Lacy, delicate appearing swirls of scrolls and flowers were pattern motifs from the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company from the 1820s until 1888. While little glass from this era survives today, the spirit lives on in glass made from the 1930s through 1980s by companies such as Duncan Miller, Anchor Hocking and Indiana Glass. These companies acknowledged the Boston Sandwich company by calling patterns with similar motifs Sandwich glass.

With the number of patterns, all called Sandwich, how can the collector tell them apart? Here are a few easy tips.

The flowers on Anchor Hocking’s Sandwich pattern are the only ones with double lines around the flower petals. In fact, a customer told me this was called “Double Sandwich”. It’s an easy way to remember! The scrolls are more scrunched together than other patterns, but unless you have others to compare, just remember the double lines. Hocking made Sandwich in crystal, Ruby Red and Forest Green, and you can find some pieces in amber, white and pink.

Indiana’s Sandwich comes in many colors because Indiana sold it in a rainbow of colors through their Tiara party plan in the 1970s and 1980s. Tiara’s Sandwich was mostly the same pattern that Indiana sold originally in the late 1920s and 1930s. Indiana’s Sandwich is pretty, with graceful long scrolls between simple flowers. The scrolls do not touch in the middle. It’s probably easiest to tell Indiana by deciding it is not Anchor Hocking or Duncan Miller.

Duncan Miller’s Early American Sandwich glass is the best-made and highest quality glass of these three. It was a long-running staple of Duncan Miller until 1955 and was made in a full table service plus fascinating incidental pieces such as baskets and epergnes. To identify Duncan’s glass, look where the scrolls come together. If there is a horizontal diamond connecting the scrolls, it is Duncan’s Sandwich. A similar pattern is Princess Feather from Westmoreland, which has an oval connector instead of a diamond.

Many but not all Duncan Miller Sandwich plates and bowls have ground base rims. If you find a piece with a ground base then it is Duncan Miller, but if the base is smooth then check the pattern for the horizontal diamond. Indiana remade a very few pieces of Duncan’s Sandwich for Tiara but most of the glass was colored.

The Duncan Miller made a huge range of stemware in Sandwich. Today the goblets and other stems are among the most affordable and accessible patterns you can find in vintage elegant glass and are competitive with contemporary glassware. In fact Duncan’s Sandwich is one of the most reasonably priced elegant glass patterns. You will find quite a bit of it available online.

When you purchase Sandwich glass made by any of the three makers you should check for chips or cracks as usual but none of these is particularly troublesome. Anchor Hocking and Duncan used rounded shapes with no sharp edges or rims and their glass is not particularly prone to nicks or chips. A few of the Indiana pieces have sharper corners that you will want to check and you may find some protruding seams on older pieces that could get rough.

One good thing about all the Sandwich patterns is that the busy designs hide surface wear. You are much less likely to notice light use marks on a designed surface than with patterns that have plain centers. Do be careful with stemware to check for water spotting on the rims. The top 1/4 to 1/2 inch on tumblers or goblets is smooth and water spots will show up.

We have a large array of Duncan Miller Sandwich glass, including unusual pieces such as the basket and serving bowls, and stemware at our store Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass. Shopping with us is like antiquing with your best friend.

The Owens Bottle-Machine Company merged with the Illinois Glass Company in 1929.  The result was called the Owens-Illinois Glass Company.  The legal corporate name was changed to Owens-Illinois  Inc., when the company began doing more than just glass, such as manufacturing plastics.

Owens-Illinois changed its trade name in 2005 to O-I.  This was done to make the company more of a global company since O-I can easily be understood by anyone in any country.

The year 2005 was also important to O-I because that is when it opened the world’s most modern facility to manufacture glass in Windsor, Colorado.  Before then, there had been no new glass container manufacturers in North America for 25 years.

The trademark of O-I is the letter “I” inside the letter “O” superimposed on a drawn out diamond.  This is sometimes referred to as the diamond IO mark.  To the left of the mark you can find a one- or two-digit number which identifies the plant that manufactured the bottle.  You can find the date the glass item was produced by looking to the left of the mark, where you can find a one- or two-digit date code.  When you see a bottle marked like that, it most likely dates to the 1930s.

In the 1940s, the marking changes so the date was to the right of the diamond with a period after it.  The period is apparently meant to represent the 40s.

Today O-I produces glass containers in a variety of shapes in sizes for food, beer, wine, spirits, and other non-alcoholic beverages.  Their North American publication LookingGlass includes news about glass manufacturing, industry trends, and other information.  Like its founder Michael J. Owens, O-I is a visionary company constantly seeking new and better ways of improving its products.

If you have any children, but sure to include them as partners in your collection expanding activities. Collecting glass marbles is a fun hobby, providing you a chance to bond with your children. After you’ve collected a few dozen marbles, it’s fun to try and identify the maker and style of each one. To identify the marbles, you should get yourself some books and also use the internet.

You can usually find some cool glass marbles by visiting yard sales or going to antique stores. It is an inexpensive way to add beautiful marbles to your collection. If you decide to shop online, it can be fun to just look at the photos and trying to figure how much each marble is worth. Some marbles are very exquisite to look at and are probably outside your price range, but you and your kids can still admire them.

