A Hazel-Atlas-produce, Gay Fad-decorated drinking glass for Arizona.

The states in the union take great pride in their uniqueness and individuality. There are state birds, state colors, state flowers, state trees, state songs, state fish and even state mythical creatures. But who ever knew there were state beverages? For those of us who collect, that’s pretty great, because there is also a frosted drinking glass for every state, made by Hazel-Atlas and hand-decorated by the Gay Fad Studios.

The Hazel-Atlas Glass Company was founded in 1902 and became a large supplier of machine-molded glass. They were famous for their Depression glass, milk glass and home canning jars from the 1920s to the 1940s. The glassware was usually molded with its signature mark on the bottom (a capital A nestled underneath a larger capital H) until 1964 when the company was sold.

Meanwhile, Fran Taylor worked from her home in Ohio from 1938 to 1945, hand-painting wastebaskets, metal trays and glass. She was so successful that she hired a staff and opened the Gay Fad Studios in 1945. Her business became the premier decorator for dozens of glass companies until 1963. During those 18 years, Gay Fad produced tens of thousands of decorated ice tea glasses, liquor decanters, juice sets, mugs and shot glasses in a variety of whimsical designs. The company’s employees hand-painted each design onto the glass with specialty paints and then baked it in to assure a durable finish. Occasionally these pieces were signed, usually with two interlocking letters—a G and a backward F.

In the mid-1950s, Gay Fad and Hazel-Atlas joined forces to produce a series of collectible state glasses that were sold at souvenir shops in airports, tourist locales and highway rest stops. Although examples in blue, dark green and red can be found, the majority of the glasses were painted in pink, orange or yellow. Each glass featured a goofy picture of the state along with the state motto and several iconic drawings. Indians, wagon trains, oil wells, monuments, buildings, snow skiers, lakes, farmers, corn stalks, bucking broncos, plantation homes, famous parks, cacti, pilgrims, fishermen and so on were all chosen for unique state representation.

Arkansas

California

Florida

These glasses are fun to collect and a few states can be very difficult to find. Some people collect them all and some just collect the states that they’ve visited. Others collect their own state in all of the different Gay Fad colors. They sell for $2 to $25 each.

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

But back to those state beverages . . . Naturally it is fun to serve them in their own state glasses. However, only 29 states have declared a state beverage and 18 of those chose milk! The rest of the states need to catch up.

Maryland

Missouri

Nevada

Here’s a toast to the states that have been brave enough to name a unique drink:

• Alabama (whiskey)
• California (wine)
• Florida (orange juice)
• Indiana (water)
• Maine (Moxie)
• Massachusetts (cranberry juice)
• Nebraska (Kool-Aid)
• New Hampshire (apple cider)
• Ohio (tomato juice)
• Rhode Island (coffee milk)
• South Carolina (tea)

Maine gets the nod for the most imaginative drink. Moxie is a soda pop that was one of the first mass-produced soft drinks in the United States. It was created in 1876 (supposedly for medicinal reasons) and began to be sold as a carbonated beverage in 1884. Flavored with wintergreen and gentian root extracts, it has a unique flavor that is not as sweet as other sodas and is described by some as bitter (or even cough-syrupy). Today, this regional drink is mostly found in Pennsylvania, Maine and other northeastern states. Moxie is the main ingredient in the New Englander cocktail, so that recipe is included this month. The cocktail definitely demands an acquired taste, but it has many avid defenders who love it:

Moxie

New Englander Cocktail

1 part Gin
2-3 parts Moxie
1 large slice lime
1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Serve over ice

Rhode Island can also claim a truly unique beverage. Coffee milk is similar to chocolate milk, but it is made with a sweet, coffee-flavored syrup instead of chocolate syrup. The drink is sold by the glass or by the half-pint (in a waxed cardboard carton). It was introduced in drugstores in the early 1930s and can only be found in Rhode Island. However, it is easy to get coffee syrup online from several different companies (such as Autocrat). It can also be made from scratch:

Coffee Syrup

Make a pot of coffee using a percolator (not a drip coffee maker). Discard the grounds, add fresh grounds, and make another pot using the first pot’s coffee as the liquid (instead of water). Repeat. The result will be the equivalent of three pots of coffee in one pot so it will be very strong.

