Making Unbreakable Bonds

The gilt off a rose-colored nut bowl and the delicate pattern etched into a green glass pitcher. Collectors find beauty and creativity in items that were commonplace in American homes as long as 80 years ago.

For almost the past 40 years, members of the La Grange-based 20-30-40 Glass Society of Illinois gather to learn about—and share their affinity for—collecting, using and appreciating colorful Depression glass, 1950s kitchenware, pottery and contemporary art glass.

The society, a nonprofit organization created in 1972, teaches members about Depression glass and other glass items, as well as promoting the preservation and the enjoyment of collecting them.

Keeping track of the society is its newsletter editor and La Grange resident Bette Wittenberg. She said the society draws 110 active members who come from areas such as Park Ridge, Lisle, Elgin, Berwyn, Addison and Oak Forest. Six meetings are held each year on Saturdays at either the American Legion Hall or local restaurants. The next meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 15 at the legion hall, 900 S. LaGrange Rd., La Grange.

A popular item for collectors is Depression glass. Wittenberg explained that this type was a machine-made glass produced from the 1920s to 1940s which came in a variety of hues such as amber, pink, a rare lavender, royal ruby and blue.

“Depression glass was a cheap mass-produced glassware (that was available) during the Depression where you could buy a whole set of glassware for $2.38 or less,” Wittenberg said. “People wanted to add a little flair. Things were tough during the Depression so adding a little color into their dinnerware was (good.) People also received it as premium when they bought soap flakes and cereal. Even gas stations gave stemware out to customers at that time as a premium.”

Companies that produced this specific glassware included Anchor Hocking, Imperial, Hazel Atlas, Duncan Miller and Heisey. As production ceased in the 1950s, this opened the door to a new collectible: handmade glass.

“People got richer and they (bought) the more elegant type of glass,” she said. “It is higher quality glass that is fire-polished. It is a more expensive glass to make. It was decorated and went into more colors. (Manufacturers) cut and etched the glass, put overlays and (developed) more expensive colors such as dark red with gold added to the formula and a sunburst yellow color.”

Handmade glass contained designs such as leaves, cherubs and flowers. Some of those same companies produced this glass until the late 1960s and early 1970s because of competition by larger American and foreign businesses, she said.

The third category in the collectibles is contemporary art glass which is made today. This type is formed into decorative vases, and sometimes, designs are encased within the glass, Wittenberg said.

Besides displaying glass, the club brings in speakers for members to learn more about their pieces. Rose Roth, the society’s president and Lombard resident, said members can peruse through its library.

“A lot of people buy glassware at garage sales, antique stores and estate sales and they don’t know what the piece is,” she said. “They can come to our club and look through our boxes of books that we have at the meetings every time. They can learn what glass company (made their piece) and what the pattern is.”

Handling with Care

Wittenberg explained the group started from people having pieces passed down to them from their mothers. Her pieces include kitchenware from the 1950s such as a nut chopper, glass mixing bowls and relish dishes. This type of kitchenware is making a new impression for younger generations who consider these pieces as “shabby chic.”

“Most of the kitchenware was glass,” she said. “Young people today are collecting a lot of kitchenware because they want to go ‘green.’ They don’t buy so much disposable items; they reuse them. That’s the trend: to recycle and reuse.”

In another category, members collect pottery such as the festively-colored Fiesta by the West Virginia-based Homer Laughlin China Company. Wittenberg explained that pottery and glassware are interchangeable and pieces complement each other.

Roth's interest in collecting was piqued by a gift she received. Roth moved from Lombard from Carbondale in 1963 and a friend gave her a china dish. Roth used it to store pins and other small items. A visiting friend saw the dish, knew that it was made by R.F. Prussia and recognized it to be a very valuable piece. That kicked off Roth’s interest in searching for antiques.

She and her husband found glass pieces from the 1900s and specific ones from Fostoria, a defunct glassware company from West Virginia. It was known for its tableware and “elegant” stemware, which contain patterns.

“As a collector you just keep buying and buying when you see bargains,” she said.

Her real passion is amassing glass paperweights. She said The House of Glass, a company based in Elwood, IN, began making paperweights in 1941.

“I have at least five or six of them in every room in the house except the kitchen,” she said. “I’m fascinated with the way they are made. For example, I’m looking at one where it’s about the size of a pear. The business’ owner forms it so there’s ‘flowers’ inside of it. He blows different colors in the paperweight to form the flowers. It just looks like flowers inside of it, but it’s glass.”

Buying and Selling

In addition to talking about the different types of pieces, the society sponsors collectors’ markets twice a year at the American Legion Hall in La Grange. The markets attract dealers who sell or trade items with members and visitors. For 40 years, the society has been sponsoring and annual sale and show featuring Depression glass, pottery and handmade glass. The next show, scheduled for March 10-11, 2012, at the Concorde Plaza Midwest Conference Center in Northlake, will have 26 locally and nationally known dealers from Depression glass and handmade glass companies.

Wittenberg said the club has lasted so long because of the common interest that brings them together.

“Glass collectors bond together because they enjoy collecting, using the items and talking about them,” she said. “They enjoy each other. It’s a social event for a lot of our members.”

For more information, visit the society’s Web site, 20-30-40society.org.