Although you can find great glass marbles over the internet, be careful before you buy because a picture might not show you every detail. The side of the marble in the photograph may look wonderful, but when you get it, you may discover an unattractive nick on the other side. The only way to know whether you’re getting a high quality glass marble is to hold it in your hand and take a good look at it. Think about taking a magnifying glass with you when you inspect a potential purchase.

Be sure to ask your older relatives if they have any old marbles they can give you. Some of the marbles are not only great to look at, but they also have interesting stories behind them. Another good way to add to your collection is join a group of glass marble collectors. Two websites you can join are Land of Marbles and Marble Connection, which gives you information about values of marbles. As a general rule, a larger a marble is more valuable.

You can see Brockway Glass’ famous American Concord pattern on old relish trays and in amber tumblers and goblet that were included free inside boxes of Duz detergent.  This pattern was popular in the 1960s and 1970s.  If you look for them, you can purchase them online.
In 1964, Brockway Glass Company won an anti-trust lawsuit against Continental Can.  One of the outcomes of the settlement required Continental Can to sell 6 of their Hazel-Atlas factories to Brockway.   The factories primarily made glass containers.  Once Brockway took over the 6 factories they became more powerful in the glass-making industry.

In the 1970s, Brockway Glass produced colorful character glasses for Pepsi.  You can still find glasses that contain popular Warner Brothers characters including Tweety, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck.  These collectib  le glasses have the names “Pepsi” and “Warner Bros.” written in white on the side of the glass along with the year of 1973.  In 1976, Brockway glass produced a “super” series of glasses featuring popular DC Comics heroes such as Superman and Green Lantern.
Many glass collectors state they began their fascinating hobby thanks to the character glasses.  If you’re lucky enough to find some of these glasses at a yard sale, try to collect all of them.  Having a complete collection can be a challenge but it does give you important bragging rights.

Owens-Illinois bought out Brockway Glass in 1988. You can still find the glass today by looking for the Owens-Illinois indirect wholly-owned subsidiary Owens-Brockway Glass Container Inc.

Brockway Glass succeeded in capturing the imagination of glass collectors everywhere.  You can find attractive glasses which are fun to collect while not draining your pocketbook.  Discover Brockway Glass today!

Pepsi started producing the glasses in 1974. They produced a series of six glasses at a time. Restaurants signed on to promote the first series. When that series was finished, the restaurant had a chance to sign on again. There were three series of glasses, resulting in a total of 18. By the time the third series was released, fewer restaurants were signing on. This left a lot of glasses without anyone to promote them, so the final series of six glasses are the ones that will be the most common.

The original contractor for the collectible glasses was Brockway Glass. However, Brockway discovered the demand was so high they could not keep up. Since the demand was so high, Federal Glass company was brought on board to help.

The least expensive of these glasses are ones that include Porky Pig, Sylvester, and Yosesemite Sam, that sell for about $3.00 to $5.00 each. The lesser known Slow Poke Rodriguez is on a glass worth about $45.00 to $65.00.

The promotion of 18 glasses was well received, so Pepsi and Warner Brothers decided to produce another set of glasses. Rather than characters remaining in place like statues, the new set showed the characters in action. A total of 24 glasses was produced by Brockway glass. These glasses are considered more valuable than ones with just the characters.

The least expensive of the interactive glasses are worth $5.00 to $10.00. If you can find one that contains the famous Pepe Le Pew and his girlfriend, you can get between $90.00 to $110.00 for it. Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester, and Slo Poke are all on one glass for the same price.

When you visit yard sales, be sure to keep your eyes open for these colorful Pepsi / Warner Brothers glasses. Try to collect all of them. You can find a complete list of glasses by using the internet. Be sure to put the glasses on display in your home. They will add a sense of fun and adventure as well as nostalgia to your décor.

Original antique items made from milk glass are worth a lot of money.  This has caused a lot of reproductions to be created.  Many people spend money on a reproduction only to later discover they have been ripped off.  It pays to learn to tell the difference between an original item made from milk glass and a reproduction.

One way to tell is too look at the bottom of the item to discover a patent date or a company name.  Finding this information tells you how long the object has been around.  If the item has a lot of wear, odds are it is older.  It may be a good idea to buy a pricing guide for milk glass so you have a good idea of the colors and patterns.

To make sure you are getting an original object made from milk glass, ask for the history of the item.  By learning the history, you can figure out whether the object is authentic or a reproduction.  Antique shops and older relatives should have some original pieces of milk glass that you can add to your collection.

One of the highest price types of milk glass to collect are the hard to find McKee animal covered dishes.  Therefore, you will find a lot of copies available.  To make sure you are getting an original, it is best to use a reference guide such as Opaque News.

Consider joining a group of milk glass collectors, such as the National Milk Glass Collectors Society.  This group has annual conventions that you can attend.  You may be able discover rare pieces available because of production errors at glass companies.

If you’re just getting started collecting milk glass, find a dealer who has a good reputation.  Talk to the dealer.  Talk to someone who has been collecting milk glass for awhile.  An enthusiast will not hesitate to share his wealth of knowledge.

The northern reaches of Scotland are where the Caithness Glass factory decided to establish its glassworks in 1961, in the Wick Highlands. Here surrounded by the Norse influence and with a history of Gaelic tradition, they began to produce high quality glass paperweights and glass art that quickly became collectible among glass collecting enthusiasts across the globe.

Handcrafted individually, using the millefiori techniques developed first by the Romans and dates back to the first century B.C.  The artesian first heats up a selection of thin glass rods of varying colors which is then melded together by the heat, then pulled thin, cooled and sliced.

