Hocking Colonial Knife & Fork Clear Depression Glass Wine

We’ve looked at a lot of colored glass – blue, pink, green depression and elegant etched Fostoria – and I thought it would be a fun change to see some clear depression glass.

One conundrum is what to call this stuff.  My depression glass reference books by Gene Florence call colorless glass “crystal” but as a dealer I found that confused my customers.  Some see the word “crystal” and visualize the gorgeous quality lead crystal.  Ummm, nope, sorry.  This is depression glass so it’s decent quality but very far from high end lead crystal.  (Let’s not even talk about the confusion with the clear Waterford Waffle pattern.)

So I’ve taken to calling it “clear”.  This is what Replacements.com does too so I’m in good company.

The small stem you see here is the Colonial pattern from Hocking Glass.  It’s typical depression glass with a molded pattern and ordinary glass.  You may recognize the nickname Knife and Fork, which refers to the ridged design between the scallops.  Hocking made this pattern in green and pink, some yellow, some opaque white, a little blue and of course in clear.

The clear is not as enticing as the colored glass but it has its own charm.  For one thing it plays well with other colors and helps if you want to merge multiple colors.  Putting a few pieces of clear along with green and pink really helps.  For another the clear is much less expensive – true for almost all patterns – and you can add a few pieces to use every day without breaking the bank.  For another, colored depression stemware is getting harder to find.  Naturally stemware and tumblers took a beating over the past 80 years so when you can find clear stems to augment your depression set, go for it.

Buying information:  All glass shown is available at Cat Lady Kate’s Elegant and Depression Glass.

Tiffin Classic Etched Pink Elegant Depression Glass Tumbler

Thank you to Beverly from How Sweet the Sound for hosting Pink Saturday and allowing me to join the fun.

If you read my Tablescape Thursday post this week you saw a beautiful pink pitcher with a scarf-draped dancer swirling among the scrolls and swags.  Today we see the matching tumblers in this pretty pink pattern.

During the 1920s and 1930s a lot of glass companies made designs that featured nearly-nude dancers or nymphs.  You’ve probably seen Hocking’s Cameo depression glass and that was the poor man’s version of this delightful theme.  Monongah’s Springtime etch and Tiffin’s Psyche were plate etched, similar to the Classic etched tumbler shown here.

Just seeing the dancer on this stem makes me want to grab my scarf and join in.  It makes me happy just to look at it.  The color is a beautiful pink, not garish or in your face and not wishy washy either, just pink.

Etched Drops & Bands Etched Vintage Crystal Stemware

I wish I knew who did this.  It’s a simple shape with straight stem and rounded bowl with straight sides.  The etch – or sand blast – is a solid band with joined lines that have little dangles hanging down.

So who did it?  One possibility is Tiffin.  They made a stem that Gene Florence called Tiara and the Replacements book Tiffin is Forever A Stemware Identification Guide calls SB 602, sand blast.  The top design just above the solid band on the Tiffin picture shows linked circles and mine is plain above the solid band.

OK, what other possibilities?

Another idea is Seneca number 283, which is similar but also not quite a perfect match.  Seneca 283 has a thin double line above the band.

Anyone else have an idea?  These are obviously old, my guess is they go back to around World War 2 based on the style of the etch and the shape of the glass.  They are reasonably good quality but not high end.

These were most likely meant to be wine goblets but they are small for our contemporary tables where we tend to use goblets that hold 8 ounces or more for wine.  Today these would be perfect for an apertif or after dinner brandy.

Back in the era when there were many makers of fine quality glass in eastern United States the companies often had similar wares, similar designs, similar colors, similar etches.  This is partly because good ideas travel but also the artisans moved around.  Companies traded molds.  Other companies specialized in decorations and made no glass but decorated other makers’ ware.  These situations make it difficult to identify some pieces.

That’s ok though.  We can enjoy the glass even when we can’t call it by name.

Tiffin Glass June Beau Cut Crystal Cocktail Stem

Tiffin Glass survived until 1980, outlasting so many of the American glass houses.  They operated as Factory R, a unit of the U.S. Glass company.  Tiffin was known especially for their beautiful stemware.  The piece shown here is a good example.

This is cut crystal, not etched, and the name is a pun.  You can just see the bow like a ribbon in the front of the bowl, thus the name June Beau.  Once you stop groaning from the pun you can agree that it’s a clever name that fits the design.

What I like most about this stem is the shape.  The wide section near the top of the rim is a rounded wafer studded with little beads like a collar.  The blank is sometimes called Pearl Collar, most appropriate and something you won’t have a problem remembering.