Measure the finished coffee. Add half as much sugar to this mixture. Mix until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Coffee Milk
2 tablespoons coffee syrup
8 ounces cold milk

Stir

Liz Holderman is a Worthologist who specializes in collectible books. “Dining with Antiques” is an ongoing feature in which she highlights usable collectible dinnerware, along with vintage recipes.

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The eerie 1971 Corning Pyrex Moon Deco pattern. Red and black on white. Good luck in finding one of these.

A growing interest in Mid-Century Modern collectibles is sweeping through many parts of the U.S., as furniture and decorative arts from the 1950s and 1960s are displayed in more and more living rooms and dens. The kitchen is a popular place to showcase retro items such as aqua appliances, atomic wall clocks, chrome storage canisters and the iconic Pyrex casserole dish.

Following World War II, women’s magazines promoted easy-to-prepare meals. The flexible casserole (which had previously been used to economically stretch meat) began to take on a new role—that of convenience. The “one-dish dinner—from stovetop to tabletop” needed very little preparation, required no watching and greatly decreased clean-up time. Casseroles could be made ahead and frozen for later use. Leftovers could go straight into the refrigerator. The casserole quickly became a comforting presence in American life.

Although Corning Glass Works introduced its thermal shock-resistant Pyrex dishes in 1915, the hardy tempered bakeware did not begin to appear in colors until 1947. The next year, Corning established a design division—staying in tune with the idea that cookware could double as a serving piece to take to the table. But the first patterns did not appear on casserole dishes until 1956, when the Daisy and Snowflake patterns debuted on Corning’s “decorator” casseroles—in pink, charcoal and turquoise. Divided casseroles became available in 1958, so that a side dish could cook along with the main attraction (really reducing clean-up). And finally branching out, Corning introduced a new casserole pattern, Gold Acorn, in 1960. The ever-increasing designs that followed are a delight for today’s collectors, because they changed with the times—even appearing in pop art, psychedelic, Amish and Native American themes. Every spring and every fall, a one-time promotional design was also released, making a hunt for vintage rarities all the more fun.

One of the first patterns on Corning Pyrex cookware: the 1956 Snowflake pattern.

The 1958 Decorator pattern with custard background and black modern kitchen motif. Gold-tone cradle.

The common patterns can be very inexpensive to collect and can be found at most flea markets and garage sales. But Autumn Harvest’s shock of wheat just can’t compare to some of the harder-to-find patterns, such as Zodiac, with its gold-leaf astrological figures or eerie Moon Deco, with its sleek red and black orbs. It’s also difficult to find the go-along items that came with some of the dishes. Warming trays, basket and metal carriers, detachable wood handles, cradles and stands were often not marked and usually got separated. There are more than 70 casserole patterns to choose from, so a collector can spend many enjoyable hours searching for new discoveries.

One-pot meals have been in existence for thousands of years, of course, but the term “casserole” is French in origin and first appeared in the English language in the early 1700s. Recipes for a baked combination of meat, cream sauce and noodles date to the 1800s. But the casserole peaked in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, due largely to the light-weight Pyrex cookware available. It began to lose favor in the 1970s when gourmet cooking trends made it seem unsophisticated.

The 1960 Gold Acorn pattern.

The 1961 Holiday pattern. White pinecones on red background.

The tuna casserole was among the first to champion the genre in a big way. Tuna was commercially available in cans in 1903 but was not widely used until the 1930s. The Campbell Soup Company introduced a cream of mushroom soup in 1934 and also advertised it as a quick and inexpensive substitute for homemade cream sauce. Campbell’s subsequent promotional material and cookbooks included many recipes for casseroles, with a tuna version appearing in 1941. Campbell Soup Company cannot be credited with inventing the tuna casserole, but it probably did the most to popularize it.

Pyrex doesn’t stain and is very difficult to scratch or chip. So, the vintage bakeware appears clean and fresh and can still be used for everyday cooking. Since it’s fun to serve vintage recipes with vintage pieces, enjoy your old cookware with the first known recipe for tuna casserole made from mushroom soup.

The hard-to-find 1961 Zodiac pattern. Dark green with gold leaf.

.