This produces designs similar to lace or flowers. These are then fused with hot blown glassware and reheated and blown again so that the colored rods are fully enclosed inside the clear glass. The name ‘millefiori’ comes from the Italian and mean a thousand flowers which is what these unique handcrafted paperweights and art glass look like massed together. One example of millefiori work is the marbles that have colored glass inside. The official Caithness collectible society started in 1976 and now spans the globe.

The Caithness paperweights show the inspiration that the highlands of Scotland have evoked on the glass makers with the efforts of Colin Terris, who has led the Caithness Glass artists for over thirty years. The most expensive paperweights reflect the skill of the glassmakers; it takes years of experience and strength to create these marvels of art. One example is the Moonwave paperweights which take more skill and strength to create due to their size.

The use of glass paperweights was recognized in France from the early 1840’s and were used to show  the glassmaker’s skill, but the market fell due to the limitations of the market at that time. In the 1950’s it was revived by the modern design concepts and techniques of manufacturing glassware.

Caithness glassmakers added to their unique paperweights by including the engraving of lines, figures and special effects to their creations starting in 1968. Today they offer a great diversity of line, color and form in the paperweights that are inspired by natural wonders and the depths of outer space.

Unfortunately, the Caithness paperweights are becoming harder to find inside the United States. The best way to see what is available by ordering directly is at the following website on Caithness Glass. Take time to look at these beautiful pieces of art, they are well worth your time to look at and perhaps invest in, as one of a kind, they will increase in value.

You can find old glass insulators near power poles. The older the power pole is, the better chance you’ll find insulators on the ground. You might just need to go off the beaten path to find them. Take a picnic lunch with you, bring the family along and make a day of it. You can enjoy the beautiful outdoors and each other’s company while you go on a treasure hunt for glass insulators. There are a lot of rare designs and colors to discover.

If you can get to an old mine, then look around the power poles that are nearby. Odds are that you can find some discarded insulators around. Check to see if you can discover a power substation. Often, you can find insulators at a power substation that are in good condition. Be sure to protect your treasures with cloths or other material to prevent them from bumping into each other and chipping.

Once you get your insulators back home, you’re going to need a place to put them. Placing them in boxes in your garage is okay, but you’ll want to share your collection of glass insulators with other people. Many of them are very attractive to look at, being made in different colors like purple, blue, and green. You should organize your insulators on shelves by color, by type, by manufacturer. Probably the most beautiful way to organize your glass insulators is according to the colors of the rainbow.

After you have your insulators ready, you are going to want others to see the results. A collection of glass insulators makes an excellent conversation piece. Invite some of your older friends over to view your collection. Once your collection is large enough, you can invite the media over to take pictures. Once a person gets started gathering glass insulators, it is easy to become passionate about the hobby. Your sense of passion will make for a good newspaper story.

Keep your eyes open on your local paper and on web sites for insulator shows. This gives you the chance to take your collection of glass insulators to a public arena.

Generally speaking, the older glass bottles are worth more money. They did not start being made by machine until 1914. Bottles made before then are more rare. To tell the difference, you need to take a look at the mold seam of the bottle. The mold seam is a vertical line which is formed when the halves of the mold used to make the bottle meet.

Non-machine made bottles have mold seams that stop before running over the top of the lip. Machine made bottles have mold seams going all the way over the lip.

Even if a glass bottle is rare that does not mean it is valuable. For a glass bottle to be valuable, there must be people who are looking for that particular type of bottle. If you are just starting your hobby of collecting glass bottles, you probably don’t know what types of bottles people want. You can find out by looking at the internet, reading books, and talking with dealers and other collectors.

The closer a bottle is to its original condition, the better price you can usually get for it. When you are finding glass bottles, it is important to wrap them in newspapers or other protective material. If your glass bottles have any chips or cracks in them, their value will go down. Do everything you can to make sure the bottles you discover look good. If you have the original label, wrapper, or box for the bottle, that will increase the value.

Another thing that plays a role in determining the value of the glass bottle is color. If the bottle is aqua, amber, or clear, it probably is not going to be worth that much since those colors are pretty common. Olive green, black, teal blue, and green are slightly more rare and can fetch a better value. Yellow, cobalt, and purple are the rarest colors and as such are usually worth more money. People who will pay top dollar for a bottle want something that is beautiful and unique.

If you find a glass bottle that is embossed, chances are you can get more money from it. The embossing should identify the product, the manufacturer, a date, or geographic area. A bottle that just has the name of the product on it will not fetch as much price as one that has more details.

What is more beautiful than the constant sparkle of a crystal chandelier or more interesting than the bubbling lava lamps of the sixties. Vintage lamps can offer you the same feeling of peace that you get by staring into a flickering fire, or the sense of exhilaration that you get when you stare upward toward a magnificent lightning storm and the hairs raise on your neck.

For the most part, lighting your home is the function of lamps and lighting fixtures in general, but some lamps and lights are designed to do a great deal more. They warm your senses and bring about emotions that are pleasing. Lighting also brings out, if chosen correctly, certain areas of the home, accenting other colors, your particular style or offers up its own sense of style.

While lighting in the beginning was pure function, it changes and evolved to be more than simple function, and around the turn of the century, was style and appeal as well.  LIghting fixtures from this time period can be remarkable inexpensive, depending on who’s collecting, or they can be astronmically expensive, costing more than a down payment on a new home, depending on what you want to put into them.

