Glass

Heisey clear 3350 Wabash tankard pitcher, Krall cutting

The Heisey Collectors of America’s convention is held every year in June at the Heisey Glass Museum in Newark, Ohio. So is the nearby Apple Tree Auction Center’s annual Heisey specialty auction. Coincidence? Not likely. David Schnaidt, vice president and auctioneer at Apple Tree, knows the Heisey convention brings in the serious collectors and dealers, this year spanning the country from the state of Washington to Florida. The Center’s Heisey sale is geared towards this group, not only to appeal to consignors, but to give serious Heisey enthusiasts what they want; top-rate Heisey glass.

This 40th annual edition was especially impressive as many items featured were those descended down through the heirs of the late Louise Adkins, known at the “first lady of Heisey.” Adkins gave more than 50 years of service to Heisey, and she also acquired. Many of the pieces offered by Apple Tree were found boxed in the basement of Adkin’s daughter.

Heisey 3397 Gascony 12 oz goblet having a tangerine bowl

Of most interest were the pieces cut by Emil Krall, a native of Austria who brought his talent to Heisey in 1933. Many Heisey collectors feel owning a true Emil Krall cut piece of Heisey is the ultimate addition to any collection. Two said examples offered at Apple Tree included a Heisey 3350 Wabash tankard pitcher dressed in elaborate Krall cutting. A 4036 Marshall FTD decanter decorated in elegant Krall cutting also did well.

Heisey collectors also desire color, and several pieces like this sold.  The most coveted colors are Cobalt, Tangerine and Alexandrite, according to Schnaidt.  Sold were a 4027 Christos cobalt decanter and a 1430 Aristocrat cobalt tall covered candy dish. Schnaidt pointed out this piece was desired for both its color and form. Four (3397) Gascony Tangerine 2oz bar glasses  and nine Alexandrite bobeches in (341) Old Williamsburg also sold at this auction.

A nice crowd of Heisey convention-attendees plus others were on hand, though active internet bidding also took place.

-Susan Mellish, p4A.com contributing editor

More about Heisey Glass:

The A. H. Heisey Glass Co. was founded in Newark, Ohio following the Civil War and remained in operation until 1956. The company was known for its finely cut and etched glassware and for a number of popular and widely marketed lines of pattern glass in the 1920′s to 1950′s as well as a line of glass animal figures.

Click here to browse all Heisey glass in the Prices4Antiques database.

Reference & Further Recommended Reading:

Greentown glass Cord Drapery pattern cobalt blue compote and flat lid

The Greentown Glass Museum held a consignment auction featuring about 220 lots of glassware on Oct. 10, 2009, at Greentown, Ind. Conducted by Otto Auction Service, the sale was the museum’s sixth fundraiser in five years.

Generally, items from one collection make up the bulk of each sale, while three or four other consignors add to the mix. This sale had eight consignors.

“None of the glass is from the museum,” stressed Gary Buckley, who helped coordinate the event for the museum.

“The quality was good overall, but there were fewer rarities than in past sales,” said Buckley. The top price of the auction was $700. There was no buyer’s premium.

Patterns and colors that continue to attract attention, according to Buckley, are Holly in golden agate, Cord Drapery in cobalt-blue and Teardrop & Tassel in amber. “If you get something rare in the animal dishes and toothpicks, they sell very well too,” he added.

“The rare stuff is bringing the top dollar it’s ever brought. The common pieces haven’t been bringing as good a dollar as they were in the past. It seems that’s fallen off a little bit.”

For that reason, the auction was a boon for beginning collectors, who were able to pick up some entry- and intermediate-level pieces of glassware at reasonable prices.

Much of the glassware went to four bidders. “One of them was an established collector, but the other three were pretty much beginning, early collectors, and they bought a lot of stuff,” said Buckley. “It made our sale.”

Patterns for which interest has waned include Leaf Bracket and Cactus. “Some of those pieces don’t bring what they were bringing.”

While the recession isn’t solely to blame, the downturned American economy is still affecting the market. As Buckley noted, “If people are having a hard time making their house payments, they aren’t going to spend it on glassware.”

-Don Johnson, Editor, p4A.com