Fostoria - Part 4

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Fostoria - Part 4

FOSTORIA - Part 4

When discussing Fostoria, the vast and encompassing challenge of deciding which shapes were manufactured in what variety of colors is only the first hurdle! Then one must determine whether all pieces in a given pattern originally had gold trim? Considering the fact that many of these selections of glass were used in homes for entertaining, wear and tear would have removed a portion of that gold trim, possibly causing the owners to “remove” the remains when it became unsightly.

Tremendous production took place in this huge factory over quite a long period of time. Although books have been written to include early examples of their iridized ware, to actually determine the preciseness of colors within patterns would be an overwhelming task. As we have said in earlier segments, fewer than a dozen examples of the iridized items were on display when we visited the Museum, although two floors in the huge old home were filled with many clear glass items. The volunteer curator could not provide a specific reason for the lack of carnival items. With the majority of inventory provided on a voluntary basis, we must assume that the collectors of iridized Fostoria prefer to keep their treasures “close home”.

We believe that in displaying the named examples here on our site, those who enjoy collecting Fostoria will very likely be capable of pinpointing at least a few which they may still need to locate for “treasure”. Very little turns up in conventional carnival glass auctions, but when strolling the antique malls, a few pieces can usually be found.