Belleek Individual Sugar (Degenhardt reference number D227) in the form of an upturned shell resting on a crest of waves for which there was no matching creamer. First black mark (1863-1890). Glazed white parian with pink tint and gilt. This piece is approximately 4 inches long, 2-1/2 inches across, and 2-3/4 inches high, and does not appear to be documented in any of the references on Belleek written by Richard Degenhardt or Lady Marion Langham other than in a tiny low-quality image of a reprint from the 1904 and 1928 Belleek catalogs.

A rare find, according to Mike O'Neill:

"The shell piece was acquired when we were living in Dublin, Ireland in the mid 1970s and has been in my collection since. I got it and one of my Belleek baskets at an estate auction in the west of Ireland where all of the dealers and major collectors had come for a magnificent clock collection that the deceased had accumulated. Because all attention was focused on the clocks, I got several nice pieces of Belleek for very reasonable prices. The shell piece was under Irish Pounds 5 (about USD $12!). I also managed to get the clock I wanted for Irish pounds 40, and two odd lots of cardboard boxes full of leather bound books for Irish pounds 5 each. The boxes contained four first edition Charles Dickens books, one signed by Dickens; a two volume first edition set of Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott; the four volume first edition set of Voyages of Columbus by Washington Irving; and a first edition Pilgrim's Progress. A good afternoon, no? I sold the Rob Roy set on eBay for $800."

Collection of Mike and Nancy O'Neill
 

Individual Sugar, unpainted. This piece sold for $208 on eBay
in July 2002 despite a slight restoration to an area of
the rim. Image courtesy Lady Marion Langham

As illustrated in the 1904, 1928, and
1949 Belleek catalogs (number
added by Mr. Degenhardt).