Company Casserole
From “Easy Ways to Good Meals: 99 Delicious Dishes Made with Campbell’s Soups,” 1941

1 package (6 oz) egg noodles
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1/4 pound pimiento cheese, sliced
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 can (7 oz) tuna fish
6 tablespoons flaked cereal crumbs, buttered

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water until tender. Empty the soup into a pan and stir well, then add milk and heat. Add the pimiento cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Combine the noodles, eggs and tuna fish with the sauce. Put into a buttered casserole, sprinkle buttered flaked cereal crumbs over the top and bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 25-30 minutes. Serves 8

Liz Holderman is a Worthologist who specializes in collectible books. “Dining with Antiques” is a monthly feature in which she highlights usable collectible dinnerware, along with vintage recipes.

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Donna J. inherited a cut glass punch bowl from her great-grandmother. As far as anyone in the family could remember, it had never been displayed and spent all its time in a box in the attic. Donna would like to the value, as she is considering selling it.

Donna J. has a cut glass punch bowl that she inherited from her great grandmother, who had received it as a wedding gift before World War One. Looking for a value before deciding whether to sell it, or keep it she engaged WorthPoint’s “Ask a Worthologist” service. The question was forwarded to me. Here is her question:

“I inherited this punch bowl from my great-grandmother 20 years ago and it’s been stored away in the same box it came in all this time. Even though she received it as a wedding gift about 1900, my mother claims Great Grandma couldn’t have liked it very much, because as far as she knew, it had never been displayed and spent all its time in a box in the attic. As it has no sentimental attraction for me or my mother, I’d like to have it valued and possibly sell it. It has no marking I can see and it measures about 15 inches across and 19 inches tall.”

Based on the images you sendt along, this is a turn-of-the-19th-century Brilliant Period cut glass punch bowl. The term “Brilliant Period” refers to American cut glass made circa 1880 to 1914, a period when America was becoming the world leader in producing of cut glass. While cut glass actually goes back at least to ancient Rome, most modern cut glass post dates 1850, gaining popularity after pieces of Belgian and Bohemian cut glass were prominently featured at London’s famous Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851. Like many other decorative items shown during the Exposition, cut glass caught the public’s attention and created a demand for ever more elaborate patterns.

The Brilliant Period pieces are identifiable by their deep, elaborate cutting, curving lines and geometric patterns. Each company competed for its market share by developing and patenting new designs, that prior to the use of faster and more powerful electric tools, would have been too time consuming to produce on a large scale. Even so, the production of cut glass was still very labor intensive and the purchase of such pieces were for the “well to do” or for special occasions, such as weddings and anniversaries.

Values for cut glass depends a great deal on the maker, with examples that carry the mark of one of well known glass companies such as Libbey, Dorflinger and Sons, T.H. Hawkes or Hoare Glass Company being the most sought after. Unmarked cut glass tends to sell for a good deal less than marked examples, but the quality of the cutting and intricacy of the design also has a great bearing on the value. While this one is unmarked, it is a lovely piece cut in the hobstar and comet pattern; as good as any by the well-know makers. In the current market, comparable unmarked punch bowls of this quality often sell for more than $1,800.

Mike Wilcox, of Wilcox & Hall Appraisers, is a Worthologist who specializes in Art Nouveau and the Arts and Craft movement.

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An example of an early American Pattern Glass celery vase. This over-sized goblet with crimped lip, in the Venus & Cupid pattern, was produced by Richards & Hartley between 1875-1884 and by U.S. Glass after 1891.

According to the early nineteenth century writer Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in “The Physiology of Taste,” gastronomy required “intelligent knowledge of whatever concerns man’s nourishment.”

Brillat-Savarin’s 1825 treatise on the fine art of foods was the first treatment of dining as an art form. The newly developing interest in food appropriately reflected a growing awareness of gastronomy that flowered during the Victorian period. However, 19th-century consumers must have taken the author quite literally when they read, “the discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.”

Of the multitude of dishes—on which food was served, as opposed to the food itself—offered to the middle-class consumers, perhaps one of the most unique was the celery vase. During the 19th century, middle-class households sought to establish their position in the community in a variety of ways. Perhaps the greatest indicator of one’s status was offered in the dining room. By serving a variety of exotic foods, a hostess could solidify her husband’s situation as “having arrived” at a high rung on the social ladder.

