Myths List

"All glass with a polished pontil is Whitefriars"

No it isn't! A polished pontil mark is the sign that an item was blown using a pontil rod and then the base has been finished off cleanly and polished to a neat finish. It is not an indicator of any one maker, as many glassmakers round the world make glass with pontil marks.

"Straw marks are marks which were produced in glass when it was allowed to cool on top of straw."

Nope, this isn't true either. I suspect that hot glass on straw would set it alight! The real reason for straw marks on glass is a temperature differential . I'll point you towards a well-written piece by Dave Peterson about how they really happen:
http://www.patternglass.com/School/Lessons/Straw.htm