$1.50 AntiqueWeek T HE W EEKLY A N T IQUE A UC T ION & C OLLEC T ING N E W SP A PER VOL. 52 ISSUE NO. 2650 www.antiqueweek.com JULY 14, 2020 For those looking for color and variety: check out Fenton By Patricia Faulhaber Fenton Art Glass offers collectors an amazing array of shapes, sizes, colors and designs to select from to build their own personal collections. Some collectors are attracted to a specific line or design while others are attracted to a specific color. Many collectors are attracted to Fenton’s glass animal figurines. One thing the thousands of collectors around the U.S. have in common is they love to exchange information about Fenton and collecting. The Fenton Art Glass Collectors of America (FAGCA) is one of the many groups of Fenton Glass collectors that works to bring together collectors from around the U.S. to their share ideas. FAGCA has more than 864 members nationwide. Current board member, past president, collector and dealer Miriam Boyle said there are literally millions of pieces of Fenton Art Glass available for collectors. She is also a collector and seller of Fenton and writes articles for the club’s newsletter, Glass in Action. “There are probably millions of pieces available right now,” Boyle said. “There are thou- sands of patterns, hundreds of dif- ferent colors, and millions of piec- es of glass (probably billions) that collectors can find. “Fenton started out decorating other glass company’s blanks. When they could no longer get those, they decided to build their own factory. Actual production of Fenton glass began in 1907 and ended in 2011. Today, Fenton con- tracts with Mosser Glass in Cambridge, Ohio, to make glass using the Fenton molds.” There is a gift shop still open in Boaz, W.Va., where shoppers can find limited edition Above: Four beautiful whimsies that Fenton made in the new glass, vintage glass and handcrafted jew- 1980s. The two on the left are green opal hobnail with elry. Find them online at http://www.fentonart- blue crest made from the same mold but shaped differ- glass.com/visit-fenton. ently. The two on the right feature the butterfly and berry pattern, both from the same mold but the glass Boyle discovered Fenton in 2004 when she worker shaped them by hand into whimsies. Whimsies was taking an antique class. are glass items that are not the standard shape in which “As I was walking through an antique mall you would normally find them. one day after taking those classes, there were several pieces of Fenton that caught my eye. I love colors. I despise the earthy tones of the modern world. Colors are appealing to me. The vast array of colors produced by Fenton are like no other company. I love finding samples or undocument- ed pieces of Fenton. My knowledge of Fenton has been gained from a variety of ways. I purchased almost every Fenton book out there on the market early on and would page through them almost every day, always finding something new.” Boyle offers the following insights: • Rarest – I would say that each color probably has its rarest pieces from the old to the new. There may only be one of a certain pattern, color, shape, whimsy, etc. For instance, in the older pieces, Karnak red 16-inch urn style vase may be one of the rarest. A bicolor candlestick could be one of the rarest in the candlestick line. In the contemporary, Fenton made samples of the happy kitty for the FAGCA but only made one of each, making those two extremely rare. • Carry the highest value – Generally, the offhand pieces made by European glassworkers who were contracted for one year with the factory carry the highest prices. The pieces were costly to produce and were too expensive for the time period. My understanding is that the glass did not sell, so these pieces were offered to the employees for just 50 cents! Today, some of those same pieces command thousands of dollars. • Most often found – Milk glass hobnail and silver crest (milk glass with a crystal edge). Secondly, blue opal hobnail and French opal (crystal with opalescence) hobnail, along with cranberry opal hobnail made for utilitarian ware are easily found. • Most popular now and when they were made – QVC items are very popular. Fenton produced a lot of nice glassware especially for QVC, starting in 1988. Because most of these pieces were pro- duced in the thousands, they are found at very reasonable prices, usually much cheaper than the original price. Cranberry was first made in the 1940s – it was popular back then and still is today. Plum opalescent is another hot color right now. The color was first used in the 1950s and then again