One of today’s most popular forms of collectible glassware is often one of the most misunderstood.
The term “Sandwich Glass” is widely used in today’s market, but not always correctly. The original use of the term referred to high quality decorative glass produced by the Massachusetts based Boston and Sandwich Glass Company from 1820-1880. The glass from this factory derives its name from the geographical area where the factory was located. Their exquisite designs took on many forms including patterns from early English and Irish cut glass factories. This type of glassware was very high quality and quite pricey.
What most people refer to today as Sandwich Glass is a lesser quality glassware that was mass-produced by a number of factories from 1920-1998. These more recent pieces are called Sandwich Glass because of their layered pattern and while they are quite nice, they are considerably more affordable than the 1800s glass from Massachusetts. It is this second type of collectible glass from the 20th Century that we will take a look at this week.
Sandwich Pattern glass has been mass produced by a number of factories, making pieces which are readily available through local shops, flea markets and auctions. There were four major glass factories that produced Sandwich: Anchor Hocking Glass Company, Duncan & Miller Glass Company, Indiana Glass, and Westmoreland.
When many of us think of Sandwich Glass our mind goes to the popular releases from Tiara. Both Indiana Glass and Duncan & Miller produced a version of Tiara and both will have the “Tiara Exclusives” sticker.
Indiana Glass, located in Dunkirk, Indiana, manufactured many styles of glassware from 1920 through the Depression years of the 1930s. You will find their glassware in clear, teal, white, amber, red, two shades of blue, two shades of green, orange and purple. Their production of Sandwich Glass, the bulk of which was sold through “Tiara Exclusive” home parties, began in the early 1970s and continued until 1998. These pieces are easily identified by the rounded flowers with a single outline on each piece.
Early American Sandwich Glass made by Duncan Miller from 1924-1955 is the highest quality glass of the four factories. The flowers on their Sandwich pattern, which is called “Feather Princes,” are detailed with relief and the centers will have alternating petals with vertical lines. Duncan Miller sold a number of their molds to Indiana glass which can be confusing to the novice. But look closely, as Duncan Miller quality will always surpass that of Indiana.
Anchor Hocking produced their version of Sandwich from 1939-1964. Their pieces gained a large following of collectors as they were used as promotional items by gas stations and grocery stores. They also included 5 pieces of their Forest Green line inside boxes of Crystal Wedding brand oats. Those pieces were the 8 ounce tumbler, 5 ounce juice glass, a small fruit bowl, saucer, and a custard cup. The remaining pieces in this rich emerald colored pattern were produced in much smaller quantities, making them more difficult to find and as such, more expensive. Anchor Hocking Sandwich was offered a number of colors including clear, amber, forest green, pink, ruby, and white. Their sandwich pattern is almost identical to that of Indiana Glass with the exception of a double outline on each piece.
Westmoreland focused 90 percent of their production on milk glass. As a result, Sandwich Glass from the company is a rare find. It was manufactured in limited quantities from 1920-1960 and will be very high relief with oval flowers. Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com.