Celery became one of these exotic foods important to the class-conscious consumer. This vegetable, like other foods considered elegant at the time, was important enough to require its own serving dish. Glass and silver celery vases (sometimes called celery stands) allowed for prominent presentation on the table. With leafy ends protruding, celery could be offered from a tall glass or silver vase akin to a flower vase, providing ease of serving and the height needed to give variety to the vast array of cuisine. ¹

Celery as a food dates back as far as the 16th century when it was used for flavoring. During the next century, evidence indicates that the stalks were eaten, often dipped in oil. By the 19th century, the vegetable had grown in popularity, in part because of its reputation as a hothouse plant.

A 7-inch hobnail and opalescent cranberry celery vase by Hobbs and Brockienier, circa 1870-1897.

A member of the parsley family and native to Europe and Asia, celery requires blanching, or mounding rich, moist soil around the stalk to exclude light. Moreover, celery needs a long growing season with cool temperatures. Normally maturing several months after planting, celery is among the most expensive vegetables to produce even today.

Low baskets offered another, though less popular, means of presenting the vegetable for the table. Celery vases outsold baskets by a ratio, of 17 to 1, according to the catalogues of silver manufactures. Popular during the Victorian decades of the 1860s and 1870s, sales of these stands increased into the 1890s, when celery “boats” to “yachts” were listed in manufactures’ catalogues.

At the turn of the 20th century, celery stands or vases had disappeared from the tabletop landscape because of the development of a commercial process for growing the vegetable. Cultivating celery had been very labor-intensive, because it required blanching to preserve the white hue of the stalks, as well as the slightly sweet flavor. This new commercial process allowed for easier growing, thereby making the vegetable more available. Increased availability meant less cost, making it ordinary and no longer suitable for the status seekers of the middle-class.

A cobalt blue glass celery vase with a tri-fold fluted ruffled edge, circa 1898-1906.

With celery out of fashion, eager consumers sought other less common foods as status indicators and celery vases were no longer needed. Today, these vases appear in shops sometimes listed as “spooners” or simply as flower vases, but the knowing dealer and collector will recognize them for what they are: an indicator of the originality of the 19th-century manufacturers’ eager to find his niche in the fashionable, yet faddish, world of cuisine.

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^1. Susan Williams, “Savory Suppers and Fashionable Feast: Dining in Victorian America” (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1996). 111.

— Originally published in the American Antiquities Journal

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– JC, New York, NY, via e-mail

ANSWER: I forwarded the photographs that accompanied your e-mail to Debbie and Randy Coe, authors of “Elegant Glass: Early, Depression, and Beyond, 3rd Edition” (Schiffer Publishing, 2007; coesmercantile.com) and among the best glass pattern identifiers I know. Your bonbon or nappy (candy dish works as well) is Jefferson Glass Company’s Pattern #192, known to collectors as Sea Spray, and was made between 1906 and 1907. The piece is found in three colors—blue, green, and white.

Harry Barstow, Grant Fish, George Mortimer and J. D. Sinclair founded Jefferson Glass, located in Steubenville, Ohio, around 1900. Steubenville is the county seat of Jefferson County, hence the firm’s name.

Jefferson Glass produced fancy tableware, e.g., vases, and plain and decorated novelties, many of which were made in opalescent glass. Jefferson Glass remained in Steubenville until 1906, at which time it moved to Follansbee, W.V. Imperial Glass leased its former Steubenville plant. The Follansbee site produced non-opalescent glass and remained in operation until 1933.

A link existed between Jefferson Glass and Northwood. William Heacock, a leading glass researcher focusing on late 19th- and early 20th-century glassware, revealed Jefferson Glass sold a few of its opalescent molds to Northwood. Heacock’s “Collecting Glass, Volume 3” states: “George Mortimer, a prime force in the establishment of the Jefferson factory, went to work for Northwood in 1905, which may be why Northwood copied some fast-selling Jefferson designs.” With these few exceptions, most of Jefferson Glass’s opalescent molds vanished following the move to Follansbee.

