCO as seen in the example pictured above.
A photo from an exhibit you can see to the right a glimpse of a mantel luster prop like the one on “I Love Lucy” but with shorter crystals.
Update: The luster in the picture from Flickr is an actual original prop from “I Love Lucy” per comment below.
Click Here for Mantel Lusters currently available on eBay
Reference:
- http://www.glasshousenc.com/ Charleton line from Abels, Wasserberg & Co. (AWCO)
- Peter’s eBay listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/161471370240
Lucy & Ricky’s Upright Piano
Recently on eBay I came across the same model piano as the upright piano on the set of the Ricardo’s apartment on the “I LOVE LUCY” TV show, for sale by eBay seller “909jordan“. It is a Story & Clark Spinet piano serial # 207633 circa 1950 pictured below.
The spinet piano was made smaller than the traditional upright piano using a different mechanism to produce the sound due to the smaller size, resulting in some loss of sound quality and dynamics. Continue reading Lucy & Ricky’s Upright Piano