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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Pressed glass a collector's challenge   List Bruce Kirkland Rachel Sa Next   Toronto Sun writers have a passion for pressed glass   By Rachel Sa and Bruce Kirkland It started as a casual interest. It grew into a passion for collecting. Today, it is a wonderful obsession.   We are talking about pressed glass, a specialized niche in antiques that is accessible, affordable and useful. For Bruce, it is the joy of pouring a vintage Bordeaux into an 1880s Thrush and Apple Blossom pressed glass goblet. The ruby glint of the wine shimmers in the raised glass pattern of three different birds, each framed by delicate flowers. For Rachel, her delight rests in choosing just one of her three favourite Victorian era goblets - Cherries, Thistle or Acorn - that will hold a chilled rosé to sip on a summer afternoon.   For both of us, adding to burgeoning collections of pressed glass is the thrill of the hunt, coupled with an appreciation for the beauty of antiques elegant enough to grace formal tables in the 1800s, but sturdy enough for everyday use today. Pressed glass, or patterned glass, was manufactured using a mechanical plunger to press liquid glass into cast iron molds. This technique, cheaper than labour intensive, hand-blown glass, was patented in 1825 by American John Blakewell, who used it for decorative furniture knobs. Lacy glass, the earliest known pressed glass tableware, was produced from 1830 to 1845. By 1850, with improvements in glass and fresh designs, the popularity of pressed glass tableware began to expand and so did the items: Banana and cake stands, water pitchers, spooners, celery vases, pickle, jam and condiment jars, nappies and many more. These goods were manufactured by companies in Canada and the U.S. until 1910. Until the mid-1860s, the glass contained lead (flint glass). During the U.S. Civil War, when lead was reserved for bullets, an inventor introduced a soda lime alternative that permanently replaced lead in glass by the 1870s.   With companies continually expanding and contracting or swallowing up competitors, there are now more than 3,000 known patterns, from simple to ornate, from geometric shapes to animals and botanicals. While some patterns were available in full table settings, about 1,700 came only as goblets, now the focus of collecting. Some patterns are uniquely Canadian or American but many straddled the border; several patterns were shared by companies, with collectors aware of localized differences in the same pattern. Most pieces are unsigned so origins can be elusive.   Some patterns were also reproduced in the 20th century. A glance through a 1975 Eaton’s catalogue shows a picture of new King’s Crown goblets. “Reproduced from another era, but definitely at home on today’s tables,” the ad reads. Repros lack the weight and fine detail of originals. Learning to separate them from originals is every new collector’s first challenge – and one reason to buy from reputable, experienced dealers.   Ontario specialist Patty George offers useful advice on repros and other pressed glass topics – such as avoiding the dishwasher to clean your collection – on her website (www.pattygeorge.com). She also lists all the known North American pressed glass companies. Not only is original pressed glass beautiful but, when compared to crystal in its day, it was also affordable. Adopted by the middle class, it provided an elegant but affordable way to bring an air of aristocracy to humble tables, making it “poor man’s crystal.”   Ironically, goblets and other items selling for a nickel or a dime now fetch hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. The holy grail in Canada is the Beaver Band goblet. Adorned with maple leaves and a row of beavers around the rim, it is quintessentially Canadian and commands up to $1,800. While that may seem exorbitant, it is modest compared to the highest price ever recorded paid for a pressed glass goblet: $16,000 U.S. for a rare Sandwich Vine goblet in Virginia. Compotes have sold for more. But you don’t need a bank loan to collect pressed glass. Most goblets range from $40 to $200, with some patterns – animals or unique botanicals – fetching more and some patterns – usually plainer designs – asking less. Everything depends on rarity and desirability.   Sean George is an antique dealer specializing in pressed glass.With partner Wendy Saigeon, he runs Sean George Pressed Glass and Goblets (another excellent website at www.pressedglassandgoblets.com).   Collecting is not just about finding the most expensive piece, George says. “It’s the thrill of the hunt. For me, it’s the joy of finding unusual shapes and unusual pieces in a pattern that I’ve never seen before.” George first began selling antiques at age eight to earn money for candy. As a young adult, working in the field with his mother, he bought and sold general antiques. “Eventually, I got bored. I was just tired of just buying anything that came in front of me,” George says of how he made the shift to dealing exclusively in antique glass. “To begin with, I bought a small collection of pressed glass goblets. Within the first hour of the first show I held, they were gone!” Shortly after, a woman approached George with a 100-goblet collection. He only selected the patterns he liked, about 50. But, when those sold quickly, George returned for the rest. “The woman who sold them to me said: ‘I knew you’d be back,’” George recalls. “She said: ‘The first thing you learn in pressed glass is that what you like is not necessarily what the other person likes.You should always buy a variety because that’s what customers will shop for.’”   George and Saigeon have stories about their eclectic clientele that are both extreme and heartfelt. One American, after amassing thousands of goblets over 50 years, finally sold his collection – only to turn up at an antique show just six months later to begin buying anew. Many items he bought were the same ones he had sold.   “He still hasn’t let go of his obsession,” says Saigeon, “But he’s having a great time.”   Another tale involves an elderly Ontario couple who, after 30 years of trolling antique markets for pressed glass, seemed to disappear. George called to check up. “They said they still wanted to collect but that they hadn’t been out because the wife was not well,” George explained.   But his call sparked a renewed interest. The husband called back. His wife, the man said, wanted to add more animal goblets. George sent out a selection (it is easy to buy pressed glass through the Internet and have the pieces shipped – the main reason collecting is expanding pressed glass internationally). “This man called us afterward and said that to see his wife’s face light up like that again took him back to 30 years ago when they first started to collect,” George says. The experience of the elderly couple illustrates how meaningful pressed glass collecting can be, George explains. “It’s about the enjoyment of these collections,” he says. “This couple, they’re both in their late 80’s, and the husband told us: ‘We can’t go on a holiday together. Having a new car doesn’t matter to my wife. But getting up in the morning, going to the cabinet in her wheelchair and being proud of the fact that she has her animal goblets, that enriches her life.’”   But, while many get pleasure from just admiring their collections, being able to use pressed glass is part of the joy of collecting, says Saigeon. “Using these things is very important to us. Everything I buy and have, I use,”she says, dismissing the notion that pressed glass is too delicate. “These items have lasted a hundred years, through the first days of their everyday use, through two world wars. So why should I worry about using them if I take even the littlest care?” But whether people use their collections daily or only take pieces from the cabinet on special occasions, there are as many varieties of pressed glass collectors as there are patterns. Some people specialize in one pattern; others never want duplicates.   And Canadians are different from Americans, Saigeon says.   “In the United States, the majority of collectors want to amass everything, every particular pattern, and they are willing to go the ends of the earth to get it,” she says.   Yet they are generally reticent to use their pressed glass.   “In Canada, we’re not collectors in the sense that we have to collect everything in a particular pattern or category,” she says. “We tend to be much more practical. We rationalize it by saying that we can use it or we’ve got a place for it.” U.S. collectors are puzzled, she says. “People look at us like we’re crazy Canadians.” Above all, though, a piece of pressed glass should spark something inside you and reflect your taste.   “There’s such a variety,” Saigeon says, “so you can personalize what you collect in pressed glass.” That is what makes it such a wonderful obsession.   Photo 1 - Thrush & Apple Blossom goblet Photo 2 - Thistle, cherry and acorn goblets Photo 3 - A selection of pressed glass tableware   Rachel Sa and Bruce Kirkland are journalists with the Toronto Sun/Sun media and pressed glass enthusiasts. They are based in Toronto.     Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2011 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster