Historical Society Antiques Series Features Early American Glass

The New Castle Historical Society put early American glass on display. For the final installment of the Society’s antiques lecture series, glass specialist Ian Simmonds came to educate the audience about the process of making glass and trends in the industry. Simmonds has been collecting glass since he was a small boy in England. The talk focused primarily on glass made from the mid 18th century until the Civil War.

The entire process of creating glass via molds and machinery was depicted in slides. Simmonds showed photos of a contemporary glass blower, using traditional methods. Molten glass (at a temperature of about 1200 degrees) was put onto a blow pipe. The artisan blew a bubble of glass which was then put into a mold. He was then shown creating a creamer and adding a delicate handle.

In response to a query on cleaning glass, Simmonds said at Tuesday's lecture that soap and water may be used. Both the water and the glass piece must be at room temperature to prevent breakage. Extremely damaged or scratched objects may be polished by a professional. Simmonds cautioned against this method explaining that the removal of signs of usage tends to denigrate the historical value.

For those looking to pursue their passion for early American glass, Simmonds mentioned that there is a Westchester chapter of the National American Glass club, located in White Plains. He recommended attending their glass show this spring.

Next came the appraisal portion of the program. At this point, Simmonds became very animated; admiring and extolling the virtues of the samples. His first step was to invert each object. “Glass dealers and collectors go straight to the bottom of things,” Simmonds explained. They are looking for the manufacturers’ name. Next, Simmonds fingered the glass to determine the method of production.

Simmonds was particularly intrigued by two salt dishes. These clear glass specimens were each worth about $50. Had they been in emerald green, they would have been worth tens of thousands of dollars, Simmonds noted.

Participants felt that they had learned a great deal about early American glass. Anita Reilly came, accompanied by her husband. They brought an object that belonged to his his grandmother. “We were curious as to how old it is and did she bring it from Ireland,” she said. Ellen Gershman said that she gained, “some insight into how glass is made.” “It’s much more complicated than I realized,” she added.