What to Look for in Blenko Glass

Bright colors, hand blown unique designs done by skilled craftsmen in various objects from bowls to tumblers even glass candle holders and figurines. Blenko glass has stood the test of time and is now the object of collectors everywhere for their hands on approach to glass making.

William Blenko came to the United States and in 1893 opened a glass company that specialized in hand blown stained glass. Unfortunately in 1903 the business failed due to economic reasons. In both 1909 and 1911, Mr. Blenko attempted to started the glass business for hand blown stained glass once again and both failed (Source: www.wikipedia.com).

In 1921 his youngest son, William Blenko, Jr., established the Eureka Glass Company and followed in his father's footsteps, producing hand blown stain glass windows. The depression in 1929 hit the company hard, almost causing the company to go out of business, but Blenko Jr. was smart, in 1930 the company started producing tableware and because of that tactic, the company survived and in August of that same year, the company changed its name to Blenko Glass Company where that names still stands today. (Source: www.blenkoglass.com)

While the company is still in business today, it is the older pieces that collectors look for (those produced in the 1930's). There are eight factors that collectors and appraisers look for when determining if a piece is authentic or a copy. Those factors are:

1. Blown. All pieces are hand blown so there will be natural variants such as chords, bubbles and tool marks. This makes each piece unique and different.

2. Pontil Marks. A pontil rod is the metal rod that is attached to the end of a blown piece so it can be finished. When the piece is finished, the rod is broken off and thus the mark is left.

3. Thickness. Blenko glass is thicker that most other glass. It is rarely lightweight and thin. This is due to being hand blown.

4. Rims. Blenko glass rims are fire polished. They briefly put the finished piece into the flame to help remove shearing and tool marks. Because of this Blenko glass rims have a smooth yet uneven finish.

5. Cold work. This is rarely done to produce a piece. However, the underside of the piece may be ground when cold. This is done only to make sure a piece will sit level.

6. Transparency. Blenko glass is always transparent and it is never opaque or translucent.

7. Color. From yellows to charcoal, Blenko glass has a set rainbow of colors and that entire list can be found at www.blenkomuseum.org/color.htm.

8. Design number. Each piece of Blenko glass has a specific/unique number to it. One must be able to match the shape and size to the number. The specifics can be found at www.blenkomuseum.org/numbernames.htm. If the piece is undocumented, the entire piece is questionable.

It is always a good idea to check with a reputable dealer to confirm your suspicions. Blenko glass is yet another glass product that can be and is highly collectable.