in the 1980s and 1990s. Fenton also made perfume bottles which can be somewhat easy to find. They were made from the 1920s through the close of the factory. They run the gamut from cheap, maybe $5-10 for a milk glass/ silver crest to hundreds for a 1920s stretch perfume. Boyle said most of the Fenton found in antique shops dates from the 1940s through the end of See Fenton on page 23 Left: A crystal candlestick with hanging hearts and favrene base and candlestick cup. Likely a sample item from the Robert Barber era in the 1970s. Next Show – Sunday, Aug 2 Every First Sunday May - October Lawrenceburg, Indiana Fairgrounds US 50, 1 mile west of Exit 16,I-275 (Cincinnati Beltway) 7am - 3pm EDST Rain or Shine (Earlybirds at 6am) • Admission: $4.00 • LawrenceburgAntiqueShow.com • 513-353-4135 Page 2 WWW.ANTIQUEWEEK.COM July 14, 2020 NEWS NAA Takes 71st convention virtual CANCELLATIONS By Eric C. Rodenberg York Antique Show KANSAS CITY – Auctioneers are some of the most YORK, Pa. — Mel Arion has an- adaptable folks around. They adapt their auctions to a nounced the cancellation of the 175th variety or weather conditions, power outages, road clo- semi-annual York Antique Show & Sale sures, etc. Now, they are adapting to a pandemic. which had been scheduled for Sept. 18- The National Auction Association (NAA) had to pro- 19. Plans currently call for the 176th edi- duce an innovative adaptation when the 71st Interna- tion to be held Jan. 29-31. tional Auctioneers Conference and Show appeared im- For more information, visit www.theo- possible in COVID-19-plagued San Diego. riginalyorkantiquesshow.com or call Ari- As the pandemic continues to impact lives and elim- on at (302) 542-3286 inate auctions nationwide, NAA officials realized in March they would be wise to make alternative plans for Gold Rush the July 14-16 Conference and Show in San Diego’s Con- ROCHESTER, Minn. — The August vention’s Center. Gold Rush at the Olmsted County Fair- Their solution was a virtual reality format on the Zoom grounds (aka Graham Park) in Rochester platform. has been canceled. Current regulations “We had a couple months’ notice on something that in the city prohibit any large gatherings. none of us had ever done,” Erin K. Shipps, NAA’s director 2021 Gold Rush dates are: May 7-9 of marketing and communication, said. “It wasn’t long and Aug. 20-22. For show information, enough … but we put together 21 hours of continuing call Townsend Shows at (507) 269-1473. credit courses and, I think, the best line-up of keynote speakers that we ever had.” If you have had to cancel your Missing this year will be many traditional key events, event and would like that announce- such as the Hall of Fame Awards, the breakfasts and “We’re in uncharted waters,” she said. During the more ment in this column, please send in- social hours. And, “auctioneers do love their social time,” recent conventions, depending on the location, she said, formation to Connie Swaim at con- according to Shipps. That social experience gave auction- a good turn-out of 900 auctioneers from all over the world [email protected] eers time to renew old acquaintances and continue net- was deemed favorable. working with other auctioneers. At this point, Shipps said she doesn’t know how suc- See NAA on page 4 cessful the first virtual NAA international event will be. OBITUARY Charles “Keith” Sheridan Mame says, ‘We need a little Christmas’ 8/29/38 – 3/26/20 These days, there’s a particular I can think of few summertime CEDARVILLE, tune that I just can’t seem to get pastimes more fun than strolling Vintage Style Ohio — Auctioneer out of my head (in addition to Bob- down the aisles of an air-conditioned Charles Keith Sher- by Vee’s “The Night Has a Thou- antique mall, or poking through box- idan, 81, of Cedar- sand Eyes”). It comes towards the By es of assorted this-and-that’s at an ville, died March end of Act I of the musical Mame, outdoor sale, in search of finds that Barbara 26. when things are looking a bit grim will bring pleasure several months Beem He was born for Mame, her nephew Patrick, and, down the road. That said, maybe this Aug. 29, 1938, in for that matter, everybody else in the is the year to take a new look at hol- Springfield, Ohio, country. Suddenly, and predictably, iday decorating with old things. And lyric reminds us) is a good time to get the only child of the star of the show bursts into song because “cool” things from the 1960s a jump on preparations for the winter Marion Russell and Hazel Rosella (Brew- with what is now a holiday standard, and 1970s are suddenly “hot,” here holidays.