Vintage glassware comes in more than a dozen shapes and sizes

Cordial glasses are popular because they are made in many colors, often with cut, engraved or painted decorations.

The unusual shape and coloring of this glass brought $450 at auction. It is a Rhine wine glass, a shape no longer in demand. (Cowles Syndicate Inc.)

The unusual shape and coloring of this glass brought $450 at auction. It is a Rhine wine glass, a shape no longer in demand. (Cowles Syndicate Inc.)

Most of us have a few differently shaped glasses, some to use every day and others for parties. You need a water glass and wine glasses, one for white wine and another for red. Before dinner you need cocktail glasses and rocks glasses for whiskey “on the rocks (ice cubes).”

It is possible to collect vintage glassware in more than a dozen shapes. Cordial glasses are popular because they are small and made by many firms in many colors, often with cut, engraved or painted decorations.

A Rhine wine glass was offered at Woody Auctions last year. It is a rarely used shape with a cupped bowl, a tall stem and a flat round foot. The auction had an example made by Val St. Lambert, a Belgian glass firm that started in 1825 and is still working. The auctioned example was made of blue glass cut to Vaseline glass with a clear stem. It sold for $450.

The company copied many United States glass patterns, including some used by Fry, Libbey, Sandwich, Dorflinger, Bergen and more. It also made vases, punch bowls, biscuit jars, compotes, candlesticks, coasters and many other table items. Val St. Lambert can be hard to identify. When new, there is a paper label or the company name in a circle or an oval with clipped ends. It also may say “depose,” the French word that refers to a design patent.

Q: I have a set of Stangl dinnerware that I got from an aunt years ago. It’s the Pink Dogwood pattern. There are dinner plates, salad plates, cups and saucers, and other items. Most have the price tags still on them and haven’t been used. I’d like to sell them.

A: As we’ve said many times before, it’s hard to sell sets of vintage dinnerware. If you find a matching service or online source that will buy it, you have to pack it, insure it and ship it, and it likely won’t sell for very much anyway. It’s easier to try to sell it locally. Take it to a local antiques dealer who sells dishes or to a consignment shop. They may help you set the price and will tell you what percentage you’ll get if it sells. It probably will be a better deal to donate it to a charity shop and take the tax deduction.

Q: I have a glass Mason jar that’s about 17½ inches tall. I saw jars like this around 1945. I think they put pickles in them. The front of the jar is embossed “Mason’s patent, Nov. 30th, 1858.” There is a star below “Mason’s.” The back of the jar has an eagle with a shield on it and some stars. What can you tell me about this jar and possible worth?

A: John L. Mason was granted a patent on Nov. 30, 1858, for his “new and useful Improvements in the Necks of Bottles, Jars, &c.” that made the containers airtight. The jars were molded with threaded screw-type necks. Mason previously invented screw tops and caps for glass bottles and jars. The jars were especially popular in the 1880s and 1890s before refrigeration, when home canning was the only way to preserve food. Many of the jars have a mold number or letter on the base that identifies the factory that made the jar. Millions of these jars were made, but Mason didn’t become rich from his invention because most of the jars were made after 1879, when his patent expired. Mason’s Patent Nov. 30th jars have been reproduced since the 1970s. Go to bottle shows and talk to the dealers. They often have an appraisal booth.

Q: My mother used to wait outside theaters to collect photos, which were then signed by the theater stars. They are addressed to her. My father worked for NBC in New York for 39 years. He met many entertainers and began collecting their autographs when I was born. They are addressed to me. I would like to find them a good home where they will be appreciated. Can you help?

A: Rarity, the fame of the person signing, format (what the signature is on) and condition determine the value of an autograph. An autograph from a famous person who didn’t sign many things sells for more than one from an entertainer or sports figure who frequently signed autographs. An autograph on a photo is worth more than one on a piece of paper or in an album, but a picture autographed to someone is usually worth less than one not addressed “to” anyone. You should contact an auction that sells autographs to see if they can sell them.

Q: I have a mug that says, “Remembrance of the 54th Reunion of the GAR, Chicago, Aug. 20-26, 1900.” It has an American flag and eagle on the front and a five-star badge. Also written on it is “Veteran of the Grand Army of the Republic.” Does this have any value?

A: The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization founded in 1866 for honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps or the Revenue Cutter Service who served during the Civil War. It established soldiers’ homes and lobbied to get pensions for the veterans. The G.A.R. was the first to promote May 30 as a day to remember those who died “in the late rebellion” by decorating their graves. Both state groups and the national organization held encampments. The last National Encampment was in 1949. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is the legal successor to the G.A.R. Many souvenirs of G.A.R. encampments were made. There are collectors who want G.A.R. memorabilia. Your mug sold for about $200 10 years ago, but very few have been sold recently.

Tip: If you are in an area with earth tremors or windstorms, or even near a heavily traveled road or train track, you may have pictures that move on the wall. To keep them straight, use two picture hooks next to each other.

On the block

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.

Shawnee planter, flares open, wavy mouth, yellow, 9½ inches, $20.

Hutschenreuther figurine, woman fixing her hair, seated, formal yellow dress, flowers, 10 inches, $90.

Weather vane, locomotive, wooden, steam engine, one car, old white paint, 40 by 16 inches, $340.

Ice bucket, silver, scrollwork at mouth and base, slight taper, loop handles, Mexico, 8 inches, $420.

Bronze sculpture, “Reflection 1,” seated nude male, knees bent, arm resting on upright knee, Carol Miller, 19 by 20 inches, $780.

Folding screen, six panels, carved relief, gilt highlights, applied hardstone vases and flowers, 75 by 88 inches, $910.

Pie safe, cherry, two doors, four-punch tin panels, interior shelves, dovetailed drawers, shaped skirt, 65 by 58 inches, $1,060.

Meissen clock, winter, spring, fall, allegorical figures, flowers, tripod base, porcelain, 16½ inches, $1,430.

Icon, St. Nil Stoblensky, seated figure, halo, gilt, 3D carved shadow box, flowers, 13 by 12 inches, $1,560.

Russian lacquer box, illustrated scenes of “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel,” gold highlights, green, wooden, 5½ by 8 inches, $1,690.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

Rodney Ho / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Tribune News Service
The Barenaked Ladies play Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville on Friday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.