Last time we showed how I identified a Lenox goblet we bought at an estate sale. We used online sites to find the matching picture, but only after going through our stemware identification book. Personally I find it easier to flip through books than go through a gazillion websites, so I start with my trusty shelf of books first.
The book I mentioned yesterday, Stemware Stemware Identification Guide, was written by Page and Fredericksen. It has line drawings or photos of goblets – 250 pages worth of goblets, about 20 per page. That is a lot of goblets! And that’s one of the downsides of this book, the sheer number to check. Also, the line drawings sometimes emphasize style points that are less noticeable when you hold the piece in your hands. For example, when I hold my Libbey Rock Sharpe’s Crystal Leaf stems shown in the photo, the cutting looks like cattails and the big design point are the little protruding nubs at the top of the stem. The drawing doesn’t convey this. This is minor carping, though, and I use the book a lot. You just have to be aware that you may look right past the exact piece the first 3 or 4 times you search.
Another stemware book is Cordials by Gene Florence. While I like Florence’s other books, this one hasn’t been as useful. It’s good for the overall shapes but not the design details.
If you think your stemware was contemporary – Royal Doulton, Waterford, Lenox, etc. – then you don’t have a lot of reference books to choose from. There is a Waterford book but I don’t have it. Other than that, if you cannot find in the Replacements stemware guide then you will probably have to either trudge through websites. The good news is that newer glass is often marked, which really helps.
If your glass is older, say pre-1984, then you may find it in one of the many books that cover elegant glass makers. For example, there are books about Fostoria, Seneca, Tiffin, and more that focus on stemware, plus others that are more general. I’ll share my experiences with these another time.
The book I mentioned yesterday, Stemware Stemware Identification Guide, was written by Page and Fredericksen. It has line drawings or photos of goblets – 250 pages worth of goblets, about 20 per page. That is a lot of goblets! And that’s one of the downsides of this book, the sheer number to check. Also, the line drawings sometimes emphasize style points that are less noticeable when you hold the piece in your hands. For example, when I hold my Libbey Rock Sharpe’s Crystal Leaf stems shown in the photo, the cutting looks like cattails and the big design point are the little protruding nubs at the top of the stem. The drawing doesn’t convey this. This is minor carping, though, and I use the book a lot. You just have to be aware that you may look right past the exact piece the first 3 or 4 times you search.
Another stemware book is Cordials by Gene Florence. While I like Florence’s other books, this one hasn’t been as useful. It’s good for the overall shapes but not the design details.
If you think your stemware was contemporary – Royal Doulton, Waterford, Lenox, etc. – then you don’t have a lot of reference books to choose from. There is a Waterford book but I don’t have it. Other than that, if you cannot find in the Replacements stemware guide then you will probably have to either trudge through websites. The good news is that newer glass is often marked, which really helps.
If your glass is older, say pre-1984, then you may find it in one of the many books that cover elegant glass makers. For example, there are books about Fostoria, Seneca, Tiffin, and more that focus on stemware, plus others that are more general. I’ll share my experiences with these another time.