Debby and Randy also noted that some collectors confuse Jefferson Glass’s Sea Spray pattern with the S-Repeat pattern. “We don’t feel that it is close to it. The piece shows the beading below the pattern and this is different than the S-Repeat … the pattern really looks like ocean waves as they are breaking on the beach.”

While many glass patterns included numerous forms, often enough to set a complete table, Sea Spray was only available as a bonbon/nappy. As a result, it has more appeal to opalescent rather than pattern glass collectors.

When I assumed the editorship of “Warman’s Antiques and Their Prices” in the early 1980s, opalescent and pattern glass were hot collecting categories. This is no longer true. Many glass collecting categories fell upon hard times after the dawn of the twenty-first century. Pattern and opalescent glass are on the list.

Your bonbon/nappy is more than 100 years old. If age determined value, its value would be high. Alas, age is now a minor value consideration and often discounted completely. The buyer is the key. If there is no buyer, there is no value.

Your Jefferson Glass Sea Spray bonbon/nappy has a secondary market value of between $30 and $45, down more than fifty percent from what it was worth 10 years ago. Its value derives from its conversation/decorative potential as opposed to its collector interest.

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QUESTION: I own a FADA Model 605W radio. It works. What can you tell me about it?

– C, Reading, PA

ANSWER: FADA, because several of its radios were housed in Modernist design catalin cases, is a magic name among radio collectors. Although your Model 605W has a plastic case, it is not catalin.

Frank Angelo D’Andrea (1888-1965) founded FADA. As a youth, he worked for Frederick Pierce Company, a firm that helped inventors develop working models of their inventions. Frank D’Andrea left Frederick Piece and founded FADA (his initials) to produce crystal detectors for radios. D’Andrea’s company was operating in three different locations on Jerome Street in the Bronx, New York, by 1921.

FADA began manufacturing radios in 1923. FADA had a stormy employer-employee relationship, and 500 of the 600 works went on strike in 1926. Lewis Clement, FADA’s chief engineer, left in 1927 for a better offer, as did Dick Klein, second in command. A group of Boston businessmen purchased the company in 1932, filing for bankruptcy in 1934.

A group headed by Jacob M. Marks bought the company and renamed it Fada Radio and & Electric Company. It remained in operation until 1955.

An advertisement in the August 1946 issue of “Radio News” pictures FADA models 605W, 1000 (the famous bullet case), and 1001. The Model 605W is listed as having five tubes.

Had your FADA Model 605W not worked, it would have little to no value. A dealer who restores radios might pay $5 to $10 for parts salvage. Even in working condition, the value is low, i.e., between $50 and $60. Collector interest in the common radios of the 1920s through the 1950s is fading. The collecting community is graying, i.e., collectors are getting older and not being replaced by younger collectors. If you are thinking of selling your radio, the longer you wait, the less you will receive.

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QUESTION: I have a copy of “The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy, 2nd Edition.” What is its value?

– CB, via e-mail

ANSWER: Bishop Alma Bridwell White authored “The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy,” a 144-page book, in 1925. White was the founder of the Pillar of Fire Church and author of more than 35 books. The Reverend Branford Clarke provided the illustrations. Arthur H. Bell, the Grand Dragon of the New Jersey Ku Klux Klan, wrote the introduction.

“The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy” was a compilation of articles written by White for “The Good Citizen,” the Klan’s political periodical. The book’s primary focus was a violent diatribe against the Catholic Church. In addition, it promoted anti-Semitism, white supremacy and women’s equality.

“The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy” enjoyed numerous editions and printings. It is still in print. Apparently, it is very popular in India. Unfortunately, your e-mail provides only a minimum of information. Go to abebooks.com or bookfinder.com and research the printing you have. If you are fortunate enough to have a first or very early printing of the second edition in very good or better condition, your book can be worth between $75 and $100.

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QUESTION: You write that most 78 rpm record albums are not worth much. There must be exceptions, and I hope I might have one. Attached to my e-mail is a picture of the RCA Victor record album cover for Robert Merrill’s Brooklyn Baseball Cantata, with music by George Kleinsinger with words by Michael Stratton. The piece was composed in 1937 but not recorded until 1948. There are two 78 rpm records in the album. Play time is approximately 12 minutes. What is its value?