Old Tiffany is, needless to say, costly and in high demand, but older chandeliers or even the lava lamps of the sixties can be had for a minimal price and bring about warm memories of your childhood or a favorite relatives home who used to have one.

Motion lamps, featuring some of the beautiful waterfall scenes, nature or wildlife will fit well into a room that is more outdoor in nature, while the lava lamps would accent a retro fifties or sixties room quite nicely and neither will cost you vast sums if you shop sites such as Ebay or other used lighting sites.

Collecting vintage or antique lamps can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you wnat it to be and offer up glimpses of a more colorful and more stylish past, when water flowing over Niagara falls could be viewed on your side table, or bubbling blue lava was the norm for every household. Consider vintage lamps as eye candy, and get out there and see what you can find.

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As there have been so many questions and comments on the elegant glassware thats known as  Cambridge Glass, Just glass offers you a small gallery to help you see some fine examples of these glassware patterns.

Some of the more popular patterns of Cambridge glass ware included, but were not limited to:

• Rosepoint
• Elaine
• Portia
• Diana
• Wildflower
• Chantilly
• Valencia
• Candlelight

Cambridge is well known for its glass mark, which is a triangle with a C inside of it. Oddly enough, not all Cambridge pieces get marked with that mark, which makes it difficult to decipher which pieces are actually Cambridge.

Some of the best and most exciting pieces and the better received patterns that were collected were made in the early 30′s and sold amazingly well into the later part of the 1940′s.

It hasn’t been all that many years since any well laid table or perfectly appointed buffet would include very elegant glassware, perfectly etched pieces of stemware or Cambridge glassware accessories. Although the day to day elegance that many people wanted from their lives seems to have passed by the wayside, Cambridge glass is still widely collected and lovingly used by those who desire a return to the elegance of the past.

Do take care to watch what you buy. Cambridge has in fact been produced and reproduced over the years. Largely it was the lady flower frogs which have been brought into reproduction, but wide reproduction of the Caprice glassware pattern also took place. The quality of course is quite inferior so you’re going to be able to recognize one that isn’t genuine by studying those which are.

Akro Agate Art Association.  – J. Bourque, Box 758 – Salem NH 03079

The Akro Agate Collectors Club -  10 Bailey Street   Clarksburg WV 26301

American Carnival Glass Association – PO Box 235   Littlestown PA 17340

American Cut Glass Assoc. – PO Box 482   Ramona CA 92065

Antique & Art Glass Salt Shaker Collectors Society. Contact: AAGSSCS, 2832 Rapidan Trail, Maitland, FL 32751

Antique Bottle Coll. of N FL, Inc. meets 1st Mon except July & Dec., Faith Lutheran Church, Jacksonville. Contact: E. Biggs 904-786-8487

Antique/Art Glass Salt Shaker Collectors -  1775 Lakeview Drive   Zeeland MI 49464

Blenko Collectors Society -  PO Box 1096 – Kermit WV 25674  Contact Tammy   blenkocollectors@aol.com

Online Blenko Museum

Canadian Depression Glass Association. Contact: Walter Lemiski, 119 Wexford Rd., Brampton, Ontario Can. L6Z 2T5. 905-846-2835; E-mail: cdga@home.com

Collectible Carnival Glass Association - 2360 N. Old S R 9   Columbus IN 47203

Collector of Findlay Glass – PO Box 256  Findlay OH 45839

The Corning Museum of Glass - One Museum Way  Corning NY 14830

Custard Glass Collectors Society – 591 SW Duxbury Avenue  Port St. Lucie, FL 34983

Czechoslovakian Collectors Association (CCA). Contact person Cheryl Goyda, Box 137, Hopeland, PA. 17533 Phone: 717-738-2678, Web site: www.czechcollectors.org<

Early American Glass Club – 2204 East 27th Street, Tulsa OK   estrelle1@cox.net

Early American Pattern Glass Society – PO Box 266  Colesburg IA 52035

European Glass Collectors 

Fairy Lamp Collectors Club – Jim & Pat Sapp, P.O. Box 438, Pine, CO  80470

Fenton Art Glass Collectors – PO Box 384   Williamstown WV 26187

 Located in Ohio, their trademark B inside a diamond, can be seen on clowns, animals, pie vents, covered dishes, glass slippers and several other specialty glassware handed down from generation to generation.

A video on You-Tube shows the manufacture of these adorable figurines. The company was originally Degenhart Glass until Bernard Boyd bought it in 1978. Two manufacturing practices that make the Boyd collectible glassware so sought after is that the mold mark changes every five years and that no color is ever repeated in a mold.

This makes the pieces easier to identify and grade for their collectability, resulting in a higher value for earlier pieces.

The first item Boyd made, the forget me not toothpick holder still can be found in various sites including EBay; it comes in six different colors. The pie vents are perhaps one of the neatest figurines available, they are made to let the steam vent from your pie as it is baking. Covered salt containers can be found in bunny, chick, duck, Scottie dog and turkey shapes.

The doll figurines are also very popular ranging from colonial style, to Amish and several different types named after Boyd family members.

