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

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

More Amber Glass - Fostoria Amber Stem, Line 5093

We're on an amber glass roll this week and here is one more piece from Fostoria. This little cocktail dates to 1926 to the 1930s, putting it squarely in the time period when Fostoria made so much beautiful colored glass.

You may not be able to see it in the photo, but what made this stem easy to identify is the faceted handle. It looks round, but is actually narrow vertical bands. We have a green and crystal stem in the same design that has a Fostoria needle etch and the shape is so distinctive that when we saw this little guy we knew it right away. That does not happen all that often!

You can see the rich amber color in this cocktail stem. It is so warm and just makes you feel good to look at!

More Amber Glass - Fostoria Lace Edge Colonial Bowl

Isn't this pretty? It is from Fostoria, one of their older, small patterns, number 2183 Colonial pattern. The piece is called a cabaret bowl and it is even more stunning in person.

I find Fostoria's amber glass to be deep, rich shades of amber with a hint of red. No browns or wimpy greeny yellowish sick colors here! We have plates in the Pioneer pattern, a single stem and candle holders in amber besides this gorgeous bowl. They are all warm and delightful to look at.

We have this listed in both our TIAS store and our eBay store, both linked below.

http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/

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

Fostoria Vesper Etch - Beautiful Flower Etched Rim Design

Vesper is one of Fostoria's older etched patterns, made 1926 to 1934 and in green, blue and amber. We've got two console bowls in different sizes and the candleholders you see here.

Fostoria made many different candleholders, sometimes several in a given pattern, and had a few that they used for many different designs. The one shown here is what I consider a generic candleholder, rather plain shape, similar to those from other companies. Being simple this shape works wonders when etched as in this Vesper candleholder. The design is just there and the etch gets the spotlight.

Fostoria must have had a design contest or something similar to have had three etches that were quite similar, Vesper, Royal and Seville. To me Vesper is by far the prettiest and you can tell it from the others by the flowers packed into the trailing V shape. Royal and Seville both have the etched band but lack the distinct flowers that trail into swags.

We offer this in our TIAS and eBay stores.

Something Different - Modern Ebony and Crystal Champagne Flutes

These champagne flutes are not what I usually sell as they are contemporary and moderate quality glass. The ebony stems hold the clear glass bowls and look like they are wrapped around. Rather a neat design and I could not resist getting these to resell.

It is interesting that so little glass is still made in America and I think one reason is that styles changed and stems like these, which are rather plain and do not require handwork to make, are more popular than the lovely etched glass from before the 1950s.

Flipping through my Fostoria reference books makes the point obvious. Glass before about 1960 was often etched, usually required skilled craftsmen, and was fairly intricate. Glass companies could compete on style and design and having a skilled workforce was an advantage. Glass patterns became increasingly plain during the 1960s, etchings became far less popular, and there is very little to differentiate Fostoria's patterns like Argus or Mesa from mass-produced glassware. If you pick up a Fostoria Argus tumbler the quality is obvious, but just looking, especially looking at pictures, it is not immediately clear why a Fostoria tumbler would be several times as expensive as the mass-produced glasssware.

Romance of Vintage Stemware - Fostoria Orient

Pretty goblet dates from 1922 to 1928, over 80 years ago. Don't you wish for such a long period of looking good? This is the Orient etch by Fostoria. Etch has swags and scrolls and a delicate lacy like netting design near the top. Some of the swags look like victory wreaths.

Don't confuse this with Fostoria's Oriental etch. Oriental has birds and is very different.

I bought this last summer, took a chance that we would eventually be able to identify it. The goblet is obviously quality glass and the etch is well done and distinctive. However, I looked through every glass book and did not see this design. (Yes, I looked in my Fostoria books too.) When this happens it means that either I looked right at it and missed the connection, or it is fairly obscure, or by a company that doesn't have a good reference book.

Last week our daughter sent me a link to an auction for the same etch and some wonderful helpful eBayer notified the auction seller this was Orient. Problem solved! Thank you, kind eBayer!

This week we are listing this single goblet on our eBay auctions and it is also listed in our TIAS store.

Oyster Cocktails - Fostoria Colony Crystal

Isn't this cute? It is the oyster cocktail in Fostoria's elegant crystal pattern Colony. Oyster cocktails are usually among the pricier stems, probably because they are less commonly found than sherbets or water goblets. On the other hand, what do you use them for?

Unless you eat a lot of oysters, you probably don't need a separate piece of glass for your dinner table. But wait! This is just the perfect size for today's dipping sauces, or small doses of salsa for your chips, or cocktail sauce for your shrimp.

Problem solved. We now have a very pretty piece of elegant glass stemware that is useful, ornamental, and just the perfect size. After all, those dipping sauces are rather high in calories and you want to control portions. What better way to do that than with using a piece of vintage stemware?

Fostoria Coronet Elegant Glass

Fostoria's Coronet is one of their less-well known patterns, which is hard to understand since it is far more classy and elegant than some of their best known patterns. Coronet has the three wavy lines that you can see in our ice bucket and many of the pieces have scalloped rims.

Fostoria made Coronet from 1939 to 1960 and it was used for a few etchings, notably Mayflower. The handles on pieces like creamers and sugars look like rams' horns, all twisty and neat.

If you are looking for a very attractive set of vintage crystal you may want to consider Coronet. You'll be glad you did!

Fostoria Heirloom White Opalescent Candle Vase - Art Glass

Looks high end contemporary art glass, doesn't it. This is Heirloom by Fostoria, made from 1959 to 1970, thus once again proving that styles come around. This is a particularly nice design with a white opalescent glass that has a lot of fire, giving it a blueish tint in some lighting. The design is completely simple, with ribbing and classic shapes.

