No Steve, I didn't take that interpretation.
As ever your searching questions have caused me not to take for granted what one is told. I agree 2nd class likely, more likely than 3rd I guess but what is bugging me is why so large! However I have come to understand that things that we don't use nowadays were in common use in the Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian periods so what we see as strange now may have been quite normal then.
Yes you are absolutely correct regarding the acid etching of the burgee in fact one of the tests for "old" glass is to close your eyes, run your fingertips over the frost and if you cannot feel it, it is likely to be acid etched. Sand blasting came in later in the century, produces a much deeper imprint and is rougher than etched products and generally denotes later production, and in some instances either fake or reproduction. However (and there is always a but) I have a glass, certainly authentic, which has the burgee hand cut into the bowl - it was in fact a salesman's sample from which the customers could see the design - very rare indeed. I got this from the glass quarter of Stourbridge - I live about 2 miles from there and it was validated by an ex Stuart crystal cutter. One thing I didn't do was to take the goblets - will get round to it soon and see what he / they say. (there remains a healthy number of glass producers here, even though Stuart Crystal shut down their glassmaking facility a couple of years ago and production was transferred to Waterford in Eire.) What many people do not realise is that a lot of the Stuart Crystal glass, like other products was supplemented by other local producers and sold under the main producers name. It still goes on now - you can buy Stuart Crystal now but it aint made by Stuart Crystal!
What I enjoy about kicking these thoughts about is that it opens up other opportunities - as obvious as though it appears I have never thought of taking the goblets to the glass quarter of Stourbridge so thanks for the stimulation!
By the way I did send you a private e-mail - did it ever reach you?
Cheers