– LE, Reading, PA, via e-mail

ANSWER: Robert Merrill, one of the Metropolitan Opera’s leading 20th-century baritones, was an ardent baseball fan. In fact, he died in his chair listening to a World Series game.

Although best known for the playing of his recording of the national anthem at Yankee Stadium, especially on opening day, Robert Merrill recorded the “Brooklyn Baseball Cantata” about a legendary World Series game between the Brooklyn Dodgers—“dem Bums” —and the New York Yankees. The 12-minute cantata is somewhat disjointed. A disgruntled umpire takes out the frustrations of his own failed baseball career on the players. The game seesaws back and forth. A Cookie Lavagetto-pinch-hit homerun wins the game. Alas, it is all a dream. The cantata ends with a “wait until next year” theme.

“The Brooklyn Baseball Cantata” faded from the scene before the runner reached first base, albeit it often is include on Robert Merrill greatest hits albums. “The Brooklyn Baseball Cantata” was one of several Dodgers’ songs recorded in 1948-1949, including Negro bandleader Buddy Johnson’s “Did You see Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?”

George Kleinsinger (1914-1982) is far better known as the co-author, along with Paul Tripp, of “Tubby the Tuba” and the numerous musical scores that supported the book. Kleinsinger’s “Brooklyn Baseball Cantata” is a mere footnote.

Copies of the RCA “Brooklyn Baseball Cantata” are readily available. The album sells for between $15 and $20 in the general marketplace. Collectors of Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia pay a bit more.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. It streams live on http://www.gcnlive.com on the Genesis Communications Network.

“SELL, KEEP OR TOSS? HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web site: http://www.harryrinker.com

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected letters will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5093 Vera Cruz Road, Emmaus, PA 18049. You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker [at] aol [dot] com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

Copyright © Rinker Enterprises, Inc. 2009

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One of the earliest types of American made bottles used for liquor are known generically as “chestnut flasks”; they are also sometimes called “New England chestnut flasks” by collectors.  These type of bottles or flasks (hard to say which is more accurate, but I will call them flasks) were made in many sizes from a few inches tall to several gallons in capacity.

The chestnut flask shown in image #2 is a typical early American example that was most likely produced by a New England or possibly New Jersey glasshouse between 1790 and 1820s – the heyday for this style.  It is about 8″ tall, free-blown (that is, blown without the aid of a full body mold), has a blowpipe type pontil scar within a pushed up base, a crudely applied one-part lip (or “finish” in glassmaker parlance), and is medium olive green in color.  Click on the following links to view more pictures of this chestnut flask: side view; base view showing the blowpipe pontil scar.

Chestnut style flasks were almost certainly produced by most of the earliest viable American glasshouses and date as far back as the 1770s up through the 1830s.  The smallest (5″ or less) ones may have been primarily used for medicines, but medium and larger sizes were very commonly used for beverages including wine and various spirits.  Although often referred to as New England chestnut flasks, they were undoubtedly made by many different glasshouses up and down the Eastern Seaboard as it was a popular style during the noted era (McKearin & Wilson 1978).

Chestnut flasks are typically oval to a flattened oval in cross-section with an overall squatty “teardrop” shape when viewed straight on.  These flasks are free-blown typically (and thus have no mold seams in evidence) with glass tipped or blow-pipe pontil scars.  Because they are free-blown, the actual shapes are quite variable with some approaching round in cross-section to very compressed and “flask-like” on the other end of the scale. Typically the body of these flasks are about 1.5 to 2 times as wide as they are deep.  Finishes (aka “lip”) are applied and quite crude, varying much in shape and often defying simple categorization.  Occasionally, these flasks have a simple cracked-off/sheared and refired finish, but usually the finish is some type of one-part example made with applied glass that was crudely tooled to form a collar.

Colors vary with a large majority being some shade of olive green or olive amber; aqua to amber to teal blue have also been noted by this author, but are rare.  These flasks are usually very crudely formed with bubbles and ripples in the glass, flattened spots and bulges, and an overall lack of symmetry reflecting the free-blown manufacturing and early American heritage.  They usually have very light and thin glass for their size, though this is variable.  Similar bottles made in Europe go back at least to the late 17th century (McKearin & Wilson 1978; Van den Bossche 2001).