Chuckles, Freddie and Virgil are all clown figurines, some with unique features or hand painted. There are only three artists who handle the hand painted glassware, so that makes each one unique and more desirable in building your collection. Easter eggs as well as the covered chicken, chick and duck patterns are all very popular in the spring and the Angel series, first made in 1995, is currently in the second series and was soon followed by the Li’l Angel in 2002.

In addition to being great collectibles, the Boyd pressed glass figurines are made with high standards, not like some of the large companies which have fully automated presses and moulds, the Boyd collectibles have been made the same way for generations and hopefully they will continue to be made that way for the delight of future collectibles.

The Czech Republic is the glass capital of the world, and the only original remaining plant in the country is in Jablonec. The glass canes are made and the buttons manufactured from them some of the canes used were made over fifty years ago and are still used today. There are fourteen different steps used in making buttons, from cutting and shaping the glass to several different colors of paint and firing in a kiln. One of the most famous glass jewelry producers and exporters was Josef Dressler, mentioned in 1773, the house he owned is now a centerpiece museum for buttons and glass collection in the Czech Republic.

One type of glass button that is very collectible is called moonglow, due to the thin layer of glass that protects the thicker layer from damage. Some of the glass buttons are made of milk glass others include painted glass or fused glass. Art deco glass is often used in older buttons and the glass is sometimes paired with metal or gold leaf to enhance the design engraved on it.

There is a wide range of styles, types and techniques used. The National Button Society has great information of shows and collectors as well as featured articles that help the collector to find out if the button he or she has is a hidden treasure. Go through your grandmothers or your mothers button collection again, let the memories come and check out those tiny bits of glass that are so intriguing the buttons that help keep our lives in place and add the glitter of something precious to what we wear.

Online sites such as the National Milk Glass Collectors Society are a great help to the beginning collector, they have a newsletter that gives a great deal of information, as does the Fersons’ book, “Yesterday’s Milk Glass Today”. Talk with someone you know that collects milk glass and is an honest dealer, they will be able to help you.

One great idea is to keep a record of each piece, noting when you bought it, any history you might find out about it. Your local library and used bookstore might have reference books that you can check out or buy to give you more information. Some collectors focus on specific pieces but many pieces of milk glass were used and will not be perfect condition.

Here personal preference and budget will be needed as well as some thought, but collecting milk glass does offer wonderful opportunities for the collector and can be a great investment for the future. Good luck in making your special collection of milk glass truly unique to what you love and value.

A single brief paragraph or so in the newspapers of West Virginia in 1998 told of the closing of an entire era of manufacturing, but opened the door for a multitude of collectors to become dazzled with, and seek out the items that had, until now, been too easily found it seems and not so very collectible.

Dalzell-Viking’s end in 1998 saw the close of an entire century of glass making. It had begun in the   New Martinsville Glass Co.  which then went bankrupt in the depression years, but was purchased by a new owner, GR Cummings, who hoped the the popular Scandinaviaon moder designs he was producing would literally sweep the collectors off their feet and find its way into the hearts of the American public. To that end, he completely abandoned the conservative crystals that had sent New Martinsville to their grave and began making the long sweeping curves, the perfect jewel tones and the wonderful crackleware type things that made him a success.

 Viking and it’s brainchild, the Rainbow Glass subsidiary (1954-1972)  were on their way upward to some very great success in the post-war time period, and the work of both companies was featured at Corning Glass Museum’s oh so prestigious exhibition of glass in 1959.

Elmer Miller, who was in fact still an original..a holdover who jointed the firm in 1923, began taking the new styles and became the most popular new modern designer. The lines of Viking put their emphasis on shaping the soft molten glassware, tapering elegant looks and lines, long twisted handles and lengthy spouts, which gave the illusion that the finished glass was still in its molten form and people absolutely loved it.

According to all reports, by the mid sixties, the Viking Epic line was the most distinctive and was made in a wide array of designs, from long tailed birds to vases that were rivaled only by Fostoria Heirloom according to the experts.
This same Epic line continued til 1975, with colors such as purple, teal and ruby, smoke and amber, featuring such favorites as glass mushrooms, animal paperweights, fruits from glass and ashtrays.

Eventually what ended the reign of this unrivaled king for their place in history was little more than foreign competition, in combination with high wages that were necessary for workers and a recession in the 1980′s. Fostoria president Kenneth Dalzell attempted to restart the firm as Dalzell Viking,with more traditional patterns in popular colors but the new lines he produced couldn’t in any way compare or compete with cheap imports and the effort was a failure.

According to the experts in glass collection:(notably George A Higby)

"Viking and Rainbow are relative bargains for today’s art glass collectors. Pieces bore sticker labels which are often gone, so knowledgeable buyers can often find undiscovered Viking pieces fairly easily. Pina’s Popular 50s and 60s Glass offers photos and catalogue reprints can help. Dalzell pieces also bore paper labels; wise collectors are amassing pieces now, while their origins can still be identified.

Best of all, the sheer variety of colors and designs makes Viking  fun for glass collectors- whether pressed patterns, animal figures, or fab ’50s style piques your interest."

Below are some examples of what makes Viking Glass so popular

I love Fenton, but not just any kind of Fenton. Don’t we all, by virtue of things that give us good memories, or make us smile, or make us curious, tend to collect things for more than one reason?

