• Harlowe Powell of Charlottesville, VA is holding a May 16th auction of sporting and leisure collectibles, including a matched trio of McGregor Master 30 Model golf clubs owned by Sam Snead. The club heads are made of solid persimmon with mother-of-pearl inserts, with an estimated value of $2,500- $3,500.

• Julien’s Auctions of West Hollywood is holding a charity auction on May 31st in New York featuring items donated by U2 guitarist The Edge and other rock stars. A highlight is a 1976 Gibson Explorer electric guitar with all original parts and case that was stage-played by Edge and comes with authentication documents by U2′s guitar technician Dallas Schoo. Estimated value: $80,000

• Apple Tree Auctions of Newark, Ohio specializes in vintage Heisey glass (which was manufactured in Newark) as well as Midwestern antique furnishings and others items. Apple Tree has several spring and early summer auctions scheduled including household items on May 15 and 29, antique and decorative arts on June 12-14, Heisey glass on June 17-18 and railroadiana on June 20-21.

• Pook & Pook’s jewelry sale on May 16th in Downington, PA includes an Art Deco diamond and sapphire ring in a platinum setting with 47 diamonds totaling 2.44 carats and 16 sapphires valued up to $6,000.

• Coaches Corner Sports Auction is conducting electronic bidding on a variety of baseball collectibles, including a box of a dozen baseballs signed by many of the sport’s legendary sluggers who hit more than 500 home runs, including Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt, Reggie Jackson and Frank Robinson. All of the signatures are certified and most grade at 8.5 or higher. The current top bid is $1,213.

• Sloan & Kenyon’s Three-Day June Estate Catalogue Auction on June 21-23 in Chevy Chase, MD. The firm also is privately selling an 1848 Bösendorfer grand piano valued as high as $300,000 and a trio of ship models – the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria – crafted entirely in precious metals by Philadelphia master goldsmith Antonio Gonzalez that is expected to sell for more than $1 million.

Harlowe Powell website

Julien’s Auctions website

Julien’s Auctions website

Apple Tree Auctions website

Pook & Pook website

Coaches Corner Sports Auction wesbite

Sloans & Kenyon website

Another interest we would like to intoduce you to is Heisey Glass, a favorite of Sheri for many years.

The A. H. & Heisey Company produced decorative glass pieces from 1896 to 1957 in Newark, Ohio. The National Heisey Glass Museum is located in Newark in the 1831 Greek Revival home of Samuel D. King which features galleries, a media center and a large collection of virtually every piece of known Heisey Glass ever manufactured including the original molds, patterns, and etchings.

An original Heisey piece features a rather distinctive mark that may not be readily noticed sometimes because at times the mark is either worn on the original pattern or it is placed in a somewhat awkward location. But, it can be found if you look hard enough.

The Heisey mark is really a capital H inside a diamond or Diamond H pattern similar to the image above from the National Heisey Glass Museum. Because of its collectibility, any companies want reproduce a Heisey mark on its counterfeit glassware, but fail to make it as clear as an original mark. An example, also from the National Heisey Glass Museum, shows an inferior Heisey mark.

With over 4500 pieces of glassware produced by the A.H. Heisey & Company, the ability to collect originals is very high and a very rewarding experience.

Visit the National Heisey Glass Museum at http://www.heiseymuseum.org for more information on Heisey Glass.

George Duncan Heisey, a son of Augustus H., designed the famous “Diamond H” trademark in 1900. The company registered it in 1901. In 1914 blown ware was first manufactured. Not content with traditional pulled stemware, the company introduced fancy pressed stemware patterns in the late 1910s.

Edgar Wilson, another son of Augustus H., became president in 1922 following Augustus’ death. He was responsible for most of the colored Heisey glass. While some colored glass was made earlier, the first pastel colors and later deeper colors, e.g., cobalt and tangerine, were manufactured in quantity in the 1920s and 30s. By the time of Edgar Wilson’s death in 1942, colored glassware had virtually disappeared from the market.

T. Clarence Heisey, another son of Augustus, assumed the presidency of the company. Shortages of manpower and supplies during World War II curtailed production. Many animal figures were introduced in the 1940s. An attempt was made to resurrect colored glass in the 1950s. Increasing production costs and foreign competition eventually resulted in the closing of the Heisey factory in December 1957.

The Imperial Glass Corporation of Bellaire, Ohio, bought the Heisey molds in 1958. Only a small number were kept in production, primarily those of patterns Heisey had in production when it ceased operations. Some pieces still carried the Heisey mark. In January 1968, Imperial announced it would no longer use the Heisey mark.

References: Neila Bredehoft, “The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Heisey Glass, 1925–1938,” Collector Books, 1986, 1999 value update; Gene Florence, “Elegant Glassware of the Depression Era,” Eighth Edition, Collector Books, 1999; Frank L. Hahn and Paul Kikeli, “Collector’s Guide to Heisey and Heisey By Imperial Glass Animals,” Golden Era Publications, 1991, 1998 value update; Harry L. Rinker, “Stemware of the 20th Century: The Top 200 Patterns,” House of Collectibles, 1997.

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