Founded in Newark, Ohio by Augustus H. Heisey, the Heisey Glass Company operated from 1896 until late 1957 and its glassware is easily recognizable by the signature Diamond H mark.

A.H. Heisey (1842-1922) was a German born immigrant, whose family settled in Pennsylvania in 1842 when Augustus was an infant. At an early age, Heisey learned the craft of glass blowing, eventually becoming a salesman for Ripley and Co. after the Civil War, in which he fought at Gettysburg and other battles as an army captain, learning much about the glassmaking industry before deciding to start his own factory in Ohio.

Heisey’s first products were simple designs, but in 1914 the company began to produce etched glass products, eventually making some of the finest quality press-molded Elegant glass tableware in the U.S.

Although some of Heisey’s products may resemble Depression glass in appearance, the quality and original prices of Heisey glass put it in another league altogether, often turning up in bridal gift registries rather than as movie theater giveaway items!

As with most of the Elegant glassmakers, Heisey’s products were hand finished, using techniques such as fire polishing and exhibit the telltale marks of quality such as thin-walled cups and stems and few defects like inclusions or bubbles.

Among Heisey’s most popular patterns, collectors today favor Orchid, Victorian, Lariat and many others produced during from the 1920s to the 1950s.