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WV glass - Any Blenko collectors out there?


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I live about one hour from the Blenko factory. Sometimes I think that I should have collected it. But many of their pieces can be large.  I did not want to build a house to display it. That is a serious collector, which is great. I thought marbles would not take up much space. But when there is enough numbers after 25+ years. You can run out of space to display them. There are several Blenko collectors here in the area. They camp out or wait overnight outside the factory for certain limited pieces to come up for sale. Like marbles when old and rare pieces do rarely come up for sale here, they do not last long. 

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Wish I had known where you were, we visited the factory last November. Only the visitors center was open to the public at the time.

there is the same fervor for any rare piece (Blenko or marble) that comes up.

my collection is small compared to some with 2,000+ pieces. I have around 500, but they are all on display. 
I have some good mibs in the storage room that I would like to get displayed, just haven’t found the right wall space.

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1 hour ago, Berryb said:

Is Blenko clearly marked? I may have some and not know it. I searched the web site and found nothing. Thanks

Bruce

Here is the best site to start with.

http://blenkocollectors.com/blenkocolors.htm

the main page has a lot of info on identifying Blenko.

or you can take pics and send them to me.

FB also has several Blenko groups.

ebay has a lot of misidentified Blenko, so be careful there. Also shill bidding to inflate prices.

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Interesting how glass can be made in a wood mold then spun too eliminate the mold lines. When I was antique dealing years ago, I came across a few pieces. I never collected Blenko but was interested enough at the time too look it up. It is nice quality and beautiful. It can be tough too identify with such a small percentage (if that's indeed correct) having been actually marked. The few pieces I had showed off tooling marks and pontils if I remember correctly. Maybe I'll keep my eyes open while treasure hunting, post some pics of any possibilities I come across! Great collection you have indeed!

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Will,

It can be difficult to ID some pieces from pre-1953. There a reference book but not cheap by itself.

a number of companies tried to duplicate the designs, plus the designers/lead blowers would leave and work for other companies. Carl Erickson did this and formed Erickson Glass. 

the orange/yellow is a mutated form of the original Tangerine. Most people call it Amberina nowadays.

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51 minutes ago, William said:

No markings...possibly Blenko?

20210703_111853.jpg

20210703_111904.jpg

20210703_111926.jpg

Nope, Italian.

look up 5433 (Husted guppie) and 971 (Anderson minnow) in eBay. The 971 came in 3 sizes, 12”, 16”, and 22”. Actual size varied depending on the blower.

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Darn, I tried 😊 I wasn't sure with the glass itself, but saw some of your pieces appear to be crackle glass. I should spend a little time checking out the product sites when I get a chance. I dealt with some glassware back in the day but not enough only to be familiar with a handful of makers. Worth a shot 😊

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18 hours ago, William said:

Darn, I tried 😊 I wasn't sure with the glass itself, but saw some of your pieces appear to be crackle glass. I should spend a little time checking out the product sites when I get a chance. I dealt with some glassware back in the day but not enough only to be familiar with a handful of makers. Worth a shot 😊

I spent maybe 3 months trying to I’d my first piece bought at a garage sale for $15. It was a large 920 with no stopper. Took me 15 years to find the stopper to match.

keep searching, your first piece will thrill you.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/3/2021 at 12:30 PM, schmoozer said:

Nope, Italian.

look up 5433 (Husted guppie) and 971 (Anderson minnow) in eBay. The 971 came in 3 sizes, 12”, 16”, and 22”. Actual size varied depending on the blower.

Forgot to mention, the week following this item I shared with you we stopped in this place and it was gone....strange coincidence I guess! That fish has been there since I started visiting regularly then after our conversation it sold. There were a few other customers in the area that day, suppose someone watched me taking snapshots then put it back, grabbing it after we left! Who knows, thought I would mention it 😊

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  • 3 months later...

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