Absolutely we base it quite often on aesthetics,  or what may rise in value, but just as often we base it on something that gives us great memories or may not rise in value, but just makes us curious about how it was made and the time period in which it was developed

Being from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and spending a great dea of time outdoors there til just about ten years ago, Fentons Winterbrry items, for me, evoke the snows of West Virginia, the beautiful hills and the bright crimson of the winterberries which cling to the branches long after the first snows have settled on the ground.

A Native American father spent a great deal of time walking with me, explaining what was and wasn’t good to eat, what could be used for tea and make you feel better in some way. Winterberries, which he called Fever bush, brings back memories of those times as well and I grab up those pieces wherever I find them.

Winterberry design is available on a wide array of Fenton glssware, from a white fawn, to a bird, to a fairy light, and I cant’ seem to pass one up.

Check out these offerings and see if you don’t agree tht the stunning splash of red and green makes for a striking display that brings up a few happy memories of your own.

The Fostoria Glass Company, makers of those beautiful commemorative bells, much to everyones amazement, didn’t even begin to offer them until the mid seventies.

Although they made gorgeous wedding bells, bells that would coordinate with some of their main designs and major colors, if you take a walk through the catalogs tht Fostoria puts out, you’re going to find that there are no bells appearing in them until about 1976-1977, when the first bells showed up, that matched four of their current patterns, the Richmond, Navarre, Sheffield and serenity.

Fostoria made bells for Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, weddings, and other special occasions. They also made bells to coordinate with some of their major designs. Serenity came in yellow, blue and crystal. Navarre bells were in pink, blue and crystal.

January 1979′s catalog also offers a Mother’s Day bell which was made of an especially beautiful and thin blown crystal, with a picture of a child being held by his mother etched in an oval area that was beautifully framed by flowers with the date and holiday etched above it.

Likewise, in 1979, the Wedding bells began to be available, which were quite unusual in their making, wtih the top part of the bell being the brides upper portion and the bell area the flaring of the skirt of the bridal gown.

The very soft mistlike finish covered the top and about half of the skirt of the bell, fading out reminiscent of a bridal veil.

1981 saw a ruby bell offered with a "Twas the Night Before Christmas," theme with a frosted handle that was of crystal, and was one of four tht was limited edition, however it was the only one, to our knowledge tht was made with the crystal prior to Fostorias factory ceasing production.

According to one expert, there is also another 1977 bell which I"ve not seen or found that was a winter scene, wtih a horse drawn sleigh and pine trees that is dated in 1977, but I can not seem to find pictures or listing of it.

Fostoria bells have become prized collectors items for many who love Fostoria in all its glory, and since the bells were made for so relatively few years, they are in great demand. If you have one, hang on to it and if you’re looking be prepared to pay a price that could range from 15-50 dollars if not more..

 
Vaseline:
 
When straight ammonia doesn’t cut it, quite often vaseline will take away that cloudy look..  Let it sit for 4 -5 days, and wipe it clean .Cloudy or white mineral building can very often be removed using the afore mentioned petroleum jelly, spread a thick layer of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on the
deposit and let it sitat least overnight.  Wipe the
petroleum jelly off, wash and the deposit will be gone forever. 

Polident:
 
Using quite warm water ( BUT not hot or it will crack )  drop a couple of polidents in the water.
 
 One other type of toothpaste materials that have worked for me is Pearl Drops Toothpolish!! Using a sponge or the tip of your finger rub  it into  the deposit, and see if it doesn’t take it away.. This is also a bit abrasive though to take care using it!!
 
 
Kraxy Kloth’. It’s  an oil based cleaner.  According to one expert from Antiques Roadshow, "On the package it says, among other things, ‘removes hard water stains from glass’. One wipe and they were gone.  Brought out the iridescence, too."
 

Citric Acid... Lemon Juice or vinegar, organic materials very often work for you. Reduce lemon juice on the stove to 1/2 the volume in a STAINLESS pan only and use this on the spots.
I do NOT use CLR. It is a highly acidic compound and aside from being quite dangerous, it also eats the glass..
Avoid Hydrofluoric Acid… 
 
Oddly enough, a petroleum based hand cleaner called GUNK will quite often work, the closeness to vaseline perhaps being the key here??

 
 Dow  Bathroom Cleaner will work if its used in sparing amounts. There doesn’t seem to be any real film or residue left and we cant’ find any damage to the glass either.

 FLINT GLASS:

Flint glass is one of those rarities to collectors, so that in some cases, people don’t even know what to look for, or that they can look for it..
The Welkers, in their book describe it as a term for a specific type of glass.  The name was said to have been derived from the fact that in England in the late 17th Century that flint, a form of hard, very pure, natural quartz, was calcined and pulverized to make silica as a main ingredient in glassmaking.  Use of this pure silica makes glass highly refractive and brilliant.

This formula from the English also used oxide of lead as an ingredient, and as such there is according to the experts, an " anynonymous relationship between the terms Flint Glass and Lead Glass, although flint and lead each have a different role in glassmaking."
Technically the term lead glss is the most proper when describing flint glass in the US.
The type of glass th contains lead osxide as a principle component usualy didn’t contain the raw flint materials, so that the term, Flint glass is actually a misnomer in the US.

First made at Hobbs, Brockunier and Co. in Wheeling WV in 1864, lime was used in the production and caused that the glass that was yellow had a more pale tint to it  and included a sort of green cast when it was seen in the sunlight.
  
