Three Cs of Fostoria Fairfax – Center Handled Servers, Console Bowls and Candle Holders

We’re on our tour of Fostoria Fairfax, one of Fostoria’s stalwart blanks they used for so many wonderful patterns.  My favorite vintage pieces are the 3 Cs:  Center handled servers, Console bowls and Candle holders

C #1  Center Handled Servers

You’ll see these called center handled sandwich trays, center handled trays, CHS, probably other names too.  Fostoria made a neat one in Fairfax.  Here’s the plain, unetched server in amber Fairfax. You are more likely to see topaz yellow Fairfax than amber but Fostoria made a lot of amber too.

Notice the fleur de lis handle and the 12 sided tray.

One of the most beautiful pieces we ever had was this topaz server with the June etch.  I was a bit painful to sell this, truly beautiful.

There is a very similar center handled server with a round base.  This is line 2287, not really Fairfax (line 2375) although it looks so similar.  I don’t have a photo of this any more, but imagine the identical tray as above, except round.

C #2 Console Bowls

Fostoria made several Fairfax console bowls, some with rounded rims, some with flared shapes, some oval, some round and some 12-sided/round.  This is the 12-sided shape with rolled rim in rose with the Versailles etch.  Lovely piece and you can see the shape well.

Be aware that several patterns, like Versailles and Trojan, that Fostoria used Fairfax as the primary blank, had console bowls from other lines.  This gorgeous shape with the scroll handle is Trojan and the 2395 shape.

C #3 Candle Holders

What can I say about the wonderful array of candle holders Fostoria made?  From the 1900s to 1984 we had candle holder after candle holder, a parade of shapes and colors and designs.  There are at least two holders in Fairfax, line 2375.

This first one matches the pink console bowl shown above.  A set with the console bowl flanked by two of the candle holders would be stunning!  (The picture dates from my days using a Sony Mavica; the low resolution left the photos fuzzy.)

The other one is a bit trickier. Fostoria made similar styles as did other companies; decorated ones are easy to spot as Fairfax but the plain ones are bit harder. The ring of glass that juts out below the candle cup is not round; it has sides just like the Fairfax plates.  Unfortunately I don’t have a photo to show you.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the 3 Cs of Fostoria Fairfax, some of my favorites, Center handled servers, Console bowls and Candle holders!