I like the graceful flare of the bowl and the ribbing on the stem that makes this easy to hold.  This particular stem is the liquor cocktail; it’s a little small for a sherbet and a nice size for a small after dinner drink or cocktail.

It’s fun to have a variety of stems to use for drinks.  You can mix and match and not feel like everything has to match since it’s not on a formal table setting.  Go ahead and have fun with Tiffin stemware.

Fostoria Glass Lido Etched Crystal Baroque Bowl

This is one of my favorite pieces.  I love the beautiful etch that looks like a milkweed puff or fireworks.  This is Fostoria’s Lido etch, one of their 1940s patterns (1937 to 1954) so they used the Baroque and Sceptre blanks.  The big salad or console bowl is Baroque and you can see the fleur de lis on the sides.

Fostoria made a few pieces of azure blue Lido which are extraordinarily beautiful pieces of American glassware.  The crystal is stunning and the etch is graceful, all over puffs.

The next piece is the water goblet.  You can see why this is called the Sceptre blank – look at the tiers of points just under the bowl.

Fostoria Glass Lido Etched Crystal Water Goblet

For some reason this pattern is not as well known as the contemporaneous Chintz or Navarre etched glass.  If you like this it is still quite reasonably priced for mid-century Fostoria, with the water goblet running about $15-30.   I expect that this design, like others made around this same time, will become more collected as the people who bought this originally as young brides begin to downsize and pass on their cherished glass to their families.

This is a gorgeous pattern and one I hope you enjoy.

Central Glass Crystal Leaf & Border Etched Champagne

Every time I see this I imagine being with my sweetheart on a moonlit beach drinking champagne.  There is something about vintage crystal stemware that is just so romantic.

This particular piece is especially enticing since it rings like a bell when you touch it and the etched design is unusual and such a superb combination of geometry and graceful movement.  You can see the Greek key – like design around the border and make out the fan shaped leaves around the base.

Central Glass, which made this Leaf and Border pattern, made several designs that used the entire base of the bowl.  Below I’m showing Floral Trumpets which has the majority of the etch on the bottom of the bowl barely peeping into the side.

Ah well.  It’s winter here and a bit nippy for champagne on the beach.  Maybe that fireplace will work…

Central Glass Crystal Floral Trumpets Etched Champagne Sherbet

Central Glass Thistle Etched Crystal Cocktail Vintage Stemware

I’m partial to Central Glass etched patterns – they have a flowing grace you can see on this cocktail stem.  Central went out of business in the early depression years and all their beautiful glass is but a memory.

If you like this etch, you are in good company.  President and Mrs. Harding used this crystal for their every day glassware in the 1920s at the White House.  (One of the Harding’s other glass patterns, also by Central, has griffens and flowing swags and scrolls, and is called Harding.)

Pretty little cocktail is small, only about 4 inches tall and holds about 3 ounces.  It’s a nice size for a apertif or after dinner cocktail or brandy.  I have stems this size from my parents that I use for Irish Mist.  The right glass makes a difference.  It makes your evening more special to drink out of a vintage glass that you know will never be made again.

Imperial Glass got many molds and remade some patterns, but not this one.  This is Thistle etch.  Tiffin made a similar etched pattern, also called Thistle.  This particular little stem is Central’s, line number 1241.

I try to carry Central Glass but have only a few lines, this one, plus a few pieces of Floral Trumpets and Etch 404 Leaf and Border and Scott’s Morning Glory stemware. I’m going to add a search box for TIAS and an eBay listing selection at the end of this article. The eBay selection may have some oddball listings included since I ran it open for Central Glass. Both are affiliate links.

Fostoria Glass Chintz Etched Crystal Tall Water Goblet

We always have Fostoria’s Chintz etched glass in stock.  And I have several of the tall water goblets.  So why didn’t I sell any to Christmas shoppers this year?  Because they were in a box and not listed.  Oh my.  I sold out of a listing earlier and forgot to add more inventory.

Now that I’ve shown you how not to get this popular pattern out for others to enjoy, let’s look at this vintage stemware.  Fostoria made this from 1940 to 1973 and only in crystal.  You can immediately recognize this design because the etch looks spiky.  The rose stems trail around the goblet bowl and they have thorns and pointy leaves.  There is no center medallion and it isn’t symmetrical.

Fostoria made two sizes of water goblets, the taller one like this shown here that is 7 5/8 inches tall and holds about 10 ounces filled to the brim, and a shorter one that is 6 inches tall.  Think of the shorter goblet as a stemmed tumbler.  It doesn’t look as goblet-y as this tall on on the long elegant stem.

