Heart of America Glass Collectors

Kansas City

Meeting Highlights & Past Programs

July 2009

Harold offered an absolutely gorgeous program on Westmoreland Glass Company's hard-to-find Blue Opalescent Carnival line, focusing on the years of production of 1908, 1909, and 1910.  In its day, Westmoreland actively competed with the other heavy hitters in the carnival arena, including Dugan and Imperial.  Harold and Doris frequently share their encyclopedic knowledge of Westmoreland with appreciative club members.  They have been longtime collectors and have an amazing breadth and depth in their collection.  Their enthusiasm and their respect for the company's product are readily apparent.  Harold gave a crash course in glass making, explaining how the blue opalescence was achieved by firing the pieces a second time to draw the sodium out to the edge of the piece.  He also noted that many Blue Opalescent Carnival pieces by Westmoreland (particularly bowls) have the pattern on the back and the carnival iridescence on the front.  Harold shared that you can always tell the underlying glass color of a heavily iridized carnival piece by looking at the base.  Many of the pieces in their collection were also made in Marigold, Peach Opal, Green, Amethyst, Amber, or Milk Glass.  Harold talked a little about each piece on the table and shared the pattern name or number (as well as a few fun anecdotes about how or when each was acquired).  It was a thrill to see so much Blue Opalescent Carnival in one place!

In the photos, the back row from left to right are as follows:  Daisy Wreath bowl, Smooth Ray bowl, Pearly Dots bowl, Jester's Cap vase, Scales bowl, Elite (or Pillar and Sunburst) bowl, and Carolina Dogwood bowl.

The front row from left to right are as follows:  #252 (#270) compote, Little Beads nappy, Little Flowers (Intaglio) nappy, pale blue luster candlesticks (also available with many cuttings and variations), Filigree (#10) sugar and creamer, Fan and File (#303) bowl, #215 bowl, and Pearly Dots compote.

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Show & Tell

Club members brought the following treasures for Show and Tell!  Here are some highlights from this meeting.  Descriptions of each treasure is found below the pictures using the corresponding number.

 

 

1. Cambridge Crown Tuscan bud vase with the Charleton Blue Mist decoration.

 

2. On the left is a Frankoma Pottery Prairie Green #53 Nautilus planter.

    On the right is a Imperial Glass Jade Slag Owl. 

  

3. On the left is a Fenton Burmese vase.

    On the right is a Fenton Midnight Rider vase.

 

4. Imperial Glass Red Candlewick 474SC bowl.

 

5. On the left is a Cambridge Crystal Regency (Stradivarius) goblet without decoration.

     In the center is an etched goblet from Vienna, Austria.

    On the right is a crystal Cambridge Crystal Regency (Stradivarius) goblet with the Celestial cutting.

 

6. Red Wing tile illustrating the Red Wing stoneware factory, made for the Red Wing Collector's Society convention.

 

7. Two Red Wing commemorative pitchers made for the Red Wing Collector's Society, one in brown sponge (1 of 53 made) and one in blue & brown sponge (1 of 2 made).

 

8. Cobalt Star Swanky Swig, 4 7/8" tall, from 1935.

 

9. Cambridge Crystal Rose Point footed juices on two different blanks.