Between 1864 and 1900, the term VASELINE came into use as a way to describe this canary-lime glass color, but it too wasn’t actually the same as the older canary flint glass. The true Canary Flint had a much more bright bold yellow color than the new lime based  that wasnt really the same as canary flint  glass.
That lack was a topic of serious discussion during those times and the term vaseline &copy was a dealer term that mor than just  a few people had objections to.

 OLD GLASS,a book written in those times, which was Copyright 1924, by N. Hudson Moore states,regarding the glass:
"All the pieces shown in figure 207 are in this royal purple and canary yellow, which, by the way, no real collector would ever call vaseline, a dealer’s term."   This is just about the oldest book that uses the term vaseline to describe that kind of glass.
 
Reyne Haines says that true "Canary flint glass WILL glow bright green under a UV blacklight and for all intents and purposes, is collected by vaseline glass collectors as a "yellow-green glass that will glow green under a UV blacklight, due to the presence of uranium oxide in the glass formula (definition most widely used by vaseline glass collectors). Due to the content of lead in the glass, the glass has a softer feel to it.  The flint glass made before 1864 had as much as 40% lead oxide in it (as compared to todays lead crystal, which generally contains a maximum of 24% lead). Canary flint glass was
also much thicker than the vaseline glass made after 1864, but this was primarily due to the lack of refinement in the glass presses of the day, rather than a necessity of working with molten glass with a high lead content. The glass produced during this time frame also seemed to have had more simplistic patterns, which I also think was  due to the lack of refinement in the glass pressing procedures of the day."
  
Three companies made most of the Canary Flint glss that is found today, those being, New England Glass Co. , Bakewell,  Pears and Co.of Pittsburgh Pa and the Boston and Sandwich Glass Co. of Sandwich,  Mass. although notations do state tht a couple other companies did make some smal amounts of it.

 
This most illusive type of glass will of course be a bit difficult to find..  and you’re going to hve to do your research to make sure of what you’ve got, particularly if the photo isn’t a great one and its not labeled or categorized as canary flint glass. You will hve time to have a good look at the photos and take them to someone who may know a bit more if you watch the auction and then begin bidding.

The best place to find it, of course, will be those online auction sites, such as ebay, but if you search it out and use those key words, of course the price will be higher. Often its misrepresented as art glass, depression glas or something else, in which case you’re going to get a good deal.

A family owned and operated business, from 1894 to 2002, Beswick Studio was founded by James Wright Beswick, along with his sons John,Gilbert and John’s son, John Ewart, each of them played a role in the amazing success of this factory.
Until about 1918, the business was run from a works on Gold Street, that was entitled J.W. Beswick, when the company expanded its activities, maing pottery and fancy works for both their local as well as the international market place.

In 1921, JW Beswick died and in 1936, his son, at which time the company was made John Beswick Ltd, with John’s son, John Ewart Beswick the managing director and the remaining origina son, Gilbert Beswick the director of sales, and many new pieces were introduced to their existing range.

1940 saw the necessity for extensive changes for the growth of the company and some major modernisations to the factory itseld, so that by 1945, they had added an adjoining factory and converted their Gold Street facility to offices potting and firing , while the new factory gave them decorating, finishing and dispatch.

At this point Arthur Gredington was installed as the modeller for animals of all kinds and today remains quite well known for the amazing accuracy of his work and the realism of the animals that he created.

Albert Halam too contributed amazing things to the decorations, adding about three thousand pieces.
Beswick was well known and very popular with collectors in both England as well as abroad, and gained some serious recognition for their figurines of dogs, birds and wild and domestic animals as well as the beautiful Toby Jugs.

In 1989, Beswick wares were produced under the Royal Doulton backstamp, which company had purchased them some years in the past.
In 2002, Royal Doulton stopped the manufacture of al Beswick wares, and the end of an amazing era in figurines came to pass.
Beswick wares are still highly sought after collectibles, and have taken their place firmly esconces in the history of pottery.

Here are a few examples of why Beswick studios are so well thought of among collectors today:

While many of you don’t particularly care to do business with Ebayers, I’ve found it to be a treasure trove of interesting pieces and in reality, nice folks too, though many of them aren’t entirely certain what they’ve got and how much its worth.

This works in your favor many times, though as a rule I don’t truly promote taking advantage of people. Still, if they do a bit of research and sell at a reasonable price, then we’ve both won haven’ t we,  and if they don’t, we can’t be blamed for purchasing a gorgeous Fenton vase for 4.99 ( and yes.. I did)

Many E-bayers don’t want to take the time or spend the money to have what they are selling evaluated and aren’t sure what it is. That can certainly work in your favor, even if you try to be honest about it. I’ve found that by sending a note to the ebay seller, informing them that what they are selling is worth a bit more than they’ve got it listed, they will be a bit more careful in the future, they learned something and you’ve made a new friend.

This weeks Ebay foray left me with a mystery of my own to solve. I bid on, and won a lovely piece of autumn gold glass, that looks to me to be some older Fenton. The winning price was just 4.00 USD, and the vase is a heavier piece, weighing in at about 2 pounds. It’s completely unmarked but was left to the seller in an estate of her mom, who is a West Virginia native.

The age of the mom, combined with her state of residence, the fact that the vase was displayed with older Fenton ware, and several other factors led me to believe that the vase is Fenton, even if its not marked as such.

