It is a pleasure to introduce the 1998 Perthshire Collection and Limited Editions. This year’s collection typifies the fact that everyone at Perthshire is involved in the production process as it truly was a team effort.

I am particularly pleased with the butterfly on the striking red background, which is an excellent addition to the range and obviously shows some influence from Paul Ysart. I hope the collectors will enjoy our new thistle lampwork design, which was the creation of lampworker Duncan Smith and is a superb reproduction of Scotland’s National flower.

Again using his own initiative, Duncan created Jojo the Clown, which is without doubt the most intricate and detailed design we have ever produced in a hollow weight. It combines our lampworking skills with Peter McDougall’s thirty years of experience to produce a truly superb piece. I must also pay tribute to all my glassworkers (too many to name individually) for their efforts in putting together this year’s collection.

Each year, it is getting more difficult to improve on the standards set in the previous year, and yet, as our team at Perthshire continuously improves their skills, I continue to be amazed at the variety of new designs we achieve.

As a result of much demand, we are now launching the Perthshire Paperweights Collectors Club. I hope this will become a popular attraction for Perthshire collectors to be in touch with each other and with us back in Scotland. The club will offer the opportunity to purchase each year a special limited edition paperweight exclusive only to members. Look for details in upcoming mailings.

Neil Drysdale

Perthshire Paperweights