 However, with the passing away of Solon's apprentices, the scarcity of suitable artists posed a problem.It was not until 1992 that Minton used the technique once more in order to mark the firm's bicentenary.The result was a small number of vases, produced to some degree of success, these later vases being reproductions of earlier pieces by Alboin Birks, a gifted apprentice of Solon, who used moulds to speed production and combat costs.