Title

Heart of Glass - Blenko Glass

Blenko Glass is a West Virginia treasure that spans generations. Nothing symbolizes the state of West Virginia better or more beautifully than Blenko Glass. We will discuss current and former craftsmen and designers and how important it is that Blenko and West Virginia glass be appreciated and valued by the younger generation.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Blenko References ? Eige Book


Hillary
What books etc do you recommend I buy, I'm a new collector.
Bill V.

Bill,

I recommend :
Spending time visiting, the Blenko Museum, Blenko Collectors 4 websites. Then purchasing Blenko Glass 1930 - 1953 by Eason Eige and Rick Wilson. After this, I'd try to collect the Blenko catalogues.

Remember I'm not an expert in glass arts , so ask others for suggestions. Perhaps a reader will tell you what he/ she finds helpful.

HJH


Blenko Glass 1930 - 1953
Eason Eige and Rick Wilson
paperback 144 pp. ISBN 0-915410-34-6
Table of Contents Incudes:
I. History of the Blenko Glass Co
II. Blenko Decorative Tableware 1930 - 1953
III. Catalogue Page Reprints
IV. Advertisements, Publicity and Promotional Materials
V. Personalities
Note: Book is out of print, maybe found at the Kanawha County Public Library, Cabell County Library System and in used bookstores. Expect to pay $100+

9 comments:

DrAnnu said...

Hillary
May I add -
Reading this blog is very helpful.
Also the Pina books.
Older, wiser collectors are the best resource.
A good seller ie Vendor is also wise. Buying cheap isn't always smart! Quality cost even in the area of factory glass. Pay more to a seller you trust. Larry from Serenity Glass of TX who contributes to the blog, and Damon Crain ov vintage modern glass are well known to bloggers.

Anonymous said...

I paid $134 for this book plus shipping andhandling.
Your prices are now correct for 2009.

Anonymous said...

Bruce
What books do you use?

buckndi said...

Just be aware, when using the Pina books, that there are some significant errors in identification included in them. Damon Crain has mentioned this issue several times on this blog, as well as in his newsletters and on his website. However, as long as you are looking at the reproduction catalog pages, you're pretty safe.

Anonymous said...

Chitrakahn
I have all the Leslie Pina reference catalog books
Blenko : Cool 50’s and 60’s Glass
Blenko Glass 1962-1971 Catalogs
Blenko 1972-1983 Catalogs
Blenko Catalogs Then and Now
I also have the Eason Eige /Rick Wilson Blenko book.
You can look on the web at the Blenko Collectors website as well as the Blenko Museum and find several 50’s catalogs that can be viewed online.
I do know that several of the major collectors in our area have gone to the additional expense to purchase the reprints of the older catalogs. The Alonzos have a wonderful reference library that I was able to use to research several pieces that I had found and needed to verify. But even having the Blenko books I have, I found out later that the catalog reprints often have left out pages so if at all possible try to get the original. Just look at everything these resources have in the way of collections, color references and designer information. My youngest daughter, Kayla, would sit and study the shapes and colors for hours which is why she can spot pieces that the rest of us miss when we go out antique shopping. I missed buying a set of bowls in Missouri when I didn’t follow her identification and later found the items in the Eage book. And I can still see the Chartreuse lamp that I left in the dusty corner of a junk shop in Kansas that wasn’t in the reference books but is sitting amongst a group of lamps in one of the collectors groups photos on the Blenko Collectors website.
Knowledge is power or in this case it can sure save you a disappointment.
Bruce

Anonymous said...

I will have to go to the library and check this out. Can at least write the order number down for the ones that I like. I will just collected the glass. Paper is sometimes to hard to keep in mint condition. It would be nice to own a piece and have the catalogue with all information about your Blenko.I would take it and get it signed, by one of the Blenko's. Then I would keep stored in air tight box. Maybe Blenko could design a box to keep old catalogues in. Inportant informaton. Wonder should you save the bill of sale? I know I am funny. I have Brass candlesticks from Old Badger Powathan, and my supervisor gave me the paper, picture about them. Well my brain needs to stop. Good to know where to go look and dream.Wasn't it King Henry the eighth who had a house built out of glass? I know someone did. If not him Napolean, maybe? Wonder where that glass come from. Who made it? What other styles of glasses did Blenko make in the red and white, in the fifties? Just want to see your catalogue, book. Roxie

susan said...

Less expensive books?
Pina is cheap but not accurate
Blenko four is free but also many inaccurate
items
Blenko project is free but with inaccurate info
Blenko Museum is free and fact checked.
Blenko website is just a messy place to visit,
Where to go, what to do? Questions 4 all of life, and with blenko collecting
the documentation and the history was not preserved with thoughts of truth and accuracy.
My thoughts only.

susan said...

? Who is Rick Wilson, found Eigle (deceased). Did he (RW) work at Blenko, is he living? If he is why don't you ask him for help with blog issues of identification?

Anonymous said...

Eason is not deceased he is living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He still curates shows and also helps run a local gallery. He used to be the curator at the Huntington Museum of Art and left WV sometime around 1995.