Viking Glass

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

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