The grouping of five chestnut flasks pictured in image #1 are also likely products of the early New England glass companies although the tallest example in the group (9″ with a two-part finish instead of a one-part) may be the product of an early Pennsylvania or New Jersey glass company, as may some of the others in the grouping which range to as small as 5″ tall (McKearin & Wilson 1978).  All of these free-blown flasks share the same early manufacturing characteristics as the image #1 example and show some of the subtle range of glass colors that these bottles were made in.

American made chestnut flasks – although fairly abundant (relatively speaking considering the age of them) - are highly sought out by collectors in the U. S. as they are among the earliest utilitarian bottles known to have been made in America.

Values for American made chestnut flasks in good condition (i.e., no chips, cracks, or other post-production damage; some wear on the sides and base is typical) range from a $200-$300 to $1000 or more depending on size (very small and very large are highly desireable), color, crudity (the more the better…to a point), and condition.  Some times provenience matters in that examples known to have come from “famous” collections can demand a small premium.

For more information on the subject of bottle dating and typology – and the terminology used in the above descriptions – please consult my Historic Bottle Website at: www.sha.org/bottle/index.htm The references noted in the write-ups above are found on that sites “References” page at this link: www.sha.org/bottle/References.htm

For further information on early American bottles and flasks consult these references:

McKearin, Helen and Kenneth M. Wilson. 1978. American Bottles & Flasks and Their Ancestry. Crown Publishers, Inc., New York.

Wilson, Kenneth. 1972. New England Glass & Glassmaking. Thomas Y. Crowell Co., New York.

My mother is 91-plus-years old and quite active. She was scurrying around the yard helping customers decide what items they needed. One customer in particular would not leave the table that held mom’s teacups and teakettles.

Every since I can remember, mom collected teacups and teakettles. Over the years, she accumulated quite a few. Her collecting stopped when dad died, but she kept the collection on display in her living and dining rooms.

When my sister was widowed, they moved and shared the same house. Space was a problem, and mom’s teacups and teakettles were stored. So now they were on this table to be sold. The price tags were for 50 cents or a dollar each for the teacups and $5 for the teakettles.

The customer who would not leave the teacup-and-kettle table spoke softly to mom and explained that items in her collection were quite valuable. True, the Niagara Falls and Graceland teacups were not worth much, but others could bring up to $75. Some of her teakettles are worth up to $300! The customer left without buying anything. A very honest person saved mom from giving away a nice collection.

This antique collection is now under my control and will be appraised by someone from WorthPoint in the near future. Most of us don’t know the value of what we have stored or stashed in the attic. Discover the value of your old stuff before you sell by using WorthPoint’s resources.

– Jim Sturgill is a director of WorthPoint and founding partner of Sturgill & Associates LLP, a DC and Baltimore area CPA firm.

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The title of this blog is the wonderful and strangely upbeat phrase embossed around the pedestal base of this whimsical little bottle…or is it a salt/pepper shaker. Actually, the “em-bossing” is “de-bossed” or indented into the glass instead of raised relief like typical bottle embossing.

The Billiken, as one can see from the images, is a little fat, naked guy sitting on his behind with this devilish grin and and both eyes shut tightly. Sort of a happy Budda figure, though with no apparent religious overtones. It does make one happy just gazing upon this little elf. See Image #1 above which shows an example that still retains some of the gold highlight paint.

The following is from Wikipedia on the subject:

“The Billiken was a charm doll created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Ms. Florence Pretz of Kansas City, Missouri, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. In 1908 she patented the Billiken who was elf-like with pointed ears, a mischievous smile, and a tuft a hair on his pointed head. His arms were short and he was generally sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him. The Billiken was auspiciously named after the newly elected President of the United States, William Howard Taft. (The manufacturer of the dolls, Horsman Dolls, Inc., had earlier enjoyed success with the Teddy Bear: a toy named after the previous president, Theodore Roosevelt.) The Billiken was one of the first copyrighted dolls and the first likenesses of the Billiken, banks and statues, were produced in 1909. After a few brief years of popularity, like many other fad toys, the Billiken faded into obscurity.“

One question I’ve always had is whether these are bottles – they are often referred to as a candy bottle (holding those little, hard candies of yesteryear) – or part of a salt/pepper shaker set (and outside my bottle genre).

