Lido - Looks Like a Milkweed - Etch by Fostoria

Pretty etch looks like milkweed puffs gently floating in the breeze. This is Lido by Fostoria and it's on the Baroque blank. That means the glass itself has a pattern and the pattern name is Baroque. Lido is the etch.

This has been one of my favorites for a long time and I buy it when I can. This particular creamer came with the matching sugar. We have the goblet and large cake or torte tray as well.

Fostoria made Lido from 1937 to 1960 primarily in crystal but also in a gorgeous shade of blue called Azure. Years ago I saw some June tumblers in azure in the company store and couldn't afford them - such a shame as that is a wonderful color to show off etchings like this.

We have the creamer and sugar listed in our TIAS store and offered on eBay.

Catladykate's Elegant and Depression Glass at TIAS http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/

Catladykate at eBay http://stores.ebay.com/Vintage-Elegant-Depression-Glass

June Beautiful June! Flowers All Tied with a Bow

Beautiful stem, isn't it. This is the wonderful June etching by Fostoria and it's on the Fairfax blank. June has sprays of flowers all tied with bows and a ribbon that dips down to make a loop on the bouquet. So lovely, so romantic, so very elegant.

June etch is similar to the later Romance etching, but you can tell it apart by the little extra loop of ribbon - so perfectly exuberant - and the blanks Fostoria used. Tomorrow I'll show a Romance bowl so you can see the difference!

This is the cocktail stem and it's listed on our TIAS store and on eBay!

Elegant Stemware with a Twist! Fostoria Contour Champagne Sherbet

This is the champagne sherbet in Fostoria's Contour elegant glass. This dates to the late 1950s to 1960s as Fostoria made this pattern from 1955 to 1970. It has a mid-century modern styling with the curved stem and generous round bowl.

Swedish modern was all the rage in the 1950s and this must have been Fostoria's answer to the pricey Scandinavian art glass of the time. Contour pieces all have curves - lots and lots of curves - and the plates are cupped at the rim. They really are distinctive and you'll not mistake the stemware either with its curvy stems.

I showed the creamer and sugar in a previous blog at the end of 2007 and want to get this champagne sherbet out now for those who are looking for wedding gifts or stemware for special occasions. Vintage stemware gives us an intimate connection with the past; it's beautiful and it is useful. What more could you want?

We're listing this in our eBay store, TIAS store and offering one at auction this week.

Catladykate's Elegant and Depression Glass at TIAS http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/
Catladykate at eBay http://stores.ebay.com/Vintage-Elegant-Depression-Glass

Nice Retro Pitchers for a Nostalgic Touch

How's this for nostalgia? Remember the big pitchers with the neat decorations? We used to have a ceramic tilt pitcher with an ice lip that we used for Koolaid and lemonade in the summer. This reminds me of that - making Koolaid with my sister.

This particular pitcher is actually older than that (really) as it dates to the tail end of the depression, the very late 1930s and early 1940s. It is by Anchor Hocking and goes with some of their neat beverage tumblers.

I buy these whenever I can find them in good condition at a reasonable price and they sell well for me. This one is especially nice and in great condition!

If You Want to Be a Better Seller, Try Being a Buyer

Everyone has their own business model. Mine is to be a top notch seller and I define that as offering quality glass - not necessarily super expensive - photographed and described accurately, shipped carefully and quickly, and with cheerful service and a full guarantee.

It hasn't been easy to get better. What was super helpful for me was to buy glass on eBay, from both good sellers and not-so-good, and understand what that meant to me as a buyer. How can I make my customers' experience match that of the good sellers? How can I avoid causing the financial losses and annoyance that my less-pleasant buys have been?

If you want to sell on eBay, and sell successfully with profit and enjoyment, then buy on eBay. Learn what works and what does not work. Then adjust your business practices to provide the level of service commensurate with your effort, pricing and product.

Fostoria Large Star Cut - Lovely Stemware from the 1920s

Large star cuttings like this were very common in the early 1900s. Fostoria made their Cutting 81, Large Star, from about 1907 to the late 1920s, indicating the stars were well-liked. Many companies made this sort of cutting.

In fact we've seen rather crummy versions of this at the local thrift store with low grade glass and pressed stars or poorly cut stars. The particular wine stem I'm showing here is high quality crystal and the cutting is well done. I think it is Fostoria, Cutting number 81, based on the number of rays in the star and so on.

People who drank wine tended to have more than one type or one glass at a dinner or to serve sherry or wine before dinner. But compare the size of the wine stems to what we use today for wine. This one is 4 1/4 inches tall and holds just under 3 ounces when filled to the brim. That means that someone would have only about 2 ounces to drink at a time.

We have a pair of these stems and matching small table tumblers listed in our TIAS and eBay stores.

Catladykate's Elegant and Depression Glass at TIAS http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/

Catladykate at eBay http://stores.ebay.com/Vintage-Elegant-Depression-Glass

Heisey Waverly - Stylish Ruffled and Beaded Elegant Glass

Waverly is one of those patterns it is easy to overlook, but once you get a good eyeful you know to look out for it. It is stylish and graceful with the graduated beads on the rim and curvy lines and scrolled handles.

You may see this etched with Orchid or Rose and sold for big dollars but it is a very pretty pattern all by itself. This picture shows the wavy scalloped rim and superb glass clarity.

If you find Waverly you will need to recognize it by the beads and curvy handles. None of the pieces we've had have been marked so no tell-tale H in a diamond to give this one away! This next photo shows this same piece from the top so you can see the handles better.

These sorts of small, deep round divided dishes were marketed as relish trays originally. In today's world they would work great to hold two types of dip or two types of cheese or snacks. It's fun to get creative with vintage glass and use it in our personal styles and homes.

We have this listed on our TIAS store and are putting it on auction this week on eBay.