This is called a candle vase because the inside has a candle holder so you could use it for candles, and it would look great with flowers. If you wanted to use both flowers and a candle at the same time you would need a tall taper!

We have this listed on eBay this week and on our online TIAS store.

Fostoria Contour and Raleigh - Less Known Elegant Glass

Almost everyone who enjoys glass has heard of Fostoria - makers of fine elegant glass they had many gorgeous etchings on colored and crystal glass. Here are two of their less known plain designs, Contour and Raleigh.

Fostoria's Contour has the space-age lines of the early 1950s, perfectly fitting the mid century mode and style preferences. Contour is line number 2666 and you are able to buy a full line of stylish serving pieces. There is no plain dinner or lunch plate although there are canape and snack plates that have an interesting upwards twist, and a plain lunch sized plate that is cupped. Fostoria used Contour for several of their most popular decorations, notably Holly and Nosegay cuttings.

You can find this same shape in a heavier glass that was introduced a couple years earlier; the heavier pieces are not as readily found nor are they available in a full line of dinnerware. This heavier line is number 2638.

The second pattern we'll show is Raleigh, which is very different from Contour, with its squared shapes and log handles. Fostoria made Raleigh from 1939 to 1965 and used it for many of their Colonial styled etchings, such as Sampler and Colonial Mirror. You can tell Raleigh easily by the rounded facets and the little log shaped handles.

We have pieces of both these patterns in our store, which is linked below. Recently we bought some of the sherbets in Contour which have really neat stems, but we'll show them another day.

Fostoria Eilene Needle Etched Champagne

Isn't this pretty? The pattern is Eilene, etch number 82, by Fostoria. This is a needle etch; each line is traced continuously. Needle etches were perfected earlier than plate etches and this champagne dates to about 1930. It's a little more elaborate needle etch than some.

The 5082 stem is also quite nice. In fact this is so distinctive that I was able to pick up a plain amber one without worrying about identifying it. The stem is rounded as you can see, but what doesn't show well in the photo is that it is hexagonal, six sided. There is a flat round wafer at the top and the bowl is cupped. Very very nice!

I like most shades of green and Fostoria's green glass is gorgeous, emerald in tint but not quite as dark as emerald, and it has a lot of life. You can see this on my TIAS store and it will start on eBay auction on December 9.

Leaf and Laurel Cuttings - Depression and Elegant Glass

One design that stays popular year after year is the simple leaf spray or band. Some of these are laurel cutting; usually these are bands of leaves such as the cordial pictured. This is Fostoria's Laurel cutting, which is classic and elegant. This sort of design has a formal feel to me.

A cute design that is much less formal is a stylized leaf band cut that is shown here on the Boopie wine glass. This simple band is from Anchor Hocking, from the 1950s or 60s and the pattern is Swedish Modern. By the way, Boopie glasses are not Candlewick. They were mass produced and are ordinary table glass, perfectly nice, quite cute and meant to be used. Candlewick is fine crystal.

Anchor Hocking made several pieces with the Swedish Modern cut, so if you like this you can choose among several pieces.

Lots of glass companies made leaf spray cuttings and it is often impossible to tell who made what. We have plates in clear, green and pink glass with almost the same simple leaf spray around the rim. They are all pretty!

You may find pieces sold as "etched" that were actually cut. Both of the pieces shown in our pictures were cut. Etched designs will feel different; if you find that the design feels like it is all the same depth, then it is probably etched. If the edges feel shallower than the center it is cut.

Regardless, these are pretty and remain classics! Come take a look at our TIAS store, Cat Lady Kate's Elegant and Depression Glass, and our eBay store, Vintage Elegant Depression Glass, to choose laurel leaf glass for you!

http://www.tias.com/stores/catladykate/

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

Console Bowls - Elegant Glass Shapes from the Depression Era

Elegant glass companies in the 1920s and 30s produced patterns that included decorative pieces, stemware and dinnerware, but most people who could afford glass such as Fostoria or Cambridge used china dinnerware. Thus glass firms made many interesting bowl shapes for decorations and centerpieces. Often these decorative bowls matched stemware lines, extending the market appeal. Thus the console bowl was born!

Console bowls were wide, shallow bowls that were meant to display on a side table or in a hallway. They are usually 10 to 12 inches wide and are flared. Some console bowls are deeper than others, but they are usually not so deep as salad bowls. Console bowls were often flanked by matching candleholders, and if you see something called a console set, it would be the console bowl with two candleholders. Console bowls could be used to hold fruit or flowers, but were styled to have enough presence and size to look great empty as well.

The bowl in the picture at the top from Fostoria is the Baroque blank, with the Chintz etching. You can see that this is flared and quite fancy. It looks like it belongs on a table as a centerpiece. This particular bowl is referred to as a 12 inch flared round bowl. You might see these listed as console bowls, centerpiece bowls, or simply 12 inch round bowls.

One of my personal favorites is the rolled edge console bowl. Instead of flaring the rim to make a very wide, shallow opening, the rim gracefully arcs over to form a wide bowl with a much smaller opening. These bowls have looks! Usually the etching or design is on the rolled rim. Since the interior of the bowl is rolled to the outside, the design shows beautifully from any angle. These are meant to be fancy and are one of the signature pieces of the elegant era.

The green bowl is a classic shape console bowl also from Fostoria with the Vesper etch on the edge of the rolled rim. If you saw the profile you could see that the rim on this bowl does not roll fully over to touch the table top.