The evidence for it being a salt shaker is that the cap of most of them – including the pictured example which is almost certainly original as I’ve seen the same exact cap on many specimens – has the perfunctory holes in it for dispensing a product, i.e., salt and/or pepper. Image #2 above shows the cap with the shaker holes in it. This type cap is seen on a majority of Billiken bottles in my experience. Image #3 shows a colorless (clear) example of the bottle which also has a perforated cap (not showing in image).

However, there are a few bottles around that have caps without holes; are these the candy bottles? Image #4 above shows one with a solid silver cap which may – or may not – be original. This particular example was in the famed and spectacular Judge Blaske collection of bottles & flasks sold off in 1983. The auction catalog noted that the cap may or may not have been original – a reflection of the fact that most of these bottles are seen with the perforated cap.

If any viewers of this blog have any additional information on the subject, I would love to hear about it. The bottom line is probably that these bottles were likely used for both salt/pepper shakers and as candy (or whatever) bottles, though most were used for the former purpose. Anyway you “shake it” these are attractive and engaging bottles…and highly collectible.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billiken

http://www.sha.org/bottle/index.htm

http://www.historicbottles.com/billiken1908patent.pdf (Link to original patent)

To keep light in a home during the 1800′s required the use of oil lamps, for the most part. The glass lamps were functional, put out enough candlepower to light a small room, and served as night lights for the kids.

The first one above, circa 1820, is a clear blown glass lamp with a pressed bottom. You poured the oil in the top and sealed it with a cork. The yellow glass lamp was also a blown glass lamp, both made by the Sandwich Glass Co. near Boston, Massachusetts.

It was the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. that revolutionized glass production beginning about the 1830s. Instead of cutting designs into glass, glass was blown mechanically into forms that produced intricate detail in a fraction of the time of hand blown glass – about every 15 seconds. The cost of glass dropped dramatically for consumers.

Another hand blown glass lamp, circa 1840, not necessariy produced by the Sandwich Glass Co., used a heavy pewter collar which was appropriate since it also burnt heavy oil.

By 1845, Cornelius and Baker created this decorative brass table lamp that used mineral oil or kerosene to emit light. It was messy and dirty, but it certainly did the job well.

The little one with the two prongs had a brass cover and used a cable with ring. It was lit by a match when the top was off and burned mineral oil, too. This was a primary lamp from the 1845 to about 1865.

Following the acquisition of several glass houses in the 1920s, Hocking began producing new glass containers. In 1937 Hocking merged with the Anchor Cap and Closure Corporation, resulting in a name change in 1939 to Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation. In 1969 the company became Anchor Hocking Corporation.

References: Gene Florence, “Anchor Hocking’s Fire-King & More,” Collector Books, 1998; Philip Hopper, “Royal Ruby,” Schiffer Publishing, 1998.

– Harry L. Rinker

“Official Price Guide to Collectibles”

In the 1950s, the Gunderson Glass Company produced a wide range of reproduction glassware as well as its peachblow-type art glass shades from an opaque faint pink tint to a deep rose. Robert Bryden attempted a revival of the firm in 1970. He moved the manufacturing operations from the old Mount Washington plant in Boston back to New Bedford.

by Harry L. Rinker
“Official Price Guide to Collectibles”

Washington, Pa. The company’s main offices were located in Wheeling, W.V. The company was a pioneer in automated glassware manufacture. A factory in Clarksburg, West Virginia, specialized in pressed glassware and achieved a reputation in the late 1920s as the “World’s Largest Tumbler Factory.” Two factories in Zanesville, Ohio, made containers, thin-blown tumblers, and other blown ware.

Washington and Wheeling plants made containers and tableware, the latter including many of the Depression era patterns for which the company is best known among collectors. Continental Can purchased Hazel-Atlas in 1956. Brockway Glass Company purchased the company in 1964.

References: Gene Florence, “Collectible Glassware From the 40s, 50s, 60s…,” Fourth Edition, Collector Books, 1998; Gene Florence, “Kitchen Glassware of the Depression Years,” Fifth Edition, Collector Books, 1995, 1997 value update.

by Harry L. Rinker
“Official Price Guide to Collectibles”