Distinctive Higgins glass pieces are in demand
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, May 30, 2007
In the 1940s and ’50s, creative glassmakers who worked in their own styles were experimenting with new ways to shape and decorate glass. Michael Higgins and his wife, Frances, both artists, began making fused glass using an old method. But they used new, colorful designs.
A piece of glass was decorated, then a second piece of glass was placed on it like a sandwich. The sandwich was put into a mold and heated. The glass slumped (bent) into the shape of the mold, with the design inside the two pieces of glass. The finished ashtray or bowl was durable and eye-catching.
By 1962, other glassmakers had discovered that glass could be shaped at lower temperatures in small furnaces, and artists began to study glass forming and design. Michael and Frances Higgins made glass until the 1990s. Their useful glass candlesticks, ashtrays, bowls, boxes and plates were shipped from the Dearborn Glass Co. near Chicago and sold in stores in all parts of the United States.
The pieces were not considered “art” until collectors discovered them in the late 1980s. Because Michael and Frances made commercial wares, there is still much Higgins glass to be found. The unusual glass and the modern designs make it easy to recognize at a sale. Prices today range from $75 for an ashtray to thousands for a glass screen made of circles of glass. Look for Higgins glass. Most of it is signed.
We hear from a lot of collectors with your problem. Anyone with smokers in the house faces a difficult job when trying to clean pottery and porcelain that’s been displayed in smoke-filled rooms. Try soap and water first and gentle scrubbing with a soft toothbrush in the crevices. If you’re not satisfied, try diluted dishwasher detergent. If the porcelain is decorated over the glaze, it might be impossible to remove all of the smoke residue without damaging the decoration, especially any gold trim.
Write to Kovels, The Herald, King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.
2007 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Kellogg’s letter opener, celluloid, figural, “We Can’t Help Crowing Once in a While,” rooster head, made in Germany, 2 x 8 inches, $90.
Red Wing Pottery advertising mug, West End Commercial Club, St. Paul, June 21-26, 1909, $165.
Bohemian glass vase, blue zigzag ribbon design, mottled red, ivory ground, c. 1925, 11 1/2 inches, $180.
Levi Strauss trade card for 1915 Pan Pacific International Exposition, foldout, Levis shape, opens to show view of 16 different people wearing jeans, 33/4 x 73/4 inches, $230.
Brass pipe tamper, portrait of Queen Anne on one side, dated 1704, $325.
Panda bear, long plush fur, white glass eyes, stitched nose, downturned snout, gruff looking, c. 1880, 24 inches, $350.
Paul Revere Pottery creamer, three chicks, blue band, ivory ground, marked, 1913, 3 inches, $735.
Charlie McCarthy Benzine Buggy toy, tin windup, 1930s, Marx, 7 x 3 x 6 inches, $750.
Welsh cupboard, fruitwood, three dovetailed drawers, pierced iron pulls, lower shelf, 1930s, 31 x 70 inches, $1,300.
Copper and silver tea service, hammered finish, applied bunches of grain, bird, butterfly and floral design, kettle stand with four ball-and-claw feet, Gorham, c. 1902, $5,100.
