Royal Crown Derby "Millennium Bug" bone china paperweight 1999. Boxed with COA.

Royal Crown Derby bone china paperweight titled "Millennium Bug". This limited edition was issued in 1999 to commemorate the new millennium about to arrive and retired in 2000. The bright royal blue beetle is meant to look like a scarab beetle and is trimmed in 22kt gold paint with a 1st quality gold stopper. Includes original box and COA $140. Royal Crown Derby launched its first animal paperweights in a range of five birds and a rabbit at Chatsworth House in 1981. The creatures were beautifully sculpted by Robert Jefferson of Poole pottery fame, before being hand-decorated with the firm’s signature Imari pattern and highlighted with 22 carat gold. Eye-catching and of superb quality yet affordable, Royal Crown Derby paperweights are a collectable modern classic with broad appeal. What’s more, these addictive creatures make the ideal the gift for animal lovers, those with a passion for traditional ceramics or simply for someone who appreciates a beautifully crafted object. Production has expanded to over 450 individual designs that range from ladybirds, snails and robins to the majestic Golden Eagle. The paperweights’ stoppers serve as an indicator of the firms strict quality control. Gold stoppers indicate ‘best’, while silver stoppers are assigned to paperweights that Royal Crown Derby describe as slightly imperfect.