So why did I buy it.. Once in a while, don’t you just take a risk and buy that "pig in a poke" little thing, just because its pretty. The price was definitely right, and in reality, I love a mystery. I can’t wait to get it to my house and start digging to find out what it is, who made it and see if I was right in surmising that its a bit older unmarked piece of Fenton…. and in all honesty.. even if its not..  what glass collector doesn’t love a pretty piece and a new mystery to solve.

Here’s what I"ve purchased.. any ideas from the readers will be very welcome..What do you think it is?

When Tiffany Glass comes to mind, what you’re probably envisioning are those awesome bright colors and the incredible blues and golds of the Favrile.. 
Many people, even some collectors, aren’t aware th at Tiffany made a line of pastel glass.
 

During what was called the Art Deco era, particularly between 1918 to 1928 we saw pastel glass come into production in a big way for Tiffany.

During those insane twenties, styles in everything were changing and fo
Tiffany  changed with them. 

The biggest change was in the colors that were being produced..  Pastels of pink, blue, purple, yellow and green showed up to replace the former vibrant and rich colors that Tiffany had been famed for.

Suffice it to say that some of them sold, but that frankly, they just didn’t go over well for quite a few years.
Reyne Haines says that after "Tiffany Furnaces closed in 1928, Nash continued making pastel glass, however it was then signed ADNA or NASH.  Because gaffer Jimmy Stewart worked for both Tiffany Furnaces and Nash, there are virtually no differences in both firms pastel glass beyond the signature.  In 1931 A. Douglas Nash’s operation closed for good."

The past several years have seen a huge interest in the pastels, as opposed to the regular Tiffany pieces, with the pastels, particularly the wisteria, commanding an incredible price, norally about double the regular Tiffany pieces, when in reality, in years past, you’d have been surprised to see them even get the token bid when they came to auction.
A wine goblet now, in wisteria, will fetch sometimes 1200 dollars, where prior to now it would not have commanded any such price, and the regular Tiffany colors will fetch only 5-600 each.

Bear in mind, caution the experts, that not all Pastel glass is Tiffany glas, and new collectors or dealers are often fooled or confused by the pastels.

 Glass signed NASH or ADNA is not qualified as Tiffany glass, nor does it command the same price however it is still quite definitely desirable, one of the kinds of glass to collect (while prices are  reasonable) but it is NOT Tiffany.

With pastel Tiffany prices going up up up, is it possible to find a bargain.. absolutely yes..  
 LCT or L.C. Tiffany Favrile signatures on pastel pieces on the underside rim of the piece, as opposed to where it is normally found, closer to the pontil can confuse the new founded glass dealers or antique enthusiasts do not  recognize pastel pieces. You will quite often find these bits in the antique shops under studio glass, or Venetian glass, and have prices to match.. Snap it up as you can when you make these finds.

I hadn’t been married very long and I used a platter that held deviled eggs for an evening meal. It was knocked from the table and broken( amid scrambled deviled eggs may I add)  I went in search of one that looked like it and found a green one that was close to what I had broken.

Unknown to me, it was depression glass, someone recognized it as such and told me what I had.. The patterns, the colors and the pieces were amazing to me and started me studying intently to see what else was out there. My husband, always one to encourage my forays into something new, purchased a book for me that gave me some insight into the many pieces that were out there, including some others, china teacups.

Literally thousands of items and trips to the flea market later, I have to wonder if he regrets that simple little gift. I’d say the answer is probably a resounding yes.

One of the things I’ve seen and become interested in  that was made by Jeannette, is a depression glass, that might interest some of you too.

Iris and Herringbone: Made by the Jeannette Glass Company, it was, in the beginning, crystal, for about four years between 1928 and 1932, but of course, there are exceptions and there were also a few pink and greens made in this time span as well. Likewise, there were some crystal pieces made in the forties, along with special treatments that included satin and flowers painted on, and some other coloration. You’re going to see these most commonly on the fruit bowls, nut bowls, the candlesticks and the sherbert dishes that are that luscious red with the gold decoration. Jeannette focused largely on giftware type glass in this time span, as opposed to their tableware, which is one reason why you’re going to find it difficult to gather in the plates bowls and tumblers from this time span.

Some Iris pieces will be hard to deal with for the novice, being a little confusing from the beginning. The goblets came in two different sizes, 4.5 and 5.5 inches, and each one has two different bowl sizes as well. The footed tumblers also came in two different sizes, with only half an inch difference in them, making it hard to really envision if you don’t have something to compare one of them to.

Ruffled Bowls. There were made in five inch, nine and one half inch and eleven and one half inches. There is a cereal bowl thats also five inches but it has a straight edge rather than ruffled. THe price difference between the two is not neglible, as the ruffled one goes for about 20 dollars as opposed to the cereal bowl, which prices out at about 165-175.. so thats a definitely expensive mistake.

There are nut bowls and fruit bowls, which contain a hole in the middle and a chrome base which may have a satin type finish on them, and a lampshade a well.

In about 1950 Jeannette started making iridescent Iris and Herringbone pieces.Most of them were the same shape as what was their original crystal, however not all of the pieces were made, and some were redone, so not all will be the same. There are minor differences between the two, which doesn’t mean its a reproduction.

The goblet that had measured 4.5 was changed to four inches flat, while the candy jar was produced without a lid to it.

In my home area of Pennsylvania, Iris is a common thing to find, even today but in Nebraska, where I currently live, its just not the case. What you can expect to pay is going to change subject to how available something is to you.