I’m aware of 10 different stemware sizes in Chintz.  There are the two water goblets, a claret wine which looks like the water but is only about 5 1/2 inches tall, the ice tea, which holds the most and has no stem beyond a chunky ball with wafers, two sizes of sherbets, a cocktail which looks like a sherbet but slightly narrower and 5 inches tall, a juice glass, oyster cocktail, and of course, a cordial.  As usual, the cordial is the most expensive, about $80 each.

Fostoria’s Chintz is relatively available and moderately priced.  We have the water goblets listed at $50 each with free shipping.

If you are looking for a vintage etched stemware pattern, consider Fostoria’s Chintz etch.  It’s got a lot of looks and goes very well with contemporary dinnerware.

Monongah Glass Secretaries Primrose Flower Etched Water Goblet

It can be tough figuring out what you have.  If you have mystery glass and you want to sell it, where do you go.  If you have a few pieces and want more, how do you find them.  Let me give you a few tips.

There are lots of good reference books and your library will likely have a couple.  The basic depression glass books by Gene Florence or Barbara Mauzy are excellent to help you figure out what pattern  you have.  If you have etched glass it might be a little harder since there were many etched patterns and you probably don’t want to spend a fortune buying glass books that cover every maker.  There are good general books by Gene Florence and Coe and Coe that are good starting points.

You can search on eBay.  Try to narrow  your search by deciding what category your glass probably fits into.  Is the bottom rim ground smooth?  Then it’s probably Elegant glass.

Another good site is the Glass Etch and Pattern Gallery.  You can search by design motif.  I used to use Replacements website but they changed it now so you get pictures of individual pieces which makes it too time consuming to search.

You can ask someone whom you think might know.  You can ask me.  I can identify many depression and elegant patterns – but I have no expertise in European glass, carnival glass, recent glass – and  you are welcome to ask.  I’ve changed my method for requests and ask that you abide by this.  Here’s what you can do to ask for my help:

1. Go to my Catladykate’s Elegant and Depression Glass page on Facebook.  The URL is www.DepressionGlassFun.com.
2. Click Photos.
3. Click Create a Photo Album
4. Add your photos and a brief description of the glass and why you are interested.
5. Drop me a note to Kathy@catladykate.com and ask for help.

Your photos will be there for all the fans and community to see.  That’s going to give you  a better chance of someone recognizing your glass for you.

Please don’t send photos to my email.  I use a webmail viewer and the inbox cannot handle the large file size photos.

I ask that you honor this request and in return I will do what I can to help you.

And the goblet featured?  This is Secretaries Primrose by Monogah Glass.  I show it because Replacements kindly identified it for me.

Fostoria Glass Heather Etched Crystal 2-Part Relish

Isn’t this  a pretty design?  The etch is Fostoria’s Heather, blooming all over a small 2-part Century relish.  There are other heather etches that look a little like this, but Fostoria’s is distinctive.  Look for clusters of leaves and blossoms that radiate from a center.  The bloom on the left side shows this most clearly.

The other distinctive characteristic that tells you this is Fostoria’s etch is the blank.  Fostoria used their Century blank for Heather and the edges all have little curlicues on the rims.  For some reason they didn’t use the stems that were part of the Century line, but instead Fostoria used the Silver Flutes blank for stemware.  Silver Flutes has curlicues all along the stem, a little more ornate than the Century stemware, but more graceful.

Fostoria Glass Heather Etched Crystal Footed Ice Tea Tumbler

This ice tea tumbler shows the curlicue stem.  Of course the champagne sherbets and water goblets have longer stems and are more noticeable.  One good thing about the curlicues is they make the pieces easy to hold.

Fostoria made Heather for a long time, 1949 to 1971, so it endured through the mid-century modern style and the resurgence of colonial in the 60s.   They made it in crystal only, no colors.

You can find stemware, accessory pieces like the relish shown, candles, decorative bowls and a full dinnerware set.  If you are thinking about getting etched vintage glassware for dishes, I recommend patterns that have designs in the centers of plates, not just on the rims.  The designs hide small signs of wear and make your pieces more usable since you won’t be so concerned about someone scratching the plate with their fork.

I don’t have a candle to show you, which is unfortunate.  The Fostoria Century blank candleholders are lovely graceful curled shapes that look wonderful with this curvy etched design.

Come pick a bouquet of Heather, etched that is, and enjoy vintage glass for stemware, dinner, candles and more.